Quaint Villages / Towns with reasonable downtowns / shops? (Manchester, Nashua: how much, construction)

[slalemand]

Ok, so you have Portsmouth, Conway, Keene, but what other areas have nice reasonable sized downtowns that offer plenty of shops for Holiday Shopping without the crowds?

Plymouth is very nice but a bit to small.

Gorham, Berlin … not enough

Maybe Meredith area?

Concord?

Manchester seems a bit on the big city side?

Gloucester?


Skip

[lady fern]

Concord has a nice, walkable downtown along Main Street. I haven't done much in the way of shopping there, so I couldn't tell you how much variety it has but there is always the box stores along Loudon Rd. if you don't find what you need. I always enjoy heading up to West Lebanon and perusing Powerhouse Mall around Christmas. There isn't much there, but it is such a quaint mall and it gets me in the Christmas spirit. Beyond that, I think you've named everything.

[slalemand]

Wow, somehow I think we'll end up in Southern Maine area?

Thanks for the input.

[stormynh]

Maynard Ma.

[Nonesuch]

Yes, Manchester is more of a city, but still has a nice compact downtown for shopping, maybe a bit more crowded. On the other hand, there are more dining options in Manchester than almost anywhere else. Too often downtown Nashua is overlooked in favor of all the nearby malls.

When I have visitors this time of year, I take them to Concord. it is a nice walkable downtown and a good irish pub for afterwards. Main street is definitely what people think of as a traditional pre-mega-mall era main street shopping district, more so than I've found in any other city.

Milford has the oval, which is well decorated seasonally but tiny. More suitable for a winter pub crawl than holiday shopping.

[Fenway Freak]

Concord is probably my favorite downtown in New Hampshire. There's a decent amount to do and it's fairly walkable.

[Alfheim]

Milford pub crawl? Like, from one to the other and back again?

There's also a nice mall in a mill building out Peterborough way, or there was a decade ago when I was there last, and in Mass, Newburyport is kind of a Portsmouth light, with some cute little shops up brick paths sort of stuff.

I always hate to use the adjective "quaint", though, I never have heard it used in a sentence that didn't make it sound ever so slightly condescending. Although I suppose it's equally bad as " walkable", which conjures images of a hippie engineer corps. Guess there really isn't a good word for it.

[rizzo0904]

Nashua has beckonings and the league of nh craftsmen....two great places for shopping. Fresh boutique has some nice items as well.

[BlueRidge1]

Originally Posted by Alfheim

Milford pub crawl? Like, from one to the other and back again?
.

Hey now, I've done a Milford pub crawl with 3 stops and didn't even visit all the bars in town!

[Nonesuch]

Originally Posted by BlueRidge1

Hey now, I've done a Milford pub crawl with 3 stops and didn't even visit all the bars in town!

Assuming you skipped Yankee Chef, Milford Fish Market and the many "Asian" restaurant lounges (Sake House, Jade Dragon, Cherry Blossom, Golden Palace, and Yummy Yummy), you did well, may even have hit all the places on the oval proper?

Just for Alfeim, here's a draft beer purist's itinerary:

1. Lunch at Shaka's (formerly Malarkey's). Look for Henniker on tap.
2. Happy Hour at Amigo's (Begins 2PM, $2.50 Dos Equis Draft, $5 Margaritas)
3. Over to Clark's tavern (website is under construction, bar is open)
4. Wander downhill, enjoy the last rays of sunshine with some local drafts at J's Under the Bridge
5. Happy Hour (3-7pm, 7 days a week) with Olde Kilkenny's dozens of drafts -- order efficiently, their clock is fast!
6. Stagger through traffic to Pasta Loft, for beer, wine, live music, then split a pizza (pizza oven shuts down at midnight on weekends)

Finally, wrap up at the Red Arrow Diner. No booze, but 24-hour warmth, serving coffee and more.