4 Top RV Road Trips for Foodies Across the U.S.

Let your taste buds guide you to memorable cuisine and RV campgrounds

people eating at a fastfood restaurant with outdoor seating

Be sure to sample regional cuisine during your RV road trip. Along historic Route 66 in Arizona, stop at Delgadillo’s Snow Cap, known for its red chile burgers, tacos and shakes.

John Crowe/Alamy Stock Photo

Terry Ward,

AARP

Published June 23, 2025

The United States is as diverse as a chef’s spice collection when it comes to the many cuisines you can expect to encounter on a road trip. One of the best things about any pleasure drive is taking the time to slow down and enjoy not only the views but also all the interesting regional foods you’ll encounter along the way.

“An RV lets you experience the flavors of any region at your own pace, making your trip easier to plan and more enjoyable,” says marketing specialist Fiorella Yriberry, of RV rental site RVshare.

She suggests planning your trip around seasonal events, like farmers markets, peak harvest seasons and local festivals. “For example, early fall in the Northeast is ideal for a seafood-themed adventure with a side of colorful fall foliage,” suggests Yriberry.

“Map out a route that lets you sample the best flavors from each state to make for a fun and tasty adventure,” she says.

On an RV road trip, you’re often bringing your kitchen along for the ride. So keep an eye out for markets, orchards and vineyards along the way to keep your pantry-on-wheels stocked with the bounty of the land.

Harvest Hosts is a fee-based membership service that allows RVs that don’t need external services to camp for one night at no cost (additional nights will incur a camping fee) at classic diners, farms, breweries and other locations across the U.S. Its CEO, Joel Holland, says rumbling stomachs are often the deciding factor for making a detour on a road trip.

“Half the fun of traveling is stepping outside of the familiar and trying the local cuisine,” he says, suggesting travelers inquire with locals or food truck proprietors to learn what the region you’re visiting is known for.

According to Harvest Hosts’ summer travel report for 2025, Americans 50 and older are most interested in food-related travel experiences that involve fishing, cooking classes and ranch visits.

Whatever tickles your taste buds, read on for four destinations to consider when taking your RV and inner gastronome on the road.

a close-up shot of a shrimp po’boy on a plate

A trip along the Cajun Bayou Food Trail should include a stop at Spahr’s Seafood for a shrimp po’boy.

Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou

Lafourche Parish, Louisiana

Known as Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou, Lafourche Parish is less than an hour’s drive southwest of New Orleans and home to the Cajun Bayou Food Trail. There are 18 points along the trail where visitors can “wander off the eatin’ path” to sample incredible cuisine in the region’s Cajun communities. In the town of Thibodaux, the Bourgeois Meat Market is known for boudin (Cajun sausage) and jerky. Plan a stop at Chine’s Cajun Net Shop in Golden Meadow to see shrimp nets made the old-fashioned way, and pop by Griffin’s Restaurant a few minutes away in the neighboring town of Galliano to sample a shrimp or oyster po’boy or mahi-mahi platter.

Other notable food trail stops include Spahr’s Seafood in Des Allemands, known for its seafood gumbo and catfish chips, and Cher Amie’s in Cut Off, where you can feast on boudin balls, crawfish queso and bayou oysters.

RV park nearby: Stay at one of the RV sites at Southern Breeze Lodge (from $59 per night) in Golden Meadow. You can also charter a boat to go fishing for speckled trout and redfish.

a group of women posing with food during a cooking class

Consider taking a cooking class in New York’s Finger Lakes region.

Gabrielle Plucknette

Finger Lakes, New York

With 11 glacial lakes dotting spectacular landscapes, New York’s Finger Lakes region is also known for vineyards and orchards, making it ideal for a food-centric RV road trip. In the lakeside town of Canandaigua, sample delights like duck confit poutine, or take a gnocchi-making course at New York Kitchen. On neighboring Seneca Lake in Geneva, F.L.X. Table has fewer than 20 seats and spotlights seasonal, prix fixe menus with ingredients sourced from nearby farms. About 45 miles to the west in Rochester, you can try the city’s signature dish, the ingredient mash-up (sausage, chicken, burger, home fries and more) known as the Garbage Plate at famous spots such as Nick Tahou Hots.

Wine and beer trails abound here, as well as “pick your own” farms, where you can pick grapes from the vines, berries from the patch and apples from the trees, depending on the season.

RV park nearby: Along the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, Finger Lakes RV Resort (from $85 per night) is close to Finger Lakes National Forest and a 13-minute drive from downtown Watkins Glen.

the exterior of Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner in Kingman, Arizona

Breakfast is served all day at Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner in Kingman, Arizona.

Chon Kit Leong/Alamy Stock Photo

Route 66 in Arizona

America’s historic Mother Road celebrates its centennial in 2026. Arrive in Arizona ahead of the crowds, and plan a fun drive stopping at iconic eateries along a fabulous stretch of Route 66 on your way through towns like Kingman, Seligman, Flagstaff and Winslow.

Breakfast is served from open till close at Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner in Kingman, an erstwhile gas station decked out with vintage Americana (don’t depart without sipping a float made with homemade root beer). In Seligman, Delgadillo’s Snow Cap is another kitschy Americana favorite known for red chile burgers, tacos and shakes.

Wind things down for the day “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona,” before settling in for dinner at the elegant Turquoise Room. You can enjoy contemporary Southwestern cuisine in chandelier, wood and leather-accented surroundings modeled after a famous dining car on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway’s Super Chief train.

RV park nearby: In Kingman, Zuni Village RV Park (call for rates) has an outdoor pool and picnic tables at every site. Between Flagstaff and Winslow, Meteor Crater RV Park (from $55 per night) has on-site playgrounds for kids and tall pine trees.

Take advantage of wild blueberry season with a stop at Brodis Blueberries in Hope, Maine.

Courtesy Maine Office of Tourism

Southern Maine

Let a farm-to-table dining ethos set to some of Maine’s prettiest backdrops inspire you on a road trip from the state’s southern reaches to the midcoast, traveling from Portland north to towns like Hope, Belfast and Penobscot.

From mid-April through late November every Wednesday and Saturday, the Portland Farmers’ Market is a feast for the senses (load up your reusable grocery bag with berries, oysters and fresh produce). In Penobscot, a stop for a split-top lobster roll and fried clams is a must at the beloved Bagaduce Lunch. Time your road trip for Maine’s wild blueberry season (roughly mid-July to mid-August) to indulge in blueberry pie, muffins and more at Brodis Blueberries, a famous farm in the tiny town of Hope. Be strategic, as the farm is open for just a few hours on Saturdays.

RV park nearby: Camp right along Penobscot Bay at Moorings Oceanfront RV Resort in Belfast or Moorings II Oceanfront Campground in Searsport (visit the website for rates, which vary).