This central Indiana community, not far from where William Conner built the region's first trading post in 1802, draws shoppers to its 50 specialty and antiques shops. Many of those establishments in narrow 19th-century storefronts stand shoulder to shoulder around the courthouse square.

At The Noblesville Antique Mall, owners Larry and Jan Smith dress mannequins for a proper, Victorian-era Christmas dinner scene. Poinsettias and antique toys overflow a sleigh, and mulled hot cider perfumes the air. Over at Lake and Lodge Outfitters, antique sporting goods and lodge-style furnishings line the aisles.

You could browse for hours inside a maze of 225 mini-shops at The Noblesville Emporium. The onetime furniture store sells crafts, antiques, gifts and decorative items. As a musical ensemble strums Christmas tunes, Mrs. Claus hands out candy canes to kids of all ages. Time stands still 3 miles south of town during a frontier-style Christmas at Conner Prairie, a living-history site re-creating an 1830s settlement.

Reviewed April 2004.

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