Loosen your belt a notch or two. There are plenty of open roads and zillions of calories ahead! Could there be a more natural pairing than food and travel? With such a broad range of landscapes—from salty coastlines to mountain ranges—America brings its very best to the table. Come explore.
There’s nothing quite like taking a stroll along the South Carolina marshland, while enjoying the finest seafood in Murrells Inlet, the state’s seafood capital. Located a half-hour south of Myrtle Beach, the MarshWalk boardwalk serves up the best of coastal cuisine. Stop for shrimp and grits at Wahoo’s Fish House, or a platter of lobster and oysters at The Claw House. marshwalk.com
In Virginia, fresh products are available year-round and there are enough festivals, food and beverage trails to make any foodie swoon. The Virginia Oyster Trail entices visitors to explore the oyster capital of the East Coast. At one of the stops, guests can get onto the water to harvest oysters. The southeast region of Virginia is known for peanuts, salt-cured hams and pork. The Salty Southern Route, which is home to the legendary Smithfield smoked ham and Planters Peanuts, winds through this picturesque area. virginia.org
On the Hawaiian island of Kauai, Tasting Kauai Food Tours promises a culinary romp through paradise, all while empowering restaurants, farmers, ranchers and growers to utilize fresh local ingredients and secure food sustainability. Educational tours, food tastings and festivals are ways for visitors to taste, experience, learn and enjoy the island’s food culture. tastingkauai.com
In Cape Coral, Florida, Wicked Dolphin Distillery is an award-winning, family-operated rum distillery. The boozy rum-fuelled tour takes visitors through the fermentation process, beginning with locally-sourced, natural ingredients, through to aging barrels used previously for Kentucky bourbon. wickeddolphin.com
Ever heard of Pie a la Road? It’s Central Montana’s pie trail, easily accessible to Canadians crossing onto Interstate 15 at Coutts-Sweetgrass. Montana is famous for its huckleberry pie, but don’t pass by raspberry, gooseberry, apple, peach or lemon meringue. Small town stops with to-die-for pies are the Log Cabin Café in Choteau with 16 types of pie on the menu. centralmontana.com/pie_trail/
What’s new in New York State? The Upstate Eats Trail gets travellers away from the main highways to discover off-the-beaten-path neighbourhoods, small towns and mom-and-pop restaurants, hideaway cafés and roadside stands. The trail is a 362-kilometre journey with suggestions of the best places to grab Buffalo wings in Buffalo, Garbage Plates in Rochester, salt potatoes in Syracuse, spiedies (pronounced speedy) in Binghamton. upstateeatstrail.com
Josephine Matyas is an award-winning travel writer whose new book, Chasing the Blues: A Traveler’s Guide to America’s Music, co-authored with Craig Jones, is available on Amazon.ca and Chapters.Indigo.ca as well as at select bookstores.
