For Earth-conscious shoppers, a visit to the southern New Hampshire city of Nashua should include a stop at 1 World Trading Company on Main Street, which offers fair-trade, locally made, and environmentally friendly products in a beautiful and friendly setting. Items range from colorful handmade Guatemalan friendship bracelets to traditional Granite State body lotions, shampoo and recycled (used) bicycles. Talk about diversity! Open daily except Tuesdays. Phone: 603-881-9111.

A Little Bit of Home in a Little Corner
of New Hampshire

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For some of us, winter is the time to hunker down near the fireside and wait it out ‘til spring. If you are going to be spending all that time at home, it is a good opportunity to spruce the place up a bit. A Little Bit of Home, a shop on Bridge Street in Pelham, is filled with products that are both locally and commercially made for the home and gift giving. They include soy candles, new and vintage jewelry, handmade baby gifts, home decor, framed prints, floral arrangements, wreaths, lamps and shades, garden products, angels, christmas goods, kitchen gifts, and collectable glass. Stop in form some browsing for your own home or a friend’s. Discover lovely things you didn’t know until now that you needed. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone:603-893-2921

Astronomical Calendar Mystifies Visitors to America's Stonehenge

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America’s Stonehenge, a maze of man-made chambers, walls, and ceremonial meeting places at 105 Haverhill Road, Salem, is most likely the oldest man-made construction in the United States (more than 4,000 years old). Who built it? No one knows for sure. Like Stonehenge in England, America's Stonehenge was built by ancient people versed in astronomy and stone construction. The site is an accurate astronomical calendar. Various inscriptions have been found throughout the site including Ogham, Phoenician and Iberian Punic Script. Visitors today can enjoy walking, exploring, snowshoeing (equipment rentals available), visiting the resident alpacas, and browsing the gift shop, stocked with rocks and minerals, greeting cards, and more. Open daily year-round. Phone: 603-893-8300.

Barns Gave Their Best to These Reproductions

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G.R’s Trading Post, Inc. on Chester Road in Derry calls itself the number-one source of farmhouse chair and table reproductions, and that would be a hard claim to dispute. The company uses wood from dismantled barns throughout New England. “The boards are examined and manicured to perfection. We extract the original square head nails and take care to preserve the original knots and wood markings,” the Trading Post website explains. “The selected pieces then make their way to our woodshop where we apply the farm house table base -- hand-turned legs imported from England. After the base is completed, the one-of-a-kind antique barn boards are applied to the top of each table.” Each finished piece is beautiful and unique. Phone: 603-434-0220.

Bring a Camera for Photos with a Clydesdale

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A visit to the Anheuser-Busch brewery on Daniel Webster Highway in Merrimack offers a broad menu of pleasures: see how the brew is made; stroll through the gardens; visit the gift shop. On the first Saturday of each month, a Clydesdale horse – one of the gentle giants that pulled Budweiser wagons back in the day – is brought out for picture-taking with the public. Phone: 603-595-1202

Craftsmen in Merrimack

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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 Merrimack region are Concord Retail Gallery, 36 North Main Street, Concord, 603-228-8171.

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I, Whirlygig

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Here’s a chance to get the fun of flying without the fear of flying. SkyVenture, located on Poisson Road in Nashua, is a vertical wind tunnel where visitors can experience the freedom of flight. There is no falling sensation. You just float above the trampoline floor with ease. The indoor vertical wind tunnel is not only used by the world’s best skydivers to train in but it was also designed for the general public to experience the sport of body flight. No experience necessary! Almost anyone can do it. Reservations are recommended whenever possible. Open daily. Phone: 1-888-SKYVENTURE.

Meet the Llamas (and a Ffew Aalpacas Ttoo)

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The owners of Cicely Farm, on Flaghole Road in Concord started to get stuck on llamas in 1999, when two llamas joined the farm as a 50th birthday present. Now, the farm is home to 31 llamas and some alpacas, and the public is welcome to visit the barn, and meet and pet these lovely creatures. The farm also offers Guided hikes on the property. Hikes offer hands on experience with a focus on Llama 101, on packing theory and etiquette or on family fun and range from very easy to moderately strenuous. Come on by! Who doesn’t llove a llama? Phone: 603-783-9982.

Pamper That Mailman

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A wonderful opportunity to see a dynamic example of modernist design -- via the genius of Frank Lloyd Wright -- is available through the Currier Museum for the Arts in Manchester, where people can tour Wright’s 1950 Zimmerman House. Enjoy the built-in and freestanding furniture, its textiles, and gardens. Dig this: Wright even designed the mailbox. The Currier offers a variety of public walk-on tours for visitors of the house and its gardens from April through December each year, and private group tours are also available by reservation. Phone: 603-669-6144. (Photo from Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH. Bequest of Isadore J. and Lucille Zimmerman)

Pirates, Tree Houses, and Room to Crawl

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Moms and Dads of very young children, be advised that a new children’s museum opened in July 2009 at the old Waumbec Mill in Manchester. Kaleidoscope Children’s Museum, on Commercial Street, is designed for children age 1 to 5, though older children are welcome as well. Many of the special events are great for all ages. Kaleidoscope is designed specifically to encourage creative play and thinking. Among the exhibits is Mini-Main Street, Crawlers Corner, ZOOM!, Let the Show Begin, Read to Me!, Jammin' Tree House, Dino Discovery, You're the Star, Movin' N Groovin', Ahoy Me Mateys!, and Arts Alive! Art classes and workshops, music classes, sign language and more are offered on a rotating basis. Even the big kids will be tempted to get down on the floor and play. Phone: 603-606-3381.

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Smokin’!

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Located at the end of a small gravel road off of Shaker Road in the small town of Canterbury, Fox Country Smoke House began in 1969 as a service for local farmers. Using his own hand-mixed cures and a special blend of woods from the farm, Charley created superior hams and bacon. Today, Fox Country Smoke House offers a full line of smoked products, including, ham, bacon, sausages, cheese, fish, and beef jerky. Open to the public daily from May through Christmas. Call ahead for hours of operation. Phone: 800-339-4409

The Sky Is No Limit

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At the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium on Institute Drive in Concord -- the most technologically advanced planetarium theater in New England -- visitors can participate in a rocket-making workshop, land the space shuttle, find cool space toys in the Celestial Treasures gift shop, join a Friday night adventure for families or just for teens, and look through a telescope at the rings of Saturn or sunspots on our very own star. Open daily, year-round. Phone: 603-271-7831

Wholesome Living

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A fascinating day of history and fine dining awaits the curious visitor at the Canterbury Shaker Village and Shaker Table Restaurant in Canterbury. This National Historic Landmark preserves 200 years of Shaker life on 694 acres, 25 original buildings, gardens, and trails. Known for its tranquil beauty, the village offers tours, exhibits, workshops, family programs, hiking trails, unique shopping and delicious food. There is a great museum store, and the Shaker Table Restaurant features Shaker-inspired cooking using fresh ingredients from area producers as well as many fruits, vegetables, and herbs grown on the Village grounds. The Village is open daily, May through October and weekends November, December and April. Phone: 603-783-9511