5 Best Places to Shop in The Monadnocks and Merrimack Valley, New Hampshire

This acclaimed confectioner produces edible works of art in the form of strikingly designed chocolate bars like the WhiteSand with juniper, cardamom, and white chocolate, and the earthy Silk Flowers bar colored and flavored with peppercorns, chrysanthemums, and marigolds. Other specialties include bonbons and Mayan drinking chocolate, which you can sip in the adjacent café. 

Since 1858, this picturesque sawmill on a tranquil pond has been a destination in rural Wilton. Since the 1960s, it's produced and sold classic Shaker-style maple-wood boxes, but the shop here also sells all sorts of beautiful folk art pieces, from hand-blown glass to finely forged ironware. The shop is officially only open Saturdays as well as Sundays by appointment.

Hand-spun and hand-dyed yarn, as well as looms, felt, knitting yarn, and instruction books, are sold at this famous shop that occupies a striking redbrick, water-powered mill in the heart of a Monadnock village that's been famous for textiles since 1794. The shop also conducts classes in knitting, spinning, and weaving.

Across the street, the inviting Harrisville General Store—open since 1838—serves tasty salads and sandwiches using locally sourced ingredients.

The pottery, kitchenware, soaps, greeting cards, toys, and specialty foods of more than 250 artisans are on display in this colorful downtown gallery.

From Peterborough, it's a scenic 20-minute drive by way of the historic villages of Dublin and Harrisville to reach this sustainable farm set amid rolling fields and hardwood forest. Pick your own berries, apples, and pears in season, and buy humanely raised pork and lamb products as well as gourmet prepared foods from the farm store. To spend a bit more time strolling the farm fields and mingling with the livestock, book a stay in the stylishly furnished guest cottage.