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A coast-to-coast look at the culinary oases that keep us coming back for more.

There’s a great big world of new experiences right in our North American backyard (and you don’t even have to like skiing to enjoy them).

Inspired by a Bollywood film, young girls and women in northern India are taking up “kushti”—an ancient form of wrestling traditionally only practiced by men.

Can’t go to your favorite scoop shop right now? Here’s how to get some of America’s best ice cream delivered.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we went back in the AFAR archives to honor some of our best storytellers.

James Beard Award nominee Kris Komori shares his favorite places to eat and drink, including a locavore hot spot, a pho joint, and a tiki-inspired cocktail lounge.

In an excerpt from her debut memoir “The Yellow House,” NOLA native Sarah M. Broom reflects on a summer job she took in the heavily touristed French Quarter while home from college.

Impeccably styled multivendor food halls are popping up from Philadelphia to West Palm Beach. These eight are worth seeking out.

You might go for the temples. They’ll go for the video games, giant toy stores, and bizarre candy.

Thanks to a brigade of artisanal coffee hounds and supremely talented baristas, delicious coffee of all sorts—filtered, iced, with milk or with a bit of mocha—can be found. Be sure to caffeinate at one of these top coffee shops during your next trip.

Very few people have the willpower to resist a candy shop. Anyone with curiosity about the candy making process will be drawn to Big Island Candies with the big picture windows into their production room. Their small batches ensure fresh shortbread cookies and chocolate truffles are distributed to their resellers and customers. The shortbread comes in several Hawaiian flavors like macadamia nut, pineapple, and kona mocha. There are so many chocolates to choose from, but my pick is the Hawaiian macadamia nut caramel cluster, with a side of milk chocolate macadamia nut toffee, and a last course of dark chocolate covered whole Kona coffee beans. If your candies make it home, they will be the perfect gift for friends and family.

At the neighborhood’s eastern extreme, on Rue Dante, this traditional Italian bakery is renowned as the purveyor of the city’s best cannoli, though it’s a hotly debated issue. They are blindingly scrumptious, that’s for sure, and they come in chocolate, vanilla ricotta, vanilla ricotta with tiny chocolate chips, vanilla custard or mocha. They’re just one of the many sweet treats on offer though, so wander over after a day at the market and let yourself be tempted by the cornetti, the million-layered sfogliatelle, the flaky, cream-filled lobster tails or the dozens of varieties of cookie.

Café culture is an essential part of the Austrian experience, and there’s no better place to find it in Salzburg than at the historic Café Tomaselli. Dating back to 1700 and owned by the Tomaselli family since 1852, the great coffees, delicious pastries, and warm ambience mean the marble-topped tables don’t stay empty for long. It’s a place to see and be seen, a traditional institution popular with visitors, intellectuals, and celebrities. Even Mozart was a regular here. His widow, Constanze, later returned to the city with their children and lived upstairs with her second husband, Georg Nikolaus von Nissen, from 1820 to 1826. A Mélange (similar to cappuccino) or Einspänner (mocha with thick whipped cream) are two top picks from the extensive coffee menu. Order pastries separately—from the large selection brought tableside by one of the so-called “cake maids.”

Bassetts is America’s oldest ice cream company … so they must be doing something right! This is a story about longevity … and ice cream. In 1892, Lewis D. Bassett moved his ice cream operation to the newly built Reading Terminal Market in Center City Philadelphia. At the same time he also opened a retail store. The store that he opened in 1892 is still in the same location today, with its original marble counters. Bassetts is still family-owned and operated. You can get cups, cones, or a freshly-packed pint to take back to your hotel room. Look for the seasonal featured flavors, and if you’re not sure you’ll like something, ask for a taste. My personal recommendation – try the Guatemalan Ripple, which is coffee ice cream with mocha fudge swirls and espresso truffles. “Gadzooks” is the flavor to try if you like chocolate and caramel. A bit of ice cream trivia: Bassetts recently listed its all time top ten flavors in order of popularity: 1. Vanilla 2. Chocolate 3. Mint Chocolate Chip 4. Cookies and Cream 5. Cookie Dough 6. Peanut Butter 7. Butter Pecan 8. English Toffee Crunch 9. Strawberry 10. Coffee

Thailand isn’t necessarily known for its coffee, but Akha Ama is the exception. This is a very small coffee shop in Santhitham. It exclusively distributes coffee produced by the Akha people who live in the village of Mae Jan Tai in northern Thailand. They do all of the fancy café drinks like shakeratos, lattes, and mochas. They also make baked goods, such as muffins, in-house every day. —Andy Ricker 9/1 Mata Apartment Hassadhisawee Rd., Soi 3, 66(0)86-915-8600. This appeared in the May 2013 issue