Småland is the heavily forested province in southern Sweden, roughly 350 km south of Stockholm. It is best known as the "Kingdom of Crystal" — some twenty glassworks are scattered through the woods between Kalmar and Växjö, most of them offering free tours and factory shops where you can buy seconds at good prices. Kosta Boda and Orrefors are the famous names, but the smaller workshops are often more interesting to visit.
Växjö, the main inland town, has a glass museum and the House of Emigrants, a museum dedicated to the mass Swedish emigration to the United States in the 19th century — roughly a quarter of Sweden's population left, many of them from Småland. The surrounding countryside is classic Swedish landscape: lakes, forests and red wooden houses. The island of Öland is just across the bridge from Kalmar.
