Travelsmartplanet

Explore the decadent delights of the nation’s oldest city on this indulgent tour of St. Augustine’s finest chocolate creations. The VIP ‘ALL THINGS CHOCOLATE’ Tasting Tour is an especially delectable way to learn more about St. Augustine’s historic district, where you will get to experience the most unique chocolate selections that St Augustine has to offer.

Guests will explore culinary venues, local fixtures, and off-the-beaten-path foodie hot spots to sample heavenly chocolate in all of its glorious adaptations. Samples will include wine, sauces, toppings, dips, desserts, and more.

Aside from the sheer decadence, you’ll discover how chocolate played a pivotal role in influencing the history and culture of the New World, while seeing unique points of interest along the way. Imagine taking in the delicious antiquity of the old city while indulging in one of man-kinds most beloved ancient tasting treasures along the way.

This 2+ hour tour departs from Tour St. Augustine Inc., located downtown at 4 Granada Street, on select weekend dates. Tour departs at 1 pm (check in 15 mins prior) and advance reservations are required. Visit here to book a tour.

Location: The tour departs from Tour St. Augustine, 4 Granada Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Date and Time: The first Saturday of the month in 2017 at 1:00 pm (Aug 5, Sept 2, Oct 7, Nov 4, Dec2)
Tel: 904-825-0087
staugcitywalks.com
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: floridashistoriccoast.com

If you’re a fan of architecture and design you’ll want to check out The Gropius House. Walter Gropius, the founder of the highly influential Bauhaus School and one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century designed this striking home in 1938 after moving from Germany to Massachusetts to teach at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.

Modest in scale, the house was revolutionary in impact. It combined the traditional elements of New England architecture — wood, brick, and fieldstone, with innovative materials rarely used in domestic settings at that time: glass block, acoustical plaster, and chrome banisters, along with the latest technology in fixtures.

At the Gropius House, Bauhaus ideals remain alive, and throughout Gropius’s life, he and his wife Ise continued to add newly designed furnishings that reflected their belief in the marriage of design and industry.  In keeping with Bauhaus philosophy, every aspect of the house and its surrounding landscape was planned for maximum efficiency and simplicity of design. 

Two years after Mrs. Gropius’s death in 1983, the Gropius House opened as a historic house museum. The house contains a significant collection of furniture designed by Marcel Breuer  and fabricated in the Bauhaus workshops. The house also contains works by Eero Saarinen, Joan Miró, and Herbert Bayer that were given as gifts to Walter Gropius. With all the family possessions still in place, the house has an cohesiveness rarely found in house museums.

All images are “Courtesy of Historic New England.”

Location: Gropius House. 68 Baker Bridge Road, Lincoln, Mass. 01773
Dates: Sat and Sun, until May 31
Hours: 11 – 4pm, Tours on the hour
Tel: 781-259-8098
historicnewengland.org/historic-properties/homes/Gropius%20House
For Regional Information, Restaurants & Attractions: merrimackvalley.org