A lot of people enjoy spending their Thanksgiving at home with friends and loved ones. While that’s all well and good, others prefer to do something a little more unconventional when they celebrate Turkey Day. Instead of the traditional options, they’d rather travel and do a little exploring on this quintessentially American holiday.
Luckily, there’s plenty of places that can combine your wanderlust with the excitement of the holiday season. Here are some of the best Thanksgiving travel destinations in the country to visit for a truly unforgettable Turkey Day!
Seattle…to Gobble Mounds of Mashed Potatoes
Let’s get real: Thanksgiving owes a lot of its popularity to the mountains of food we consume on this particular holiday. But even though the turkey is the star of the show, many people prefer the sides instead…particularly mashed potatoes!
This year, join up with your starch-loving peers in Seattle for the Mashed Potato Munch-Off, a delightfully seasonal eating contest. Competitors chow down on mountains of fluffy potatoes after completing a Turkey Day-themed run. You can compete by yourself for the hefty fee of $1, or watch the good-natured mayhem from the beer garden. Remember to bring your appetite!
Detroit…to Run in a Weird Costume
Detroit Turkey Trot by Phil Roeder licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
While most people stuff their faces on Thanksgiving — and really, who can blame them — the people of Detroit have a different way of celebrating the holiday. For 34 years people have been joining up in the Turkey Trot race. You can opt to do a 5K, 10K, or one-mile run.
What makes this brisk morning event even more fun? Participants tend to dress up in their wildest costumes to get into the spirit! If a morning jog isn’t your thing though, you can watch from the sidelines with a steaming cup of coffee and still be part of the festivities. There are prizes, tons of delicious food, and you can actually lose some calories on Thanksgiving Day. No, how many people can say that?
Nantucket…to Take the Plunge for a Cause
Feel the need to immerse yourself in the history of Thanksgiving? Then there’s no better place to be than Massachusetts. You can dine at restaurants featuring local favorites — and taste some authentic Thanksgiving treats–, explore historical sites, and relax all the way.
But be sure to save up some energy for Thanksgiving morning, because that’s when people take the Turkey Plunge! A charity event that’s wildly popular, people from all over the country come together to dive into the freezing cold ocean. Don’t worry, it’s all for a good cause: the local children’s library. Afterwards, you can warm up with hot chocolate and pastries from nearby shops. It’s a wild, wonderful, utterly unconventional way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day while doing some good!
Chicago…for a Delightful Urban Celebration
Chicago has the perfect weather for cozying up indoors and lingering over a hot meal. If you find yourself wanting to go out, however, you can also bundle up and enjoy lots of wintertime activities and attractions! One of the best things to do in Chicago is ice skating in Millennium Park. It’s free, and Thanksgiving weekend is a prime time to go, though you might want to make an early reservation to ensure your spot.
Another must-see is the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, a celebration that winds through the streets of Chicago with floats, marching bands, and more. All in all, Chicago can be a wonderful place to spend the holidays. Thanksgiving is just the beginning: The season is marked by everything from tree-lighting ceremonies to German-style Christmas markets. After having enough fun, you might just find yourself wanting to stay until New Year’s!
Plymouth…to Be Where it All Began
To reenact the very first Thanksgiving experience, there’s only one place you can really go this November: Plimoth Plantation, out in Plymouth Massachusetts. (That’s not a typo. The plantation is “Plimoth” but the town is “Plymouth.”) The place where the first Thanksgiving was celebrated, this incredible living-history museum will give you the best glimpse into the world of the original settlers.
You can explore the settlement, see what colonial life was like, and do tons of fun crafts and activities with the whole family. But our favorite activity has to be the traditional Thanksgiving feast. Forget sweet potatoes with marshmallows — you’ll get to sample fare that the settlers enjoyed, from a sweet pudding of native corn to stewed pompion (pumpkin) and turkey. It’s an unforgettable experience and a downright delicious historical event!
Santa Fe…for a True Native American Experience
A colorful city, Santa Fe has been richly influenced by its Native American roots, so it’s the perfect place to experience a different kind of Thanksgiving. Your first stop should be the winter art markets. In particular, the Winter Indian Market is held every year on Thanksgiving weekend, and it celebrates indigenous food, art, music, and culture through hundreds of vendors, performers, and artists. Another great thing to do in Santa Fe on Thanksgiving is visiting the Santa Fe Plaza.
The Christmas holiday season officially kicks off the day after Thanksgiving, and there’s an entire afternoon of festivities that includes caroling, tree lighting, pictures with Santa, and as much hot cocoa and cookies as you can hold. Granted, Santa Fe might not be a winter wonderland like other holiday destinations, but it’ll definitely offer memorable fun through Thanksgiving and beyond!
You may also like: Far From Home? 7 Tips for Celebrating Thanksgiving Abroad
New York City…for the World’s Largest Parade
“2021 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” by Anthony Quintano is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
No list of Thanksgiving travel spots would be truly complete without including Macy’s iconic Thanksgiving Day Parade. Not only it’s the world’s largest parade, but also one of the oldest (the first was held way back in 1927). With giant floats, amazing performances, and tons of surprises, it’s no wonder that thousands upon thousands of people head to New York City each year to be part of this incredible event.
Hawaii…for an Unexpected Treat!
Sure, a tropical beach might not be the first thing that comes to mind when it’s time to look for cheap Thanksgiving flights… but that’s exactly why you should go! You’ll avoid the crowds of the usual holiday tourist destinations, and you can still enjoy fun, Thanksgiving-themed experiences in a unique location. In Oahu, for example, there’s a Rock-A-Hula Thanksgiving Dinner Show where you can enjoy Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson impersonators while you feast on a luau buffet.
At the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, there are Thanksgiving Tours that will take you tromping around volcanic summits before you return for a sit-down dinner of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Hawaii might be an unusual place to celebrate the big day, but it’s one to consider if you’re looking to make fun memories that’ll last a lifetime!
New Orleans…for an Authentic Piece of Turducken
Did you know that New Orleans was the birthplace of the turducken? Composed of chicken stuffed into duck stuffed into turkey, turducken was invented by a Cajun chef and popularized as a dish to eat during NFL Thanksgiving Day games.
To cook one yourself, just head to the Gourmet Butcher Block at the Cajun Meat Market; it’s commonly regarded as “the home of the turducken,” and its hefty birds are already stuffed and just waiting to be roasted. To have one prepared for you, you can check out several restaurants in the French Quarter, including ones that go the extra mile with culinary creations like turducken gumbo. Not a bad excuse to start looking for cheap flights in November to NOLA!
Another New Orleans experience to consider is an altruistic one: If you want to give back this holiday season, you can volunteer with a number of soup kitchens, food banks, and rec centers to help them with their Thanksgiving day dinners. New Orleans is all about community, and Thanksgiving is a great time to soak it up!
Do you have a favorite destination for Thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments below!
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