Het Grachtenhuis (Herengracht 386, Amsterdam), a 17th-century mansion designed by Philips Vingboons, the most famous Dutch architect of the Golden Age, will open to the public on April 1, 2011.

It will feature interactive exhibits on the history of Amsterdam’s canals and of the canal house mansion, which was visited several times by President John Adams, who used Dutch funds gathered by one of the home’s former owners, banker Jan Willink, to lay the foundation for the independence of...

In Kent, England, in 2011, the annual Whitstable Oyster Festival takes place July 23-29. Expect concerts, heritage walks, food demonstrations, a mud tug, crab catching and an oyster-eating contest. Contact the Whitstable Oyster Festival Association (73 St. Johns Rd., Whitstable, Kent. CT5 2R, U.K.).

Within Hôtel Ritz Paris, cooking classes are held at Ecole (School) Ritz Escoffier (15 place Vendôme, 75041 Paris Cedex 01, France; phone 33 [0] 1 43 16 30 50), named for Auguste Escoffier, the hotel’s first head chef.

Examples — prepare and eat lunch in a one-hour “Ritzy Break” (€55, near $77). Saturday holds two four-hour workshops, one on seasonal dishes, the other on pastries, each €140 ($196). On Sunday is the four-hour “Extreme Chocolate” (€250, or $350). At the hotel, students...