Outlet Shopping— Isn't that what you came for?

There's good reason why Manchester has gained a wide reputation as the best shopping mecca in New England. Besides its offerings of food and fine crafts, including woodworkings, pottery, glass-blowing, jewelry makers, woolens, and home-spun yarns, Manchester also has almost every conceivable high-end factory outlet store in America, including these sources for clothing, housewares, and accessories:

Banana Republic, Betsy Johnson, Bose, Brooks Brothers, Burberry's, Crabtree & Evelyn, Coach, Escada, Giorgio Armani, Herend, J. Crew, Jockey, Jones New York, Kate Spade, Kenneth Cole, Lilly Pulitzer, Maidenform, Michael Kors, Movado, Orvis, Polo/Ralph Lauren, Theory, Tse, Tumi, Yves Delorme, and more.

We're also known for outdoor gear, as hosts to Eastern Mountain Sports, Manchester Sport Shop, the Mountain Goat, and, of course, we're the birthplace of Orvis .

—We're also proud to be home for the area's premier outlet for books, the Northshire Bookstore. Plan your time well, have lunch at the Lawyer and the Baker (across from the Bookstore on Bonnet Street) before you begin, because once you enter this bookstore, it's going to be quite awhile before you want to leave! The bookstore features a huge selection of artbooks, children's books, books on New England and travel, biographies, multi-media CD-ROMs, music tapes and CDs, general interest books, a separate department for cards, calendars, address books. Open Tues-Sat, 10 am to 9 pm and Sun-Mon, 10 am to 7 pm.

—When you feel you've fully earned the phrase "shop 'til you drop," come back and soak those poor tired feet, along with the rest of you, before choosing a place for dinner.