Enjoy Fishing, Foraging, and Focaccia-Making at These U.S. Resorts

Foraging at Alila Ventana Big Sur. | Alila Ventana Big Sur Plenty of resorts across the country have excellent restaurants, but travelers seeking more should explore the hands-on side of culinary resort experiences. From New York’s Hudson Valley to the South Texas Coast, adventurous food lovers can partake in workshops and experiences that get them out of the dining room and into the kitchen, garden, farm, or ocean. Whether you’re looking to forage or fish, these excursions will introduce you to local people, ingredients, and techniques, and ultimately offer a true taste of the destination. At these properties, it’s less about what’s on your plate and more about how it got there. Big Sur is the perfect place to forage for edible botanicals and aromatics, and on Chesapeake Bay, harvesting and shucking oysters is woven into the community’s cultural fabric. Those wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of New York City can head up to the Hudson Valley for focaccia-making, while a desert oasis on the outskirts of Scottsdale, Arizona, teaches you how to craft pasta like a pro.  No matter your level of expertise, these resort experiences are designed to connect curious travelers with an impressive network of chefs, farmers, ecologists, mixologists, and bakers. For a vacation that will also quench your thirst for knowledge, head to these exciting culinary resorts. Partner content from Acura Acura has always done things its own way. We believe the best experiences are created through intentional choices, thoughtful craftsmanship, and the confidence to pursue a different approach. This spirit is reflected in our philosophy of Precision Crafted Performance. Learn more. Catch your own dinner Head down to the South Texas Coast for a true catch-to-table culinary experience. Local guides at La Pesca Lodge take guests to prime spots throughout Baffin Bay, offering everything from fly-fishing and wading to drifting and sight casting. Though you’re welcome to bring your own gear, the lodge provides spinning rods, lures, and live bait if needed.  Expect to reel in an array of speckled trout, redfish, flounder, and black drum. Your catch will be cleaned and bagged for you to take back to the lodge, where chefs transform your bounty into ceviche, grilled fillets, and more. Just remember that you’ll need to purchase your own Texas fishing license in advance. Those more interested in old-fashioned hunting can partake in dove, duck, or nilgai shoots.   Learn to make pasta like a pro The Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows is a retro, palm-tree-lined oasis with a premier spa, unique art collection, and the on-site restaurant Weft & Warp. Every Thursday, guests can beat the desert heat with a hands-on pasta class in the restaurant for $65.  You’ll learn a variety of techniques while crafting a few different pasta shapes. You might make agnolotti filled with a chive and shrimp paste; and you will also learn simpler pastas, like classic linguine or fettuccine. Once you’re done, enjoy your finished product with an optional wine pairing on the patio. If you’ve got dessert on the brain, book the Sweet Escape truffle-making workshop (hosted every Friday) and elevate your pastry skills by learning the basics of chocolate tempering. Harvest, shuck, and slurp oysters Virginia’s Tides Inn gives travelers the chance to live like a Chesapeake waterman for the day. This signature activity pairs guests with a resident ecologist who takes you out to oyster cages via boat for an educational experience that’s all about shellfish. You’ll haul up your own oyster cages and sort through the very best bivalves, all while learning about the region’s longstanding history with oystering and the positive impact it has on the local ecosystem. Oysters harvested during the excursion need to be refrigerated for at least 24 hours, so when you return to the inn, enjoy a shucking how-to with the previous day’s haul while sipping on local wine and beer. The Chesapeake Gold experience is a similar outing, but includes a visit to one of the inn’s very own oyster farms, meaning you get to consume the same ones you collect. Once back at the inn, enjoy them both raw, grilled, and topped with your favorite seasonings.   Set off on a tasty farmstead tour Located in the foothills of Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains, Blackberry Farm is a working estate that maintains a strong connection to Appalachian agriculture. A twice-daily farmstead tour is available all year long, giving guests an in-depth look at the heirloom gardens, heritage livestock pasture, and dairy barn. These manicured, bright green gardens create a scenic backdrop to your itinerary, which includes sampling of farmstead cheeses, cured meats, preserves, and a rotating seasonal beverage. Those wanting a more formal culinary experience can book a three-hour artisan cooking demo with a three-course educational lunch and a glass of wine to pair. Pick your own herbs — and put them in a cocktail Located about an