The 10 Best American Food Adventures - Cooking Light

Photo: Eric Gannett

Presenting 10 delicious excursions and experiences across this great, hungry, food-mad land—from an Appalachian dairy drive to a mosey down a dusty Texas whiskey trail.

Start Slideshow

1 of 11

Delicious Destinations

Photo: Randy Mayor

If you love experiencing the cuisine of different cultures and exploring food scenes while traveling, you are in luck. Here, we explore 10 states' hidden gems—from a cowboy-hat-wearing whiskey distiller to a late-night Chinatown that bleeds neon, Sriracha, and overproof rum.

2 of 11

Central California Farm Stays

Photo: Courtesy of Lucan and Lewellan Vineyards

The Santa Margarita Hills lured gold miners. Today, it's wine and cheese lovers. Take a food adventure and explore Central California and the Santa Ynez Valley.

3 of 11

Taste the Lone Star State's Whiskey Scene

Photo: Matt Rainwaters

Texas' microdistillers are mounting a seriously tasty challenge to Kentucky's whiskey supremacy, with visionaries from the Hill Country to north Texas producing extra-ordinary spirits that pair wonderfully with the local beef-centric cuisine.

4 of 11

Crabbing in the Pacific Northwest

Photo: Leela Cyd

If you love the idea of catching seafood but go green about the gills thinking of the open ocean, try Dungeness crabbing. You can do it without leaving dry land in the salty fishing town of Garibaldi on Oregon's Tillamook Bay.

5 of 11

Traverse City, Michigan, Steps Up to the Plate

Photo: Kevin Miyazaki/Redux

This up-and-coming foodie destination is speckled with celebrities, artisan foods shops, and fun festivals.

6 of 11

Eat a Path 'Round Brooklyn's Artisanal Shops

Photo: Jacob Pritchard

The borough that Manhattanites once loved to ignore is now America's HQ for lovingly crafted foods—a vast larder of more treats than you could taste in a lifetime of food blogging. No food lover should miss spending a day checking out some of Brooklyn's best artisan shops.

7 of 11

Appalachian Dairy Drive

Photo: Peter Frank Edwards/Redux

The gorgeous greenery that is the backdrop to any southern Appalachian road trip is equally appreciated by the region's cows and goats, whose sweet milk is the foundation for superb butters, milks, and cheeses that are establishing the region as a leading dairy producer.

8 of 11

Philly's Chinatown After Dark

Photo: Jason Varney

Chinatown is the devil on the shoulder of Philadelphia's Center City. It's the place you go to stay out late and sing too loud. It's compact and crowded, and smells of a million things. To spend time there is to find a strange second heart of the city—an organ that kicks into life after dark.

9 of 11

Milwaukee's Real Suds Scene

Photo: Kevin Miyazaki

Milwaukee's beer culture is legendary: It once had more than 80 breweries and was the largest beer-producing town in the world. Today, the city has a thriving microbrewery scene, and the best way to celebrate it is by boat.

10 of 11

An Authentic Florida Seafood Experience

Photo: Cedric Angeles

An asphalt road winding through a land of serene verdancy abruptly ends at a cluster of live oaks thick with Spanish moss. A low-slung eatery appears as the only sign that you've arrived in the wee fishing village of Spring Creek in Florida's Wakulla County.

11 of 11

A Suburban Chicago Farm

Photo: Eric Gannett

Chicago residents can skip the hustle and bustle, and meander out to La Pryor Farms for a simpler way of life.

Food-Tripping USA: The 10 Best American Food Adventures

1 of 11

Delicious Destinations

1 of 11

2 of 11

Central California Farm Stays

2 of 11

3 of 11

Taste the Lone Star State's Whiskey Scene

3 of 11

4 of 11

Crabbing in the Pacific Northwest

4 of 11

5 of 11

Traverse City, Michigan, Steps Up to the Plate

5 of 11

6 of 11

Eat a Path 'Round Brooklyn's Artisanal Shops

6 of 11

7 of 11

Appalachian Dairy Drive

7 of 11

8 of 11

Philly's Chinatown After Dark

8 of 11

9 of 11

Milwaukee's Real Suds Scene

9 of 11

10 of 11

An Authentic Florida Seafood Experience

10 of 11

11 of 11

A Suburban Chicago Farm

11 of 11

Up Next

Everything in This Slideshow

Account

Food-Tripping USA: The 10 Best American Food Adventures

1 of 11

Delicious Destinations

1 of 11

2 of 11

Central California Farm Stays

2 of 11

3 of 11

Taste the Lone Star State's Whiskey Scene

3 of 11

4 of 11

Crabbing in the Pacific Northwest

4 of 11

5 of 11

Traverse City, Michigan, Steps Up to the Plate

5 of 11

6 of 11

Eat a Path 'Round Brooklyn's Artisanal Shops

6 of 11

7 of 11

Appalachian Dairy Drive

7 of 11

8 of 11

Philly's Chinatown After Dark

8 of 11

9 of 11

Milwaukee's Real Suds Scene

9 of 11

10 of 11

An Authentic Florida Seafood Experience

10 of 11

11 of 11

A Suburban Chicago Farm

11 of 11

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Share the Gallery