Time was when Napa Valley was just Napa Valley—a sleepy, mostly agricultural corner of Northern California that looked a little like Tuscany and felt a lot like a backwater.

Then came Napa Valley wines, which turned the region’s name into a brand. These days, every place wants to be the Napa Valley of something. Colorado claims to be the Napa Valley of the Beer World; Kona, Hawaii wants to be the Napa Valley of Coffee; and America’s Hereford beef farmers assert that the entire Midwest is the Napa Valley of Beef.

With all the claims to fame, where is a hungry traveler to turn? We’ve picked five lesser-known North American locales that have organized themselves into foodie-friendly destinations and offer good eating. While they may be familiar to some, none attract Napa Valley-like hordes.

North Carolina Barbecue Trail

According to the North Carolina Barbecue Society, the eastern shores of the state were the birthplace of barbecue—the Cradle of ’Cue, as they say. And though Kansas, Texas, Tennessee, and all parts in-between claim they know how to do barbecue best, it’s North Carolina that has the Historic Barbecue Trail.

Thank N.C.B.S. president Jim Early, who, in his quest to find the best barbecue in his home state, ate in 228 different barbecue joints over six months. He chose 25 for the 500-mile-plus trail, which wends from the mountain town of Murphy, in the state’s southwestern corner, to the community of Ayden in the east.

All the establishments on the trail cook their meats over open charcoal- or wood-fired pits that have operated continuously for at least 15 years, and all serve homemade sauce with their slow-roasted pork. Fresh hush puppies (fried in lard) are a staple side dish.

Only a fool would try to name the best place to eat along the barbecue trail. But one can’t-miss stop is Lexington, the self-declared barbecue capital of the world. It’s home to both the Barbecue Center and Lexington Barbecue, which Early calls “one of the most streamlined, efficient, and impeccably clean barbecue operations I have ever seen”—no small praise, given the laid-back standards that any barbecue veteran will have seen. And there’s no better time to go than October, Lexington’s Barbecue Month. At this year’s barbecue festival (October 27), more than 100,000 people will scarf down a total of at least five tons of barbecue.

Okanagan Wine Trail

British Columbia seems like it would be one of the worst places in the world for growing wine—it’s often described as lush (rainy), green (rainy), and mild (rainy). But 100 miles east of Vancouver sits a valley where summer days are warm and sunny, the evenings are breezy and cool, and the winters are, by Canadian standards, moderate and dry.

For years, Okanagan vineyards produced cheap plonk more worthy of cartons than bottles. But about three decades ago, with the help of the Canadian government, local growers began pulling out the lower-quality Labrusca vines and replacing them with vinifera, the grape family that includes most of the varieties associated with the world’s best wines.

Since then, Okanagan has flourished as a winemaking region. Its vineyards produce fine cabernets and shirazes as well as Rieslings. Vintners also make wines from locally grown cherries, apricots, black currants, and other fruit, and its ice wines are particularly respected.

Highlights on Okanagan’s wine trail include Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate, which has been named Winery of the Year in Canada three of the past five years, and the offbeat Summerhill Pyramid Winery, which produces organic wines that have been aged in—you guessed it—a pyramid.