Kid-Friendly Culinary Travel Activities for National Culinary Arts Month

July is National Culinary Arts Month, and what better way to introduce your child’s palate to a world of flavors than with a culinary travel adventure? You’ll find little in the way of chicken nuggets and mac ‘n cheese with these activities. Instead, children are connected to the foods of cultures around them, as they learn how food is grown, produced and prepared.

City Food Tours

The first activity you may consider is, pretty obviously, a food tour. Available just about anywhere and suitable for just about any taste, food tours are highly popular and a great way to see multiple stops you’re interested in in a limited amount of time. Plus, an expert’s valuable opinion can give you insight into restaurants and vendors you may not have known about on your own or via research alone.

Try Sugartooth Tours when you visit New York City. Kids from infants up are welcome and itineraries specialize in revealing hidden spots to even long-time residents. Themes range from ice cream summer Sundays to Bright Lights & Broadway Bites. Try classics like chocolate egg creams, black and white cookies and more.

In London (and a plethora of other cities), Secret Food Tours offer family-friendly line-ups of culinary food experiences, tasting everything from traditional British fare to the best Indian curries. Most last a few hours at most and are vegetarian friendly, as well as easy walking. Many tours include some sort of beer along with your tea, but those tours dedicated strictly to libations are limited to adults-only.

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A Cooking Class

If your family is more the type to get their hands dirty in the kitchen than simply taste-test others’ wares, maybe a cooking class is in order. Many of your favorite luxury hotels provide kid-friendly cooking classes, such as the Ritz Paris.

At Escoffier Ritz Paris, the culinary program is open to adults, teens and children, with classes taught in French and simultaneously translated into English. Kids’ sessions are open to 6 to 11 year olds, while Ritz Teens classes are open to 12 to 15 year olds. There are two upcoming teens classes available, including a Sweet & Savoury course July 25 and a macarons class Aug. 1.

Market Experiences

No guide required — plan your own market experience in your next destination. Whatever famous market resides nearby (and nearly every city has one), plan an outing there with your family and give every member the chance to make a purchase of their choosing.

The experience is even more rewarding when you pick accommodations with a partial or full kitchen. Take your finds back to your Airbnb or vacation rental to cook up a world-class meal with international ingredients you sourced yourself.

Foraging for Food

Skip the market and go straight to the source for your next meal. Try a truffle hunting tour like those offered by the Italy Wine & Truffle Tour company. Or, go fishing for the catch of the day, off the coast of Iceland. Some hotels even let you lend a hand in the garden, like the Lodge at Woodloch, where you can take gardening courses and greenhouse tours.