One of the finest reasons to travel is to acquire new abilities that may enhance our lives and inspire creativity, more importantly, help us feel a part of the places we visit. From learning a new skill specifically to where it originated to unique adventurous experiences, the world isn’t short of destinations that inspire creatives.

Listed below, along with the locations, is a must-visit to immerse yourself in your creativity through travel completely.

BEST PLACES FOR HANDS-ON CREATIVITY

A Ceramics Workshop in Jingdezhen, China

In the southern Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen has been making ceramics for more than 1,700 years, referred to as China’s “Porcelain Capital.” The Pottery Workshop, home to the finest master artisans in the city and a sizable ceramics market, offers classes in throwing and trimming, on-glaze painting, molding, and other topics. Between mountain climbing in the surrounding Yushan County (for the revered and holy Taoist Mount Sanqing) and Lushan National Park, Jingdezhen is the ideal pit stop.

Learn the Banjo in the Birthplace of Country Music

Learning to play the banjo can be done anywhere, but how about perfecting the talents in the region where country music was created? Bristol, Virginia, named the Birthplace of Country Music by Congress in 1998, played a significant part in music history by recording the 1927 Bristol Sessions, which launched the Carter Family and several other original country music performers. The Bristol Hotel, a quaint and just-opened boutique hotel, offers on-site banjo lessons from award-winning neighborhood musicians so guests can fully immerse themselves in its tradition. The hotel’s rooftop bar offers panoramic perspectives of the adjacent Blue Ridge Mountains, seasonal beverages, and light fare.

Take a Shoemaking Class in Rome, Italy

Rome is a fantastic location to embrace the slow fashion movement. It may go hands-on with someone’s fashion sense in addition to the fantastic vintage shopping scene by enrolling in a shoemaking lesson at Le Mastro. At the family-run workshop, spend an afternoon making a pair of Roman sandals using traditional cobbler supplies like glue, a hammer, and sweat. You’ll leave with a pair of sandals that are uniquely yours, as well as an understanding of what it takes to make high-quality shoes without the aid of mass production.

Create a Sword at the Samurai Sword Museum

Visit the Bizen Osafune Japanese Sword Museum in the Okayama Prefecture of the Setouchi Region to fully immerse yourself in Japan’s historical legacy and the Samurai sword culture. Visitors may see artists creating these skillfully crafted weapons up close in Osafune, a hamlet that previously thrived as a significant maker of Japanese swords. Sword fans can enroll in a workshop class at the museum to learn how to form iron nails into their own metal paper knives, which make excellent letter openers, as a unique souvenir to take home.

Become a Distiller for the Day in Asheville, North Carolina

Although Asheville is renowned as “Beer City,” this vibrant Appalachian city is rapidly developing a spirited culture. Get the authentic Asheville liquor experience while staying at the steel foundry-turned-boutique The Foundry Hotel by signing up for cooperation with the nearby distillery Cultivated Cocktails. With an exclusive, high-touch experience that includes mixing ingredients, operating the still, and bottling the completed product, guests can learn the distilling trade from beginning to end.

Immerse Yourself in Charleston Gullah-Geechee Culinary Experience

The foodies should read this. In Charleston, South Carolina, travelers can participate in the French Quarter Inn’s Immersive Culinary Experience, a private, hands-on culinary tour conducted by renowned Gullah Chef Benjamin Dennis (who has also appeared on Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown). Discover what makes Gullah-Geechee food different from the rest of the Southern cuisine and makes it one of the most distinctive American cuisines. Before leading a private cooking lesson and preparing a traditional Gullah lunch in a stunning Charleston mansion, Chef Dennis will bring visitors to nearby fields and fishing ports to choose fresh ingredients. Also, book a walking tour!

Become a Horse Expert in the Horse Capital of America

Have you always wanted to see what goes on at thoroughbred horse farms behind the scenes? The greatest location to familiarize yourself would be on one of Visit Horse Country’s private farm tours, conveniently located in Lexington, Kentucky, the “horse capital of the world.” Explore the rolling hills of the Bluegrass (and the renowned Bourbon Trail while you’re at it), learn about the anatomy of the horse and the best grooming techniques, and get other insights to bring with you into racing season. Additionally, you’ll get to interact with the only two living Triple Crown champions!

The Culinary Gardening at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Garden in Sonoma, CA

Want a quick lesson in do-it-yourself food gardening? Oca, Yacon, oyster leaf, and other uncommon and difficult-to-find seeds can be found at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Garden. Visitors can take advantage of special, behind-the-scenes tours of the amazing on-site microgreens greenhouse, where Master Culinary Gardner Tucker Taylor (previously of The French Laundry) grows and cultivates these rare crops before supplying San Francisco’s Michelin-starred restaurants. Upon thoroughly exploring the Culinary Gardens, visitors can partake in Kendall-$55 Jackson’s four-course wine and food pairing featuring garden ingredients. Taylor, Winemaster Randy Ullom, and Executive Chef Justin Wangler, instruct visitors on all aspects of DIY culinary gardening and grape growing.

Become a Contemporary Art Expert with New York Art Tours

New York City is known for its thriving art scene, with some of the world’s best galleries, museums, and exhibitions. If you’re interested in contemporary art, there’s no better way to learn about the latest trends, techniques, and artists than by taking a guided art tour in New York.

One of the best ways to become a contemporary art expert in New York is by taking a tour with a knowledgeable guide who can give you insights into the art world you might not get on your own. Many art tours in New York are led by art historians, curators, and critics who deeply understand contemporary art and can share their expertise with you.

Several art tours are available in New York, including walking tours of galleries and museums, guided visits to art studios, and customized tours based on your interests. These tours can be tailored to your level of expertise, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced art collector.

One of the most popular art tours in New York is the Chelsea Gallery Tour, which takes you through the city’s premier contemporary art district. This tour is led by a professional art critic who can give you insights into the art on display and the artists behind the works. You’ll visit several galleries and see a variety of contemporary art styles, from painting and sculpture to photography and video installations.

Another popular tour is the Bushwick Art Tour, which takes you through the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick, known for its thriving arts scene. This tour is led by a local artist who can give you insights into the art scene in Brooklyn and introduce you to some of the most exciting up-and-coming artists in the city.

If you’re interested in learning about contemporary art in a more hands-on way, you can also take a studio tour in New York. These tours give you a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, and you can meet artists in their studios and see their works in progress.

An art tour in New York is a great way to become a contemporary art expert. You’ll gain valuable insights into the art world, see some of the most exciting contemporary art produced today, and meet other art enthusiasts who share your passion for this fascinating and constantly evolving field.

BEST PLACES FOR UNIQUE ADVENTURES

Go mountain climbing in Arapahoe Basin, Colorado

The tallest via ferrata in North America must be climbed hand over foot for the best views of the Continental Divide. At the foot of granite Rocky Mountain cliffs in Arapahoe Basin, a climbing path known as the “iron way” begins. It ascends over 1,200 feet to a summit that is 13,000 feet high.

If you look down, you’ll see a worn Colorado landscape covered with green moss, pink and purple flowers, and rock gardens that the cliffs have carved out of fallen rocks ranging in size from pebbles to Volkswagens. The harsh peep of a marmot or pika will occasionally pierce the thin air.

Take a Shark Swim in Palau

The Palau Pledge, which all visitors must sign, states that “the only footprints I shall leave are those that will wash away” and is stamped on your passport when you arrive. The 59-word eco-pledge was created by and with the cooperation of the youth of this isolated archipelago in the western Pacific to help guard Palau’s culture and ecology against the damaging effects of tourism.

The Palau National Marine Sanctuary protects 80% of the nation’s waters, which National Geographic’s Pristine Seas project has identified as one of the planet’s richest marine ecosystems. The no-take sanctuary, one of the largest marine protected areas in the world at 183,000 square miles, protects over 1,300 species of fish, including a stunning array of sharks and 700 types of coral.

Pedal a Fresh Bike Path in Seine River, France

A brand-new bicycle path called La Seine Vlo is deserving of the painter Claude Monet, whose home and the Giverny water lilies are located there. But the 270-mile Paris-to-the-sea road also features lesser-known works of art, including the vibrant street art that enlivens Paris’ Canal Saint-Denis.

Bikers travel through protected natural areas on the trail’s 15 phases, including the Grande No Bird Reserve in Normandy, along a significant migratory flyway. Traveling across Normandy, they can stop at the 654-year-old Jumiges Abbey Ruins and explore the centuries-old active abbey Abbaye Saint-Wandrille with a Benedictine monk. A break from the road may be found in the tearoom and gardens of Chteau de Bizy, a royal house constructed in 1740 and modeled after Versailles.

Take on a Wilderness Trail in New Brunswick, Canada

The Mi’gmaq people (sometimes spelled Mi’kmaq) of the Canadian province of New Brunswick have a mythology associated with a turtle-shaped rock near Nepisiguit Falls. According to trail manager Jason Grant, whose father-in-law was Mi’gmaq elder Gilbert Sewell, a custodian of the legend, the “turtle,” known as Egomoqaseg, or “rock like a moving ship,” appears to be climbing up out of the river when water levels decrease.

The falls are located along a First Nations migration path that dates back thousands of years and has now been transformed into the longest wilderness hiking trail in the Canadian Maritimes. The difficult Sentier Nepisiguit Mi’gmaq Trail, which runs 93 miles down the Nepisiguit River, traces the ancient portage routes used by the nomadic Mi’gmaq.

From sea to sea, trek in Costa Rica

El Camino de Costa Rica, a 174-mile-long peek into living far from the beaten tourist road, spans Costa Rica from the Caribbean to the Pacific. The 16-stage hiking trail mainly follows paved roads through outlying towns and villages, indigenous Cabecar territory, and protected natural regions.

Its goal is to boost business activity in rural areas. Most of the trail’s lodging, food, tours, and other hiker amenities are provided by local families, organizations, and a network of microentrepreneurs, including Ecomiel honey producers, the woman-owned organic farm Finca El Casquillo, and La Cabaa sustainable coffee micro-mill.

Be Imaginative in Ruhr Valley, Germany

In the past, the mining and steel industry dominated the heavily populated Ruhr Valley in Germany’s western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Currently, the area is converting abandoned industrial facilities and slag heaps (mountains of mining debris) into parks and outdoor performance venues.

The most well-known is the Zeche Zollverein (Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex), a World Heritage site with an outdoor pool, an ice rink, and walking trails. Karola Geiss-Netthfel, director of the Ruhr Regional Association, says, “Visitors to the Ruhr area are typically impressed by the profusion of green.”

Discover more destination guides from Europe from my Summer 2022 trip!

Island Hopping in Greece – All You Need to Know
Discover the Cave City of Cappadocia: Travel Guide
Istanbul City Guide – Pack Your Bags and Go!