Downtown New Bedford Holiday Stroll Review
What better way to start the holiday season than with a stroll downtown? New Bedford’s holiday season kicked off with countless activities including shopping, crafts, performances and fire truck rides. Families, couples and friends filled the streets and shops downtown this past weekend, the 3rd and 4th of December, for New Bedford’s Fourth Annual Holiday Stroll. Everyone seemed to be in their best holiday spirits, while enjoying the unique experiences that downtown has to offer.
On Sunday, my first stop downtown was at Artworks, where I found fun crafts, and kids who were content at work. A favorite craft among the kids was a winter treat called Snowman Soup, which is cocoa mixed with marshmallows and chocolate with a candy cane for stirring. The table was covered with colorful glitter in another room, where kids were dipping pine cones in glitter to make ornaments. Assisting the kids with their holiday pine cones was a member of the board of directors, Joyce Leblanc. Joyce says, “this is a wonderful experience for the kids and the turn out has been great.”
Downtown’s shops welcomed visitors with open doors, and marvelous displays of jewelry, decorations, art and so much more. There is no shortage of holiday gift items downtown. After some browsing I found myself in Moby Dick Retail, on William Street, where I warmed up with a complimentary cup of coffee. I was drawn to the various eye-catching items on the shelves.
Inside of The New Bedford Whaling Museum, vendors were set up with dazzling displays of jewelry for sale. The museum’s gift shop was also open to visitors, in addition live performances were being held in the auditorium. The jewelry on the tables, from local designers and artists like Early Bird Studio, Angeldor Heavenly Crystal Jewelry and Studio by The Sea, had a distinctive beauty that is unlike jewelry seen elsewhere.
During the day I noticed an antique fire truck pass by many times, with smiling passengers riding in the back. Before my holiday stroll came to an end I caught the last ride on the 1950s fire truck. The antique truck made a total of 46 trips on the streets of downtown in the course of the weekend. Climbing up into the old truck for a ride on the cobblestone streets of New Bedford was a perfect way to wrap up my holiday stroll.
Downtown’s annual Holiday Stroll was fun for all ages. The weather agreed with the outdoor activities. There was so much to do downtown that made this holiday kick off something special. When shopping for those one of a kind gifts shop local. Downtown is full of unique gift items that will leave an impression.