The Brick Store is a genuine old-fashioned general store that dates back as far as 1790 – in fact, the store calls itself America’s oldest continuously operated general story. It is located on the main street – Route 302 – in the delightful town of Bath. Customers include some old-timers in their 90s who tell the owners, Mike and Nancy Lusby, that they remember buying penny candy there as kids. How authentic is that? At the Brick Store, visitors can buy distinctive New England specialties — including smokehouse meats and cheese, homemade fudge, gift packs and gift baskets, maple syrup, weathervanes, and much more. It is open daily. Phone: 800-964-2074

Cherry Pond Designs Makes <br>Artwork of Furniture Cherry Pond Designs Makes
Artwork of Furniture

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Beautiful, artfully designed, high-quality furniture is something you shop for, but it also something to enjoy for its artistry. On a trip in the White Mountains, people who love furniture should visit Cherry Pond Designs on Meadows Road in Jefferson. Since 1990 Cherry Pond has been manufacturing solid wood bedroom, dining room, and occasional furniture that is designed and built to last for generations. Cherry Pond builds five distinct styles of high grade cherry furniture inspired by Shaker design and philosophy. The shop’s basic styles are known as "Cambridge", "Canterbury", "Essex" and "Verdana". Cambridge and Canterbury are identical except for details which give each a distinctive look. Canterbury adheres to traditional, elegant Shaker design. Cambridge is a bit more sophisticated and contemporary. The Essex look uses dovetail joinery, chamfered front frame, gently swept base and a molded top edge. Verdana features curved legs and end panels and a bowed top. Pay a visit; see and enjoy for yourself. Phone: 603-586-7795.

Craftsmen in the White Mountains

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Founded in 1932, the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen is one of the oldest craft organizations in the country. The League was formed during the Depression to help New Hampshire craftspeople make a living through difficult financial times by building an audience and market for fine handmade craft. The League operates seven retail galleries throughout New Hampshire. The galleries present the work of juried craftspeople, along with demonstrations, exhibits and educational programs.
Galleries in the White Mountains region are Littleton Retail Gallery, 81 Main Street, Littleton, 603-444-1099; and North Conway Retail Galler, Main Street/Route 16, North Conway, 603-356-2441.

Craggy Beauty, 90 Feet Tall

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The Flume Gorge at Franconia Notch State Park in the White Mountains National Forest is a natural granite gorge extending 800 feet at the base of Mount Liberty. The towering granite walls on each side of the gorge rise to a spectacular height of about 90 feet. Footpaths and bridges allow walkers to move among towering moss-covered granite walls, past cascading waterfalls, historic covered bridges, glacial boulders and much more. This is a beautiful nature wonder of the Granite State that you just should not miss.

General Store Celebrates Inspired Nonsense

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Zeb’s General Store in the mountain village of North Conway is the place to find New England products of all imaginable kinds – and some you might not easily imagine, like Nantucket Sea Clay Soap, Maine Maple Champagne Mustard, or Out on a Limb Blueberry Pie Filling. Some products are eccentric and all are worth a ride home in your shopping satchel. There are plenty of New England specialty foods and classic favorites like penny candy. You can even design your own gift basket from crates, baskets, or boxes (one of them a replica of the store itself), which you then fill with Zeb’s goodies. Phone: 800-676-9294.

Gifts From the Hands of Artists

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The beautiful Franconia Notch area offers opportunities to shop for art-inspired gifts to be found nowhere else. For example, the Pine Needle Card and Gift Company in Franconia (603-823-5907) presents greeting cards with photos of surrounding vistas; Plough Wind Antiques on Main Street in Franconia (603-823-9571) is filled with vintage treasures as well as beeswax candles and wonderful Woodstock Chimes; and P.C. Anderson Handmade Furniture in Sugar Hill (603-823-5209) creates furniture (including custom designs) as an art form. ‎

Indoor Comfort; Outdoor Adventure

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For indoor and outdoor pleasures, the resource in East Conway on Route 113 is Town & Country, offering country gifts, wood and gas stoves as well as snowmobile sales, service, rentals for outdoor adventurers. The country store offers Lodge Cast Iron Cookware, country furniture, weathervanes, Warren Kimble Prints, candles and gifts. The outdoorsman can find Polaris and Yamaha recreational vehicles for sale or rent. Snowmobile renters can hit the trails immediately through the Snoward Bound Covered Bridge parking area located just behind the store. Cross the covered bridge and enter a groomed scenic trail connection to New Hampshire's Corridor 19 snowmobile trails. (While the indoor people stay put and shop.) The store is open daily through the winter. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Phone: 603-939-2698.

Kancamagus Has Scenic Beauty Like No Place Else

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The Kancamagus Scenic Byway passes through the heart of the White Mountains National Forest while traversing the flank of Mount Kancamagus, filled with scenic areas and overlooks. The byway coincides with Route 112 from Conway to Lincoln. Visitors know this area as one of the world's most spectacular fall-foliage trips, but a stunning spectrum of color underscores the region's natural beauty year round. The road meanders through vast forests, old logging roads, and Indian hunting paths. An abundance of history and recreation lies here, so take the time to pull off the road and explore all that the byway offers.

Moose Crossing

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Breath taking views, sweet mountain air, and a 95 percent chance of seeing a moose are three great reasons to head to Gorham and out on the Moose Tours. This 3-hour guided bus tour allows visitors to New Hampshire to gaze upon deer, osprey, and the majestic moose. Tours run daily from May to October 3, and depart at dusk. While people are settling down after a day with their nose to the grind, this scenic nature tour offers the opportunity to see animals in their most active time. Located on Route 16, Moose Tours is a great way to explore the North Country, with out all that pesky walking. Phone: 603-466-3103.

Polly Want a Pancake?

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All people who hold an appropriate reverence for pancakes need to trek to Polly’s Pancake Parlor on Route 117 in Sugar Hill, a third-generation family business that has been making and serving pancakes since 1938. All day long, Polly's serves whole wheat, buckwheat, and cornmeal pancakes, sausage or bacon, and maple toppings. Visit the gift shop and take home the pancake mixes and maple syrup to hold you over until your next visit. Phone: 800-432-8972.

Pollyanna Was Here

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One of the last classic Main Streets in New England, downtown Littleton is a vibrant community on the bank of the Ammonoosuc River. Downtown offers a nice variety of restaurants, a historic inn, a 100-year old opera house, specialty shops, a majestic post office, a working gristmill, the world’s longest candy counter, and a sculpture of the original “glad girl” herself: Pollyanna.