Tasty Vacations – A Guide to the Best Food-Inspired Souvenir Treats in North America

Vacations don’t just mean going to see the sights – it also makes for a fantastic excuse to taste the regional treats and flavors that define that holiday destination. With this in mind, we’ve curated a mouth-watering shortlist of the best edible souvenirs in North America, which every foodie traveler must try out.

Delight in Savannah, Georgia’s irresistible Pecan Pralines.

We begin our sublime shortlist of food-inspired vacation getaways by heading first to Historic River Street in Savannah, Georgia, which is delightfully infused with the aromas of the Southern culinary indulgences on offer. Famed for its pecan pralines, we highly recommend stopping off at Savannah’s Candy Kitchen Historic River Street to try their buttery toasted pecan pralines topped with caramelized sugar, which encapsulates the authentic taste of the South in a delicious edible keepsake.

Then, for a deeper dive into Savannah’s culinary delights, head down to join the incredible team at Southern Flavors Savannah for one of their heavenly food, drink, and dessert tours around this great city. Whether you’re traveling solo or on a food-themed trip away with friends and family, it presents a fascinating opportunity to learn more about the stories behind the Hostess City’s most famous flavors.

Sample the treats of Savannah, Georgia, by booking your stay at the exceptional GLō Best Western Savannah-Gateway I-95 while you’re in town.

Indulge in a Fortress Rum Cake in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia.

Heading north of the border next, we find ourselves on the edge of the Atlantic in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, and the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, home to Fortress Rum, whose stone walls once housed its 18th-century French traders. Of the fine selection of goodies available, our favorite has to be the Fortress Rum Cake – a dense, fruit and nut confection soaked in the distillery’s award-winning rum.

After indulging in the local speciality, we next recommend checking out Nova Scotia’s culinary wonders by exploring the Good Cheer Trail, Lobster Trail, or Chowder Trails. These self-guided tours are purposely designed to allow you to try out the best of the local distilleries, seafood shacks, and seaside wineries across Nova Scotia, and experience the distinctive cuisines and libations of this magnificent Canadian province.

Enjoy your foodie tour of Nova Scotia by basing yourself at the cozy Best Western Plus Dartmouth Hotel & Suites in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Try The Heat of a Sun-Dried Red Chile Ristra in Hatch, New Mexico.

A taste-inspired foodie vacation away just wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention visiting the “Chile Capital of the World,” better known as Hatch, New Mexico. In doing so, we definitely recommend heading to Chile Fanatic to try their epic sun-dried red chile ristras, which consist of strings of fiery red peppers that can double as both a decorative façade or a potent cooking ingredient to take home with you.

Interestingly, despite New Mexico being famous for its warm weather and equally spicy chile exports, it has the perfect complementary selection of world-class locally brewed ice-cold beers to go with it. For the ideal way to cool down after a fiery sun-dried red chile ristra, where better to do so than the appropriately named Ice Box Brewing Co.’s Icebox 28 Beer Garden, where visitors can chill out and unwind under the desert sky while also enjoying the brilliant live music and their regional food-related delicacies.

After a day out in the warm New Mexican weather, be sure to cool down at the wonderfully air-conditioned Best Western Deming Southwest Inn in Deming, New Mexico.

Sample the Sugary Delights of Montpelier, Vermont’s Maple Syrup.

Our next North American culinary-based excursion sees us heading to Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks just outside Montpelier – Vermont’s picturesque capital – to try out their liquid gold, also known as maple syrup. Perfected over countless generations, here you can wander along the maple trail before stocking up on plenty of maple syrup to take a taste of Vermont back home with you.

Another must-try foodie excursion is to join a Chef-Led Farmers Market Tour at the Capital City Farmers Market, which guides you around the amazing local markets of Montpelier, Burlington, and the Champlain Islands. Here, you can learn directly from local chefs to discover the best seasonal produce from the region, while also meeting with Vermont farmers, to help you truly master the local dishes synonymous with the Green Mountain State.

Elevate your foodie-driven experiences by getting a great night’s sleep at the fabulous Best Western Plus Waterbury- Stowe in Waterbury, Vermont.

Spoil Yourself with Sea Salt Caramels from Santa Barbara, California.

Without a shadow of a doubt, downtown Santa Barbara exudes a rustic coastal charm, and for us, nothing quite captures it better than sampling Jessica Foster’s Sea Salt Caramels, which you can find at the Santa Barbara Company shop. These delectable, bite-sized, honey-sweetened, handmade confections are infused with fleur de sel and make for the ultimate Californian souvenir for yourself or someone special back home.

Nevertheless, to truly complement any food-inspired vacation to Santa Barbara, we strongly suggest embarking on a wine tour through the Santa Ynez Valley with the first-class team at the Sustainable Wine Tours company. Providing unique access to limited-release wines at a number of private vineyards, you can chat with the winemakers themselves to help you select the best wines to pair food with, with the added bonus of travelling in the comfort of a luxury Tesla or Mercedes between vineyards.

Maximize your enjoyment of a food-fueled vacation to the Californian coast by booking your stay at the gorgeous Best Western Plus Carpinteria Inn in Carpinteria.