Shopping

Most shopping around the Hampton [1] area is confined to shopping malls and several national chain outlets, but a small handful of independent specialty stores are found around the beach area. To wit: Sanborn’s Candies (293 Lafayette Rd./Rte. 1, Hampton, 603/926-5061, www.sanbornscandies.com [2], 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sun.–Thu.; 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Wed.–Sat.) sells a huge lot of handmade chocolates (creamy fudge in an array of flavors, chocolate casino coins) plus custom-made chocolate molds, sugar-free chocolates, and loads of salt water taffy. It’s a great souvenir—if you can stop yourself from eating it on the way home.

Rifle through the bins of lizards and snakes, spend an hour at the wooden train set, or spring for one of the science kits at Funny Bones Toys (441 Lafayette Rd./Rte. 1, Hampton, 603/929-3555, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Sat.; 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Sun.). Sure it’s supposed to all be for kids, but it’s just as easy for adults to get drawn into the store’s mix of learning and fun.

More grown-up knickknacks constitute the wares at Barrymore Designs ((61 Lafayette Rd./Rte. 1, North Hampton, 603/964-7337, www.barrymoredesigns.com [3], 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Wed., Fri., and Sat.; 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Thu.; noon–5 p.m. Sun.). The crafty gift shop sells everything from jewelry and photo frames to candlesticks, note cards, and dried flower wreaths.