Chocolate Destinations

***Chocolate Destinations 

The good things in life. People often ask me about chocolate-related destinations and travel; chocolate walks; and other related adventures. I've compiled the following lists and links over time.

Top 15 U.S. Cities/Areas - Highest Chocolate Cultural IQ*
Nominations Received in 2010 

 In 2010, I conducted a survey of the most likely places in the U.S. to find good chocolate. Boost your chocolate IQ with field trips to these destinations.
  1. San Francisco, CA
  2. New York City, NY
  3. Chicago, IL
  4. Hershey, PA
  5. Las Vegas, NV
  6. Seattle, WA
  7. Dallas, TX
  8. Los Angeles, CA
  9. Portland, OR
  10. Various cities in North Carolina
  11. Indianapolis, IN
  12. San Jose, CA
  13. Berkeley, CA
  14. Oakland, CA
  15. Boston, MA
*Chocolate IQ is measured in terms of a high degree of activities including, but not limited to: the number of chocolate makers and chocolatiers, chocolate celebrations/festivals, chocolate innovation(s), chocolate art, chocolate history, chocolate appreciation, etc. 

Top 20 Peak Chocolate Travel Experiences, So Far
People often ask me about favorite chocolates. These are often tied to travel experiences. Below is a partial list:
  1. Trip to Southern Belize - Belcampo Belize (and Vosges Haut Chocolat Partnership with Root-to-Bar Project, Belcampo, Belize); Maya Mountain Cacao, others (2013)
  2. Leading chocolate walks in San Francisco (2011 - 2012)
  3. Sipping housemade, hand-beaten hot chocolate, south of Cancun, Mexico (2010)
  4. Tasting cacao fruit from roadside stand; lavender chocolate sauce over ice cream at AKL lavender plantation; and chocolate truffles with goat cheese at Surfing Goat Dairy on Maui, Hawaii (2010)
  5. Sampling Salmon, and Anchovy, chocolate truffles in Anchorage, Alaska (2010)
  6. Finding the Museo de Chocolate in Havana, Cuba (2010)
  7. Celebrating 1,000th chocolate in as many days (June 2009); and my 2,000th chocolate (2012)
  8. Flying to Portland, OR, for a day-long, chocolate city stumble trip
  9. Tasting chocolates, cheese and wine in Sonoma (wine country) with Cynthia (2010)
  10. Enjoying a chocolate field trip to Berkeley and Oakland, CA, with Sunita (2010)
  11. Chocolate tastings at The Chocolate Garage in Palo Alto (2009 - present)
  12. Tasting the pulpy white cacao fruit that surrounds the cacao seeds on a farm in Costa Rica (2009)
  13. Discovering all the wonderful small chocolatiers, and chocolate makers in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California (2006 - present)
  14. Gazing at the tall chocolate fountain in the Belaggio, Las Vegas, NV, with Katy
  15. Taking a two-three day chocolate tour of Manhattan, New York City, NY with Alec
  16. Discovering SOMA Chocolatier in an old whiskey distillery in Toronto, Ontario; Canada
  17. Investigating Beverly Hills and Chocolate trip with Laurie (2007)
  18. Trawling for new and unique chocolates in San Francisco; you never know what's over that next hill (2006 - present)
  19. Starting this chocolate bet in Amsterdam, Netherlands, surrounded by tulip bulbs, and canal views (2006)
  20. Childhood memories of wind-blown trips up to San Francisco in an open convertible to eat big ice cream sundaes (with chocolate and coffee toppings) at Ghirardelli Square cafe with Ida 

Top Chocolate Travel Destinations that I Have Yet to Visit (as of 12/02/2012)
Making plans to visit chocolate-related destinations can be almost as exciting as traveling there for me. In addition to cities of interest, there are many interesting small events that beckon as well. For example, the Biltmore Estate's Wine and Chocolate seminar (in Asheville, NC) caught my eye last week. 

Future Destinations List: 

 Americas
  1. Chocolate Town, U.S.A. (Hershey's Museum, The Spa, Chocolate World), in Hershey, PA
  2. Hotel Chocolat, plantation and resort, Boucan, Saint Lucia, in the Caribbean
  3. Chocolate making/makers (in Punta Arenas, other cities) in Chile -- wine and chocolate
  4. Oaxaca, Mexico
  5. The Grenada Chocolate Company Ltd., Grenada
  6. Biltmore Estate, Ashville, NC
Europe
  1. The Chocolate Museum in Germany
  2. Chocolate Museum in Barcelona, Spain
  3. Villajoyosa ("Chocolate City") in Spain
  4. Belgium - chocolate tours
  5. Italy - chocolate shops, chocolate gelato, Perugia

Chocolate Walks, Tours (San Francisco Bay Area)

Chocolate Banquet Chocolate Walking Tours - from yours truly. Contact me if you're in the SF Bay Area and you'd like a guided tour. Or, here are two areas you can investigate on your own.

"Northeast San Francisco" - North Beach, Embarcadero, Ferry Building, Market St.
"On a Mission" DIY Chocolate Walk - The Mission and Castro, San Francisco



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