Quaint is probably the best way to describe New Hampshire. This northeastern state is small in area and population but full of winsome woods and picturesque towns. Those towns, though quaint on the outside, are vibrant on the inside since they contain such splendid businesses as a giant independent bookstore, a 112-foot-long candy counter, a decades-old family-owned restaurant, and a brewpub in an 18th-century gristmill. See where to find the most thriving local businesses and other commercial attractions in the Granite State.

Exeter

Having gone from about 12,000 residents in 1990 to more than 16,000 in 2020, Exeter is a boom town and its businesses reflect that status. The Front Row Pizzeria has been serving scrumptious Italian food to Exeterites for 20-plus years; The Chocolatier has been handcrafting chocolates since 1978; Whirlygigs Toy Shop has been peddling puzzles, games, crafts, and plush toys in a family-owned establishment since 1986; and the Water Street Bookstore has been dealing paperbacks and hardcovers since 1991 and is considered the largest independent bookstore in New Hampshire’s seacoast region.

Beyond such seacoast staples, Exeter has a bevy of newer attractions like Alchemy & Herbs, OBA Noodle Bar, Sawbelly Brewing, Top Drawer, and Vino e Vivo. A tourist can mix old with new in this bustling community that began way back in 1638.

Littleton

A little town with a lot of color, Littleton claims roughly 6,000 residents and dozens of amazing businesses—some of which have been operating for over 100 years. Chutters opened in the late 1800s as a grocery store and became, according to a USA Today poll from 2023, the third-best candy shop in America. Even more impressive, Chutters boasts the world’s longest candy counter, which stretches 112 feet and supports around 600 jars of esoteric sweets. Another legendary Littleton locale is Schilling Beer Co., a brewpub that, although founded in 2013, operates in a gristmill from circa 1797.

After eating bottle caps at Chutters and popping bottle caps at Schilling, you can tour other downtown haunts like the Little Village Toy & Book Shop and The Coffee Pot Restaurant before venturing into the White Mountains with its campgrounds, lodges, and ski resorts. Littleton is colorful inside and out.

Hanover

Hanover is perhaps best known for Dartmouth College, an Ivy League university established in 1769. Although Dartmouth is an attraction in its own right (the Webster Cottage, Geisel School of Medicine, and Hanover Inn have been on-campus sentinels since the 1700s), its surrounding businesses are the best spots to stop for R&R. Serving thousands of students, residents, and tourists are Lou’s Restaurant & Bakery, which is a Main Street mainstay that opened in 1947; Molly’s Restaurant & Bar, another Main Street hang with a magnificent menu; and Murphy’s, yet another Main Street eatery that, having opened in 1992, is considered the “longest standing original family-owned business in Hanover.”

In addition to those Dartmouth and Dartmouth-adjacent digs, Hanover harbors many more relaxing retreats, including Jesse’s Steaks, Nugget Theaters, Base Camp Cafe, Dunk’s Sports Grill, Red Kite Candy, Nathan’s Garden, and Still North Books & Bar. Hanover is a great place for a hangover.

Amherst

A sizeable town of nearly 12,000, Amherst is also a sprawling oasis filled with several nature preserves. Chief among them are the Hodgman State Forest, Peabody Mill Environmental Center and Joe English Conservation Land, and Ponemah Bog Wildlife Sanctuary, the last of which spans 75ish acres of water, sphagnum moss, and oak-pine woods. Some of the town’s commercial attractions even have nature-inspired names, such as the Black Forest Cafe & Bakery and the Robin’s Egg eclectic décor and antique store.

Other lively businesses to patronize in Amherst include Smokehaus Barbecue, The Bistro at LaBelle Winery, Moulton’s Kitchen & Market, Earth and Tree Dollhouse and Miniature Shop, Monarquia Authentic Mexican Restaurant, ThaiLicious Asian Fusion, Bentley’s Roast Beef, The Flying Butcher, and Naji’s Pizza.

Conway

Located way out in northeastern New Hampshire, Conway has almost 10,000 residents and straddles roughly 800,000 acres of the White Mountain National Forest. After hiking, biking, horseback riding, train riding, rock climbing, off-roading, fishing, kayaking, boating, and even moose viewing in the forest, adventurers can unwind in Conway proper at various establishments. Tuckerman Brewing Company, which sits on Hobbs Street, sells food and beer and brews about 8,000 barrels of the latter each year. Tours are offered on Fridays at 5 PM and Saturdays at 12 PM. Just a short drive away is Sweet Maple Café, which sweetens mornings with pancakes and waffles.

Moreover, tourists can visit more touristy North Conway for forays into Zeb’s General Store, Delaney’s Hole In the Wall, the Lobster Trap Restaurant, and the Muddy Moose Restaurant & Pub. Lastly, Center Conway can bring you back to basics for the Sherman Farm Market, a scenic showcase of local produce, meat, milk, and many other products.

Hancock

If Amherst is an oasis, Hancock is pure paradise. This town sits around 20 miles northwest of Amherst and has one-seventh the population. Instead of people, Hancock has an abundance of plants and animals that inhabit Norway Pond, Thumb Mountain, Nubanusit Lake, Skatutakee Mountain, the Welch Family Farm and Forest, and the Harris Center for Conservation Education. The few people who enter Hancock are treated with coffee at Fiddleheads Cafe, beer at Hornburg Brewing Company, produce at Hancock Market, and rest at The Hancock Inn (which closed for renovations and is expected to reopen in 2024).

New Hampshire is a quaint and picturesque state that is energetic and under-the-radar. Inside its tiny towns are lively businesses that have been operating for decades—and in some cases centuries. Check out Exeter, Littleton, Hanover, Amherst, Conway, and Hancock for their vibrant and historic steakhouses, pizzerias, bars, grocers, bakeries, bookstores, inns, cafes, breweries, antique stores, gift shops, candy shops, and toy stores.

CONCORD, NH — A Merrimack County grand jury indicted the following people recently.

Kenneth Palmer, 56, of Modena Drive in Concord on a felony possession of a controlled drug-subsequent, methamphetamine, charge, on Jan. 1 in Concord. Previously, he was convicted in January 2021 in Merrimack County Superior Court on a controlled drug possession charge.

Jay M. Pease, 36, with a last known address of Airport Road in Concord, on possession of fentanyl and operating while certified as a habitual offender charges, both felonies. He was accused of possessing the drug and driving on Hall Street in Concord on Jan. 19 after being deemed a habitual offender by the NH DMV.

Anthony D. Philbrick, 23, of Main Street in Candia on criminal threatening-deadly weapon, second-degree assault-strangulation-domestic violence, reckless conduct-deadly weapon-domestic violence, and two domestic violence charges, all felonies. He was accused of strangling and threatening an intimate partner with a gun saying, “If you won’t shut the f— up, I am going to shoot you right now,” or words to that effect, while intoxicated in the South End in Concord on Feb. 24 as well as pointing a gun up to the screen of a phone while on a video call and stating, “I will come and kill you right now,” or words to that effect on Feb. 24.

Hunter Robertson, 25, of Donna Drive in Pembroke on a felony assault by prisoners charge. He was accused of assaulting a corrections officer at the Merrimack County Jail in Boscawen on Feb. 24.

Jaylen Roldan, 19, of K Rachel Road in Manchester, Connecticut, on theft by unauthorized taking and two receiving stolen property charges, all felonies. He was accused of stealing a 2015 Honda Pilot and retaining a stolen firearm and a Hyundai Elantra on June 1, 2023, in New London.

A Belknap County grand jury indicted the following people recently.

John Doucette, 43, of no fixed address, on a felony burglary charge. He was accused of burglarizing a Silver Lake Drive structure in Belmont on Sept. 21, 2021.

Steven Kramer, 55, of Napoleon Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana, on three felony bribing, intimidation, suppression charges and three impersonation of candidates charges. He was accused of attempting to prevent or deter voters in Alton and Laconia from voting by creating a fake robocall on Jan. 21. Read more about this case here: League Of Women Voters Suing Those Involved In Robocalls To NH Voters

Melissa MacMullin, 44, of Beaver Pond Road in Kingston on aggravated DUI-collision with serious injury, aggravated DUI-more than 0.08/0.02 with serious bodily injury, and second-degree assault charges, all felonies. She was accused of drunken driving on March 8 in New Hampton and crashing her vehicle into a police cruiser, resulting in a head injury.

Desiree Charter, 38, a homeless woman now located in Concord, on a theft by unauthorized taking charge, a felony due to two prior convictions. She was accused of gaining control of a Jetson Rave Hoverboard and-or a wallet in Tilton on Jan. 27. Charter was previously convicted on theft charges in Merrimack County Superior Court in February 2020 and November 2023.

Paul E. Haskell IV, 38, of Main Street in Plymouth on burglary, criminal threatening-deadly weapon, and first-degree assault with a deadly weapon charges, all felonies. He was accused of assaulting a person with a tire iron in Laconia on March 7 during a burglary on Blueberry Lane.

Corbin Kenefick-Holmes, 18, of Breton Road in Gilford on 13 felony counts of child sexual abuse images; buy; etc. charges. He was accused of possessing photos and videos on Jan. 25.

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WEYMOUTH — The Weymouth Police Department has issued a missing person alert for 42-year-old Christopher Delaney, last seen in Nashua, New Hampshire, on June 5.

Delaney is described as a white male, approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 185 pounds, with blue eyes and blonde hair.

He is notably identified by a lizard tattoo on his left leg.

His vehicle was found abandoned in Weymouth on June 7, raising concerns about his whereabouts.

Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Weymouth Police at 781-335-1212 and press 8 to reach a dispatcher.

The police urge the public to come forward with any details that could assist in locating Delaney.