Frosty air and snowy mountain peaks are all part of the magic of Christmas in northern New Hampshire, where local businesses are ready to welcome you for an amazing holiday shopping experience. Shop here for friendly storekeepers, outstanding merchandise and exceptional customer service. Parking is free in most towns, or easily accessible public parking is available. And, remember, in New Hampshire you shop tax free!
Following is a small selection of the fine shops and businesses located throughout the region. During your travels you’ll no doubt discover more!
Fine Craft & Art
Littleton’s colorful and eclectic League of NH Craftsmen Gallery showcases some of New Hampshire’s finest craftsmen working in jewelry, clay, glass, fibers, wood, metal, photography, baskets, printmaking and mixed media. Or give a gift certificate to the gallery’s Studio School where the recipient can choose from a hands-on workshop in pottery, jewelry making, basketry, painting, and more.
An original piece of art is a wonderful expression of love. The William Rugh Gallery in Lancaster represents abstract modern realism artist Ed Widmayer and award-winning photographer Fletcher Manley. The gallery also features a selection of handcrafted furniture, granite benches and unique fine crafts.
Visit the Local Works Marketplace in Bethlehem for wonderful handcrafted products such as jewelry, pottery, soaps, lotions, candles, textiles, baskets, photography, fine art, home décor, and gourmet foods — the work of over 120 local artists.
Jewelry, Home Décor & Gift Items
Greetings Jewelers in Berlin features the latest trends in jewelry and gifts, including rings, necklaces, watches and home décor. Or have the on-site jeweler create a custom piece for you. The shop also carries a complete line of Hallmark cards and Hallmark holiday collectible ornaments.
Fiddleheads, on Colebrook’s Main Street, features American- and Canadian-made and Fair Trade products, along with a nice assortment of fine art and crafts and gift items.
Bookstores
The bookstore at the White Mountain Café & Bookstore in Gorham specializes in titles of local interest, maps and hiking guides. You’ll also discover best sellers, a very nice selection of children’s books and toys, greeting cards and an assortment of gift items. And, you can sip a cup of Fair Trade coffee from the Café while you browse!
Many families make it a tradition to gift books at the holidays. You’ll find just what you need at Littleton’s Little Village Toy & Book Shop, which is stocked with a wide selection of kids’ books and inspiring and educational toys, complemented by a good variety of adult fiction, non-fiction and local reads.
The Great Outdoors
Drummond’s Mountain Shop, located just west of the Bretton Woods Ski Area on Route 302, carries everything you can think of to make your outdoor experience more enjoyable — from ski equipment and hiking gear, to clothing, footwear, and accessories. The full-service ski shop sells and services all major brands of Alpine and Nordic skis, as well as Redfeather and Tubbs snowshoes.
Nordic ski equipment and accessories are the specialty at Great Glen Outfitters in Gorham, where you’ll find the most up-to-date winter clothing and equipment for every terrain. Once the Christmas gifts are opened, come back and ski the trails at Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center.
Bretton Woods features the ultimate in outdoor experiences: Alpine and Nordic skiing on beautifully groomed trails; exhilarating canopy tours; romantic sleigh rides; skating across glistening ice; slick snow tubing; exciting snowmobiling; and expertly guided backcountry adventures. Gift a loved one with a season’s pass or treat them to a day or weekend of outdoor adventure!
Can you say mush! Bundle up the family and head to Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel in Jefferson, where you’ll receive a resounding bark of welcome and the awesome experience of a sled dog ride through field and forest. A great family gift idea.
Visit The Rocks Estate in Bethlehem to choose and cut your own tree and pick out a decorated wreath for the front door. Consider sending a fragrant tree or wreath to a friend or family member who lives far away and misses the smells of home.
Specialty Foods
There’s nothing like the taste of sweet maple syrup on your pancakes or waffles on Christmas morning! Fuller’s Sugarhouse, an award-winning, family-owned business in Lancaster, produces over 8,000 gallons of pure maple syrup each year. The store stocks syrup in a variety of sizes, along with maple candy — a great stocking stuffer — and a hand-picked selection of gift items. Have Fuller’s fill a Gift Basket for you and ship it to the lucky recipient!
Anyone with a sweet tooth (and don’t we all have one!) will love a gift from Chutters, the home of the Guinness Book of World Record’s Longest Candy Counter, where you can select from over 500 sweet treats. The store also stocks fudge and chocolates, along with gift items ranging from Christmas stockings to collectibles to specialty food products
Specialty food producer White Mountain Canning is a Littleton-based family business producing a variety of high-quality products, everything from a mouth-watering chili mix to jams, jellies, mustards, dips, pickles, salsas and much more. All the items make great stocking stuffers!
Antiques & Collectibles
Once upon a time the 7,500 square foot Potato Barn Antiques in Groveton was a potato storage barn. Today, visitors can choose from an extensive collection of glassware, beautiful vintage clothing and accessories, a wide assortment of tools, quilts and textiles, books, furniture, prints and pictures, vintage lighting and much more. Holiday collectibles are always popular.
Theatre Tickets Make Great Stocking Stuffers
Season’s tickets to one of the North Country’s cultural icons are always a welcome find under the Christmas tree.
The Weathervane Theatre in Whitefield produces seven main-stage productions over eight weeks in an alternating repertory style. The big red barn theatre has been bringing the best of Broadway and beyond to North Country summer audiences since 1966.
St. Kieran Community Center for the Arts, located in a former church in Berlin, is a unique setting for an outstanding roster that includes Celtic fiddlers, retro bands, comedians, jazz bands, and Franco-American performers.
The Medallion Opera House in the historic Gorham Town Hall maintains a lively, year-round performance schedule with acts appealing to a wide range of tastes.
Colebrook’s Tillotson Center presents a full playbill of activities, year-round, with concerts and other performances staged in its 171-seat theater.
The Live! At The Colonial summer series brings world-class artists to the concert stage at The Colonial Theatre in Bethlehem, one of the oldest continuously operating movie theatres in the United States.
The Great North Woods Center for the Arts in Columbia features indoor and outdoor performance spaces for concerts, plays, art shows, arts and crafts activities and a variety of community gatherings, as well as overnight accommodations for visiting artists and performers.
Recharge at Our Restaurants
We don’t want you to shop until you drop, so do yourself a favor and take some time to fuel up with a hearty breakfast, enjoy a leisurely lunch, take a tea break, or plan an intimate dining experience to cap off your day. Gift certificates for family and friends who enjoy dining out are also a great holiday gifting option.
Gorham
The White Mt. Café & Bookstore features Fair Trade coffee and fine teas, along with breakfast sandwiches, bagels, panini sandwiches, quiches and soups. All of the baked goods are homemade.
Enjoy fine dining at Libby’s Bistro with its fresh and innovative menu using locally grown ingredients. More casual fare is available in the SAALT pub.
Bretton Woods
Rustic American fare and family-style service are a winning combination in the dining room at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Highland Center at Crawford Notch. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available for lodge guests, through hikers, outdoor recreationalists and members of the public. The beautiful mountain views are free!
At the Omni Mount Washington Resort, guests have several dining options, from meals served in the elegant main dining room with sweeping views of Mt. Washington and the Presidential Range, to more casual fare in Stickney’s pub or the Cave, a Prohibition-era speakeasy. Or opt for a refreshing afternoon beverage in the Rosebrook Lounge or Princess Room.
Colebrook
Find made-from-scratch, freshly baked muffins and cinnamon rolls at Mostly Muffins.
After a day of shopping, unwind in the Colebrook Country Club cocktail lounge for drinks, bar snacks and a game of billiards or darts.
Pittsburg
The Rainbow Grille & Tavern on the shores of beautiful Back Lake offers gourmet fare in its dining room, and more casual choices in the Tavern. Yankee Magazine’s Travel Issue awarded it an “Editor’s Choice.”
Perfectly prepared steaks rub shoulders with dozens of other items on the menu at Murphy’s Steakhouse. Casual, comfortable atmosphere.
Lancaster
Warm up with a cup of coffee or tea and a delicious pastry, like a chocolate-filled brioche or sticky bun at Polish Princess Bakery . And don’t leave without a loaf of freshly baked bread. Lunch specials include quiche, spinach and feta turnovers, gourmet pizza, ham and cheese brioche and soups.
Jefferson
You’ll have a hard time choosing from the delicious variety of freshly prepared items on the extensive breakfast menu at the Waterwheel Breakfast & Gift House, where breakfast is served all day and the giant pancakes are a particular favorite. The restaurant also serves lunch.
Whitefield
Enjoy farm-to-table fare in the Harvest Room at the historic Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa for a casual breakfast, lunch or dinner culinary experience. Book a seat in the 6,000-bottle 1865 Wine Cellar for a special treat.
Hearty portions and an extensive menu have patrons returning again and again to Grandma’s Kitchen. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with daily specials in a diner atmosphere.
Littleton
Enjoy Classic American tavern fare at the Beal House, which features locally raised meats and greens on its carefully curated menu. Weekly specials include craft draft beer and burger nights, along with a Fish & Chips Sunday special, and Modelo Mondays.
Quaff a small batch brew and nosh on a Neapolitan-style, wood-fired pizza at Schilling Beer Company, an 18th century gristmill on the Ammonoosuc River.
Stop by the Littleton Food Co-op for great gift ideas, like cheeses and wines, or enjoy freshly prepared salads, sandwiches and soups in the new cafeteria.
Chang Thai’s amazing variety of familiar Thai dishes, prepared with fresh herbs and other ingredients, will delight any diner. Open for lunch and dinner.
Sip locally roasted Fair Trade coffees or your favorite organic loose-leaf tea at the Ink Well Coffee and Teahouse while you peruse a menu of baked goods and light fare with locally sourced ingredients. Gluten-free and vegan options available.
Bethlehem
Small batch beers are the specialty at Rek’-Lis Brewing Company. The owners have a great sense of humor, too, producing the “Up in Smoke Series,” beers named after hotels in town that have burned down; the “License Plate Series,” acronyms of funny real or fake New Hampshire plates; and a “Friends Series,” named, of course, for some special friends.
The classic Italian comfort food at Rosa Flamingos is creatively prepared and served nightly. Locals give high-fives to the restaurant’s pizza, wings and desserts.
The eclectic lunch and dinner menu, along with the full bar, make Cold Mountain Café a favorite North Country dining destination. Begin with the Dates Stuffed with Local Chevre, followed by the restaurant’s signature Black Bean Cake for a mouth-watering experience. Daily soup and sandwich specials, nightly specials and especially decadent desserts!
Situated on the banks of the beautiful Ammonoosuc River, the Wayside Inn restaurant is open for dinner Thursday through Monday, with a menu featuring favorites like homemade Mac ‘N Cheese, Chicken Parmesan and Fish ‘N Chips.