The road from Kristiansand runs by way of Lillesand (pop. 1,500) and the manor house of Norholmen, once the home of the Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun (museum), to Grimstad (pop. 14,500). In Østregate, near the harbor, is the former pharmacy in which Henrik Ibsen was an apprentice from 1847 to 1850. While in Grimstad he wrote his first drama,
"Catiline", which was published in 1850 under a pseudonym. The interior of the pharmacy has been preserved in its original state and is now a museum; it contains a number of Ibsen manuscripts and pictures which he painted in Grimstad.
Grimstad is a popular summer destination as well as during the Christmas season. During the summer months, Grimstad hosts the Norwegian Short Film Festival, a noteworthy event for film buffs.