New England culinary travel ranges from orchards to lobster boats to pubs

New England > All New England > Food & Drink > Culinary Travel

The variety of New England countryside and culture lends itself to wonderful culinary travel. Vineyards and and wineries and wine trails urge visitors out onto country roads, while a tradition New England clambake pulls us to the edge of the sea. Expert chefs provide lessons and demos along with fine meals. Shopping for traditional ingredients, produce, seafood, and and cookware is a treat in all the states. Culinary travel encompasses taste, learning, exploration, and adventure.

Rabbit Hill Inn

48 Lower Waterford Road Lower Waterford, VT, 05848 Phone: 802-748-5168

Culinary travelers need go no farther than this luxury inn

Soft music, flickering candles, attentive wait staff: Those are all features of the AAA Four Diamond rated restaurant at Rabbit Hill Inn, one of Vermont’s best dining establishments. And that’s before you get to the food. Morning meals at the bed-and-breakfast inn are bountiful: begin with homemade baked goods and granola, fresh fruits and yogurts. Then choose from two tempting and creative hot entrees. But dinner is a true work of art, featuring innovative menus based on seasonal and local ingredients – summer fare includes 72-hour beef short rib and Moroccan spiced monkfish – presented artistically. The restaurant also offers a carefully selected wine list. For those craving a craft beer, the Irish-style Snooty Fox Pub is ready to serve. Current menu is available on website. Rated #39 of the Top 100 Hotels Worldwide, #3 in the USA, and #1 in the Northeast by Travel & Leisure, July 2020.

Center for Wine & Culinary Arts

at Ocean House Resort - 1 Bluff Avenue Watch Hill, RI, 02891 Phone: Toll-Free: 877-346-9442

Food lovers are drawn to the restaurants and culinary arts center at oceanside inn

It’s no wonder the elegant Ocean House is a magnet for food-lovers. Talented chefs, focusing on fresh local ingredients and seasonal menus, have made the inn’s COAST restaurant the only CNN Traveler’s World Best Waterfront Restaurant in New England as well as the recipient of five stars from Forbes and five diamonds from AAA. The oceanfront inn also offers a popular Sunday Jazz Brunch, a casual menu in The Bistro and summertime dining with a view at The Verandah, Mexican fare at Dalia by Danton Valle, and a Mediterranean menu at Thea at Dune Cottage. The inn’s Center for Wine & Culinary Arts has a full schedule of hands-on classes and an 8,000-bottle Wine Spectator award-winning collection in two spectacular library cellars.

Visit our sister properties - Weekapaug Inn - Watch Hill Inn

Publick House Historic Inn On the Common

277 Main Street - Route 131 Sturbridge, MA, 01566 Phone: 508-347-3313 Toll-Free: 800-782-5425

They’re passionate about food at historic inn’s tavern and bake shop

Is food your passion? Then you’ll feel right at home at the Publick House, the lovely historic inn in Sturbridge. Yankee hospitality is only equaled by the Yankee fare at Ebenezer’s Tavern, named after the inn’s Revolutionary War-era founder, Col. Ebenezer Crafts. The cozy tavern serves up traditional fare from shepherd’s pie and roasted turkey with all the fixings to jumbo crab cakes and New England clam chowder. But the tavern is only one stop on your foodie journey. The 18th century Bake Shoppe is famous for its pecan sweet rolls, decadent desserts, homemade breads and traditional pies and cakes. Baking goes on daily in its Yankee ovens, as the aroma that greets you at the door will attest.

Connecticut Wine Trail

Lots of mouth-watering options for food-and-wine lovers along this culinary trail

Connecticut boasts one of the most exciting, fastest growing wine regions in the U.S., and you’ll see why when you travel the Connecticut Wine Trail. The trail, from the Litchfield Hills to the Connecticut River Valley and the sea coast, is dotted with 25 wineries offering a delightful assortment of award-winning reds, whites, sparkling wines and ciders. Foodies will also love other offerings at the welcoming wineries, from artisanal cheeses to freshly baked pies and, of course, cider donuts. Try the soups and prepared meals at Bishop’s Orchards Winery or a gourmet meal in the Sharpe Hill Vineyard’s tavern, attend a cooking class at the Jones Winery, learn about what makes a sustainable vineyard at Paradise Hills Vineyard & Winery.

Liberty Hill Farm & Inn

511 Liberty Hill Road Rochester, VT, 05767 Phone: 802-767-3926

Meals at this family farm inn are as unforgettable as the Vermont countryside

Nestled in the quiet comfort of the Vermont countryside, something remarkable is happening in the kitchen of the Liberty Hill Farm & Inn. Bountiful breakfasts and farm-fresh, family-style dinners that have been served up to guests for decades are finding their way into Gourmet magazine, The New York Times, Yankee Magazine, the Boston Globe and “Good Morning America.” It’s no wonder: Guests rave about the inn’s breakfasts (especially the baked oatmeal) and comfort-food dinners (especially the chicken pot pie and those fresh-baked desserts). It’s all part of the full farm experience at the inn, where you can help milk cows or just rock on the porch. Rooms are cozy and spotless, there’s wifi throughout and plenty of activities, from trail hikes to berry picking.

Go Providence

10 Memorial Boulevard Providence, RI, 02903 Phone: 401-456-0200

Providence - The Creative Capital

Providence, RI is known for its acclaimed restaurant scene, with chefs serving up a global array of cuisines and cooking styles. Top culinary school Johnson & Wales University is located in the city and many of the school’s alumni and students may be found demonstrating their culinary skills in local restaurants. The city features great dining options for all tastes and budgets. For more things to do in Providence, visit GoProvidence.com.