A Different Perspective on Littleton, N.H.
Main Street in Littleton.
Article, photos by Eric Hurwitz --
created for VisitingNewEngland.com on 10/12/2023 @newenglandinfo
Main
Street is Littleton, N.H. is the place to be with all its cute little
shops and restaurants and a small town feel where everyone seems to
know each other. That hometown spirit can be seen with a friendly
"hello" from passersby on the sidewalks, in places like the historic
Littleton Diner, and at so many stores owned with pride of local
ownership.
This is clearly a classic Main Street and one that is alive and
thriving in a world that otherwise seems to be prioritizing sterile,
faceless, generic shopping centers away from the central districts.
Littleton certainly meets my personal criteria for a successful
downtown with plenty
of local places to eat and mom and pop shops selling books, gifts,
toys, ice
cream, candies (Chutters at 43 Main St. has the longest candy counter
in the world at 112 ft. long!), coffee and clothing. There's also a quaint New England Inn, Thayer's Inn, that graces Main Street with history, charm and character.
This might just be the nicest small town Main Street that I've been to
in New England -- a place that begs repeated visits or perhaps a move
to lay down roots.
So, why did I want to leave this scene so quickly? Well, as the chicken
joke goes: To get to the other side.
In back of Main Street resides an area called The Littleton Riverwalk
that includes a charming, walkable covered bridge that leads to a
pleasant but unrefined area along the Ammonoosuc River. This stretch
reveals a
scene that should be on the front cover of every travel magazine and
the center of attention for every photographer and artist interested in
capturing the essence of a classic small New England town.
Just look at this view with the old buildings juxtaposed with a covered
bridge and scenic river. This is clearly not your run-of-the-mill mill
town...
A view of downtown Littleton.
Only a few people populated this part of Littleton while I was snapping
away photo after photo. The peace and quiet yielded meaningful
sustenance and the lack of things to see and do requiring a wallet,
positively refreshing.
Sometimes, taking a step back to view a destination reveals more than
being in the center of it all. It allows us to see beyond the trees --
or, in 21st century reality, the buildings. With that said,
however, I soon returned to Main Street knowing that us travelers can
have the best of both worlds -- that is peace, quiet and views and the presence of a bustling
downtown with lots to do. Littleton is definitely that kind of place.
Editor's note: For more on
Littleton, log onto GoLittleton.
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