Today, artisanal cheese producers are creating creamy rounds with the same nuanced terroir of wine, making it a good year to travel just for cheese. One of our favorites is Heber Valley Artisan Cheese, 45 miles from Salt Lake City. Its specialties include queso fresco and Juustoleipa Finnish cheese. Weekly tours with cheesemaker Grant Kohler include a look at the state-of-the-art facility, a lesson in cheesemaking, and a peek at the cave where the cheese is aged. Sign up for a cheese- or yogurt-making class, and you’ll go home with your own, plus a handy kit with the recipe. $5 tour, $30 class; hebervalleyartisancheese.com
Best time to go: February, for the DIY mozzarella class (and a chance to spot elk).
Stay: Homestead Resort, a gracious, century-old hotel just 2 miles from the creamery, has cottage-style suites and rooms that offer a quiet escape. From $224; homesteadresort.com