From knitting baskets to bicycle baskets to picnic and pie baskets – and other uses you have never imagined -- Peterborough Basket Company and its factory outlet store on Grove Street in Peterborough are ready to serve your basketry needs. Hand-made Peterborough baskets are made from Appalachian white ash, the same hardwood that baseball bats, snowshoes, and axe handles are made from. The wood is harvested from Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, and the baskets’ solid brass nails prevent rusting. All of the baskets are made on site at the factory in Peterborough, and the factory store has great bargains and wonderful gift ideas. Factory outlet store hours are Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Closed most holidays. Phone: 603-371-9020

Art of Six Continents Resides Here

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The town of Peterborough is home to the Mariposa Museum, whose collection centers on folk art, textiles, costumes, art, puppets, toys and instruments from six continents. This is the place to celebrate cultures of the world. Most artifacts are available on permanent display, supplemented by rotating exhibits by visiting artists in residence, other galleries, photographers, and special events including multicultural performances. Phone: 603-924-4555

Cottage in the Forest

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The sweet little cottage at Pickity Place on Nutting Hill Road in the town of Mason has stood for more than 200 years (historic note: Pickity is the setting for Little Golden Books’s 1948 version of “Little Red Riding Hood”). These days, the cottage is a place to enjoy peaceful gardens, a greenhouse shop, and elegant gourmet luncheons accented with herbs and edible flowers. Lunch is served every day and the menu changes monthly. Phone: 603-878-1151.

Hannah’s Here to Help With Creative Shopping

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Hannah Grimes Marketplace on Main Street in Keene is a education center and incubator for New Hampshire products, crafts, and artwork. For visitors, the Marketplace is a great place to browse for local foods, including maple syrup, children’s books, and luxuries from fancy shampoos to original art. Think about your gift shopping for the next several months, and go explore what Hannah has to offer. Hours: Store Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, 11a.m.- p.m. Phone: 603-352-6862.

Milk and Salsa, But Not in the Same Bowl

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Stonewall Farm on Chesterfield Road in Keene is a farm with an organic attitude, and the public is welcome to come and check it out. The farm showcases local vendors such as Cheshire Gardens of Winchester, which produces preserves, mustards, vinegars, salsas and sauces. Visitors are welcome daily from dawn to dusk for milking, educational events, and shopping at the farm stand and gift shop. Phone: 603-357-7278.

Pewter in Process

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Hillsborough Center retains the atmosphere of a 19th century New England town, with its central Common, surrounded by buildings that once housed taverns, a blacksmith shop, and a post office. This is the workplace of pewtersmith Jon Gibson, owner of Gibson Pewter on East Washington Road. Watch Gibson create pewter objects in the 200-year-old barn where he apprenticed as a boy. More than 100 traditional and contemporary pieces are for sale. Phone: 603-464-3410

Pull Up a Book and a Toadstool

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The three Toadstool Bookshops at The Colony Mill Marketplace in Keene, (603-352-8815), Lorden Plaza on Nashua Street in Milford (603-673-1734), and 112 Depot Square in Peterborough (603-924-3543) are a haven for book lovers. Browsing is encouraged, rewarded, and addictive. The stores are sociable too: the Peterborough store hosts live music and the Milford store is the home of a classics reading group.

Stock Car Racing … on Ice

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Racing fans don’t need to vegetate indoors during the winter. On Sunday afternoons from January to March the Jaffrey Ice Racing Association hosts stock car races on a quarter-mile oval track on Lake Contoocook (also known as Sunshine Lake), on Squantam Road in Jaffrey. Two divisions, modified and four-cylinder, race 10-lap heats and 20-lap feature races. Racing takes place from noon to 4 p.m. Of course, Mother Nature has to cooperate; the races take place only if the ice is just right. Phone: 603-593-5181.

Warm and Colorful Artwork

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The Sharon Arts Center on Grove Street in Peterborough offers fine art galleries, a fine craft store, and even a school of arts and crafts. The craft store is a warm and colorful excursion into beautiful, highbrow textiles, pottery, jewelry, glass art, wooden objects, and more from regional and national craftsmen. Phone: 603-924-2787.