For some, the thrill of the open road is enough to warrant a road trip. For others, the thrill of an open-air food market is just as big of a draw. From a sustainable gourmet getaway in Athens to a gorgeous Napa wine dinner at the Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan, we’ve put together food-centric weekends for those of you who think some of the best scenery in the state is found in its wine departments, patisseries and at the occasional private chef’s table.

Athens Locavore Itinerary

Fans of celebrity chef Alice Waters and her famed Berkeley, California, restaurant,
Chez Panisse, will appreciate that Ohio University in Athens has been called the “Berkeley of the Backwoods” — and not just for the school’s strong academics.
Athens and its surrounding communities’ commitment to supporting local and
sustainable food practices dates back long before celebrities were driving Priuses. You’ll get the flavor of this conservation-minded town at these spots:

Friday night:
Jackie O’s
(jackieos.com, 740/592-9686)

Jackie O’s looks more like a bar than a restaurant, but a white-linen backdrop would be all wrong for this endeavor. As Athens’ only brewhouse, this is where you’ll find brewmaster Brad Clark’s interesting, sometimes unusual and often quite aggressive craft ales. Clark’s beer list is a constant work in progress as he experiments with techniques such as cask aging and fermentation with local wild yeasts. He is also the only Ohio commercial brewer we know of making sour beers. Jackie O’s Athens soul shows itself on the menu as well, particularly in items such as the “spent grain” pizzas, which use leftover grains from the brewing process in the crust, and the “Athens’ own hamburger,” which features locally raised beef fed with the brewery’s spent

Saturday morning breakfast:
The Village Bakery
(thevillagebakerycafe.com, 740/594-7311)

This is a favorite spot with the locals for a feel-good breakfast. Here, the coffee is free trade and pastries and other sweets are made with locally grown nuts and organic chocolate, sugar, flour and butter — no trans fats or high fructose corn syrup allowed.

Saturday mid-morning:
The Athens Farmers Market
(athensfarmersmarket.org, 740/593-6763)

The Athens Farmers Market turned 37 this year, and not surprisingly, a few of its vendors — Sue Rice of Sue’s Greenhouse and Art Gish of Dutch Creek Community Farm — have been around since that first market day, or close to it. It’s a year-round open-air market, not to mention one of the best places in the state for a culinary treasure hunt. One reason is that foraging is treated as an occupation here; in addition to the expected organic produce, meats and cheeses, you’ll often find unusual mushrooms, ramps, fiddlehead ferns and other seasonal products from the forest floor.

Some of the food purveyors at the Athens Farmers Market got their start at the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet), whose Food Ventures Center supports a 12,000-square-foot community kitchen where small producers can process and package commercial food products. Among the items that have emerged from the ACEnet kitchens are
Integration Acres’ blueberry spicebush jam, the funky fruit butters and vinegars of Dale’s Creations and the gooseberry jelly from Jack and Dixie Cantrell.

Saturday lunch:
O’Betty’s Red Hot! Dogs and Sausages
(obettys.com, 740/589-6111)

Part restaurant, part hot dog museum, part tribute to burlesque stars of the past, O’Betty’s is a hip hot dog joint that meets all of the criteria — locally owned, noncorporate, locally produced menu items — to garner the town’s support. The all-beef hot dogs come from Cleveland, but there are vegetarian options, this being Athens and all.

Saturday dinner:
Casa Nueva
(casanueva.com, 740/592-2016)

Worker-owned and -operated since 1985, you can’t get more Athens than Casa. The menu is a showcase of Athens growers, who are all listed at the back of the menu, and the business practices — they reuse, recycle and compost everything possible — are light-years ahead of most restaurants. The basic building blocks start with homemade salsas, burritos, empanadas, enchiladas and quesadillas, but the unusual fillings of seasonal vegetables and sustainably raised meats are what let you know you’re in a slow-food environment. During the past two decades, they’ve expanded to include a cantina and bodega, but, on weekends, stick with the restaurant if you like a quieter experience. Along with your meal, enjoy locally brewed beers, a selection of organic wines and specialty drinks made with infused vodkas.

Sunday morning coffee:
Donkey Coffee and Espresso
(donkeycoffee.com, ....