Gastronomic tourism is a growing market, with many travellers setting their sights – and tongues – on the US. Travel membership club, DreamTrips, has US culinary holiday experiences made to order, with everything from high end, five star dining through to tucked away cafes and street food.
Travel for food enjoyment, or gastronomic tourism, is increasingly becoming a key motivator for travel, with 88.2% considering that gastronomy offers a defining impression of a travel destination(1).
Research reveals that over a third of tourist spending is devoted to food and, specifically in America, eating in restaurants is the second favourite activity of foreigners visiting the United States(1).
“DreamTrips holidays are specially designed to deliver a memorable experience for every member of the group,” said Anthony Fitzgerald, General Manager, Asia Pacific, WorldVentures. “For food aficionados, joining a travel club like DreamTrips, means that you can travel with like-minded people who appreciate the differences and similarities of cultural delicacies, while also enjoying other activities to get to know the destination in its entirety.”
WorldVentures has listed just some of the US’s flavoursome destinations that are sure to satisfy every foodie’s hunger.
Time a trip to New Orleans around the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, or join a Sunday Jazz Brunch Cruise to not only enjoy the smooth sounds of saxophones, trumpets and singers, but also have many opportunities to savour the local cuisine. Visit the fine dining restaurants and cafes dotted around in the bustling French Quarter through to the uptown Garden District. New Orleans is a melting pot of various food inspirations that create sumptuous Creole and Cajun dishes. Foodies will notice the green peppers, onions and celery similarities of the Creole and Cajun cooking, but there are some differences. Cajun cooking offers more ‘country-style’ dishes like Cajun sausage and seafood Gumbo, whereas Creole food has strong French, European and African influences and is considered more as ‘city food’ with traditional dishes including Shrimp Creole, Turtle Soup and the most popular dish, Jambalaya, filled with chicken, spicy sausages and vegetables. New Orleans is renowned for its cocktail culture, so take some time to sip a Ramos Gin Fizz or Sazerac while you eat.
The best way to take in all the flavours of Texas is via an authentic “Tastes of Texas” tour that will have you savouring some of the best barbeque meat-market-style brisket and ribs, smoked over wood chips for added flavour. Tipped as one of the most underrated food cities of Texas, San Antonio has much to offer a traveller on a culinary journey. Exploring this city will have you experiencing enchiladas and tamale buried in chilli con carne. The city is a blend of the traditional and modern with the eateries reflecting this divide. San Antonio has a mix of restaurants that happily mingle together to deliver authentic ‘Tex-Mex’ and fine dining food for the delight of hungry travellers.
Seattle, Washington
Listed among the 10 Best Rooftop Bars in the country, Motif Seattle’s Frolik Kitchen + Cocktails is a must stop during a visit to Seattle. In Seattle, fresh seafood is everywhere! Salmon, crab oysters, halibut and more for any seafood connoisseur. So much seafood means great sushi and awesome clam chowder. Seattle’s clam chowder is said to rival some of the best across the nation. Blackberries are also in abundance, so blackberry pies, jams, ice creams, cocktails and more are never too far from any menu. Old school burgers and shakes are also mixed nicely into Seattle’s food line-up, but to get a more traditional foodies experience, we suggest heading across the waters of Puget Sound, to discover Blake Island, which according to legend, was the birthplace of the Suquamish Tribe’s Chief Seattle, from whom the famous city gets its name. On Blake Island travellers will discover local indigenous customs, art and food at the Native America village, Tillicum Village. Drink the delicious clam nectar appetizer and then enter a rustic cedar longhouse and feast on a traditionally prepared buffet meal featuring fresh fish roasted over alder wood. Take the time to learn more about the Northwest Coast Indians culture through dance and song before returning to Seattle.