Culinary Travel

Culinary travel is more than just sampling new dishes — it’s a window into what makes a destination special: the history, culture and traditions.  

If planning a vacation that revolves around exploring new food sounds tempting to you, here are a few destinations to explore. Your Travel Leaders travel advisor will have lots of other suggestions. 

When you think of Chicago, deep-dish pizza comes to mind. But there’s so much more. The Windy City boasts more than 30 Michelin-starred restaurants. In the tourist-friendly Pilsen neighborhood, you’ll find a growing Latin American food scene, as well as the National Museum of Mexican Art. From the Civil War until 1924, more meat was produced in Chicago than anywhere else in the world. The city lives up to that legacy with some of the country’s best steakhouses. 

With 22 historic squares, Georgia’s coastal city of Savannah is a paradise for walkers. The cobblestone streets lined are with townhouses, mansions and oak trees draped in Spanish moss. Farm-to-table cuisine is a way of life in Savannah thanks to a moderate climate, good farmland and fertile fishing grounds. Be sure to try Southern fare like shrimp and grits and fried green tomatoes.  

Taking a classic American road trip is a fun way to sample regional specialties.  

Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou Food Trail begins 45 minutes south of New Orleans, celebrating the heritage of the French-Canadians who settled the area in the 18^th century. As you try overstuffed po’boy sandwiches or a seafood boil, you’ll discover how food and culture are deliciously intertwined. The Center for Traditional Louisiana Boat Building and the Bayou Lafourche Folklife and Heritage Museum are two great places to learn about the region’s history. You can get a firsthand look at the natural landscape on a swamp tour. 

Colorado has hundreds of craft breweries and you can explore some of them along the Denver Beer Trail, including the Tivoli Brewing Company, Colorado’s oldest and most historic brewery. It originally opened in 1859 and supplied beer to the gold rush pioneers. The city is also home to the Denver Milk Market, a food hall featuring more than a dozen restaurants, bars and an artisan market all served up in a festive communal atmosphere.  

Pristine white-sand beaches, perfect weather for outdoor activities and a variety of all-inclusive resorts make Mexico and the Caribbean great places to enjoy a relaxing vacation. They’re also places to enjoy a blossoming culinary scene. 

In Jamaica, you’ll want to try jerk, a style of cooking in which chicken, pork or fish is rubbed or marinated in a hot spice mixture. Tulum, a resort town along Mexico’s Riviera Maya, is known for its archaeological sites but it’s also a spot to taste the traditional seafood dish ceviche, raw fish marinated in citrus. The Caribbean island of Martinique is known for a cuisine that draws on influences from Africa, France and Southeast Asia.  

For help navigating any travel plans, contact one of our expert Travel Advisors.