Culinary Institute of America

The revered cooking school isn’t a walled-off fortress where culinary prodigies toil away in secret. Anyone can stop by the CIA, located in the historic Greystone Cellars building in St. Helena. On the ground floor, visitors will find a gift shop filled with everything you could possibly need to channel your own Top Chef persona, along with an impressive corkscrew collection, the Vintners Hall of Fame, the Ghiradelli Chocolate Discovery Center and more. One-hour cooking demos take place on the weekends; you can check out the schedule and make reservations here. Outside, don’t be surprised to spot students pruning the expansive gardens that line the building.