A lovely covered shopping arcade connecting State Street to Maynard Street, Nickels Arcade is a small architectural gem in the middle of downtown. The glass-roofed passage is lined with shops and eateries and has a pleasantly old-fashioned feel that sets it apart from the surrounding streetscape. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The arcade is short — you can walk through it in a minute — but it is one of those places that rewards slowing down. Duck in from State Street, browse whatever catches your eye, and appreciate a piece of early twentieth-century commercial design that has survived remarkably intact.