Food tours might be fun, but for a more lasting experience, why not take a trip in which you learn the intricacies of creating the local cuisine yourself? You’ll come home with a lot more than memories. You’ll have the ability to recreate those memories in your own home!

Doing the cooking yourself is a wonderfully hands-on way to experience the local flavors of your travel destination and engage in a fun, one-of-a-kind vacation activity. Plus, what could beat a culinary excursion that will let you explore a beautiful, new city as you create your own dinner?

Get your chef hats on and your appetites ready, because here’s a list of some of our favorite cooking vacations where you can enjoy classes, workshops, and demonstrations.

Oh, and the food!

Wine & Cooking Under the Tuscan Sun – Italy

Cooking in Italy

For the ultimate indulgence abroad, consider booking cheap flights in October and beyond for an all-inclusive vacation to the Italian countryside. This trip is a full eight days of fun, most of it centered around food and drink. You’ll journey from farms and vineyards to local restaurants and taverns. Experience everything from hands-on cooking classes to truffle-hunting trips in the woods–not just for pigs anymore, apparently. Enjoy the authentic, homegrown flavors of Italy everywhere you go.

Another great part about this vacation experience is that it’s infused with a real sense of community. You’ll stay in the village, go grocery shopping with the locals, and get invited to family meals in their own homes. There’s a reason why Italian hospitality is so revered. Before you say arrivederci, don’t forget to take lots of photos of your Tuscany trip!

Food Lover’s Chicago

Deep-Dish Chicago Pizza

Food Lover’s Chicago is offered by the International Kitchen. The multi-day adventure includes accommodation as well as meals and a cooking class, so all you’ll need to do is find cheap airline tickets. But one of the reasons why this is one of the best cooking vacations you can take is the flexibility. You get to choose your own destinations during your food tour around the city. So, it doesn’t matter if you’re looking for cheap eats or gourmet dining — you can shape your menu according to your own tastes.

Maybe you’re looking for messy favorites like a deep-dish pizza or a Chicago-style hot dog. Maybe you want to sample roasted quail in mushroom sauce at a Michelin-star restaurant. With the help of Food Lover’s Chicago, nothing is off-limits.

You may also enjoy: Undeniably Delicious: 8 Unexpected Travel Destinations for Foodies

Chocolate Lovers’ Tour – Montego Bay, Jamaica

Chocolatier

Montego Bay might be known for its spirits, but at the Hyatt Ziva, chocolate reigns supreme. The residing pastry chef is a chocologist who leads cooking classes twice a week dedicated entirely to decadent desserts. Classes are held at Bitez, the resort’s sweet, sugary café that specializes in everything from freshly baked cookies to hand-whipped ice creams. Your mouth will start watering as soon as you step through the front door!

As for the chocolate classes themselves, you’ll learn everything you need to know about creating artisan chocolates like a real gourmand. Best of all, when you’re done with your molding and sculpting, you can chow down on your creations with a cup of Jamaican coffee!

Beach Ceviche Classes – Meads Bay, Anguilla

Ceviche

Crisp, colorful, and brimming with flavor, ceviche is a staple of Caribbean cuisine. The only thing better than eating it is making it! (Then eating it…) Malliouhana, a five-star luxury resort located in Anguilla, offers a wonderful beach ceviche course. This cooking vacation is the perfect option for seafood lovers. You’ll start by choosing from several fresh and locally caught species, including conch, crayfish, and sea urchins.

Next, you’ll learn how to transform fresh fish into ceviche dishes infused with Anguilla’s signature rum and paired with other tropical favorites like curried goat. When you’re all done, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor right there on the beach. Relax with a picnic as the sun goes down over the water. What could be better?

Inns of Aurora – The Finger Lakes, New York

Tea time

New York is filled with amazing foodie destinations, but the Inns of Aurora have a special kind of magic. Nestled in rolling hills and vineyards, the resort is a beautiful, picturesque mansion that offers a dozen different culinary experiences. You can build a charcuterie box, attend a brunch demonstration, and enjoy a champagne and oyster tasting.

For adult travelers, there’s a cocktail class, during which you can nibble on hors d’oeuvres as you create your own happy hour. If you’re bringing your kids with you, there’s a fancy tea time filled with scones and miniature sandwiches. You can even sign up for special fun like the “ice cream and whiskey workshop” with hand-cranked ice cream machines and sinfully smooth whisky blends.

Have you ever experienced a cooking vacation? Let us know what you whipped up in the kitchen below!