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One of the most anticipated times of the year, Turkey Day is one the ultimate American holiday. And, this year, one of the best Thanksgiving vacation ideas for families is to travel somewhere within the country. After all, after being grounded at home for the past months, you might wanna feed your Wanderlust by taking an extended holiday trip.
From north to south, the US is home to many family-friendly holiday weekend getaways that pleases all tastes and preferences. So take advantage of the season, because travelling during Thanksgiving is a great way for families to bond while uncovering an inspiring destination.
The summer-chasers, for instance, will love to spend Thanksgiving on a tropical beach sipping on piña coladas by the pool and soaking up under the sun. Winter lovers can say hello to the ski season by taking a trip to a winter resort, where they can curl up by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate. Adventure-seekers should head over to the wilderness, where they can go hike, bike and get the extra dose of adrenaline they’ve been dreaming of.
Not to mention that the US is also home to luxury resorts and hotels that offer unique experiences for a family vacation around Thanksgiving.
Curious to know what are the top destinations for your holiday trip? Then take a look at our top picks for the best Thanksgiving vacation ideas for families in 2021.
Places to Visit With Families in Thanksgiving
Honolulu, Hawaii
When it comes to great Thanksgiving vacation ideas for families, Honolulu may not be the first option. But it's the ultimate place to be for those who want to escape the crisp autumn weather on the holidays. Surrounded by lush verdant nature and paradisiac beaches, Hawaii’s capital is a great year-round destination. During the Thanksgiving season, its temperatures range from 84°F to 81°F, rarely falling below 79°F or exceeding 86°F. Also, November is the off-season in Hawaii, which means the islands tend to be less crowded and the rates cheaper.
One of the best Thanksgiving getaways for the sun-lovers, Honolulu it’s the gateway to some of the most paradisiac Hawaiian beaches. And during the Thanksgiving in Honolulu, a great idea is to uncover the county’s top attractions. Take some time to explore Waikiki, a vibrant neighbourhood located on the south shore of Honolulu. Home to the famous turquoise waters of the Waikiki Beach, this area has some of Hawaii’s most luxurious high-rise hotels, such as the Prince Waikiki, the Ritz-Carlton Residences and the famous Moana Surfrider, also known as the "First Lady of Waikiki”.
In Waikiki, take some time to go to Kalakaua Avenue, filled with fancy stores like Tiffany, Chanel and Gucci, and have dinner at Morimoto Waikiki. Ran by the Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, this upscale restaurant creatively combines traditional Asian and Western flavours, and it has been named Honolulu’s top restaurant by the New York Times.
In a 40 minutes drive from Waikiki, you’ll arrive in Honolulu’s North Shore. The area plays host to sandy beaches, like the Waimea Bay Beach Park, the Malaekahana Beach and the Sunset Beach, which are the perfect addition to a sunny Thanksgiving getaway. The North Shore also boasts some amazing waterfalls, including the 45-foot Waimea Waterfall located on the Waimea Valley, a 1,875 acre sacred garden for more than 700 years and home to over 5000 types of tropical and subtropical plants.
During your Thanksgiving vacation in the city, don’t forget to take the kids to sightsee some sea turtles at the Turtle Bay and to watch a breathtaking pink sunset at the nearby Kahuku Point.
Hawaiians also celebrate Turkey Day with a Thanksgiving meal, so why not stay at rent a condo apartment in Honolulu and make your own feast with local fresh ingredients and a stunning ocean view? Top it with beach-themed holiday activities and you’re good to go!
During the late fall, Pinehurst offers a set of seasonal activities and events and, because of that, it's one of the top Thanksgiving vacation ideas for families. Widely-known for being home to the United States' first golf resort — the Pinehurst Resort —, Pinehurst is a New-England-style village located in the Moore County, in North Carolina.
This year, two of Pinehurst Resort's best hotels — the Carolina Hotel and The Villas Hotel —, will offer special packages for families who want to celebrate Thanksgiving away from the hectic pace of the holidays. The “Thanksgiving at Pinehurst” package includes the resort accommodations, daily southern breakfast and dinner meals, and Thanksgiving weekend activities. The “Thanksgiving Golf or Spa Package” offers access to one round of golf or one 50-minute spa treatment per night stayed and a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday night (aside from accommodation and daily southern meals). For both packages, kids 17 and under stay and play free with a paying adult.
Originally founded as a health retreat in 1895, Pinehurst offers a unique array of activities for the whole family during Thanksgiving weekend. You can go kayaking with your kids on a 200-acre lake near The Village of Pinehurst hotel; explore the village’s scenic streets by bike, and take a trip to the Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve. Located 20 mins from the city, this 898-acre nature park is home to hundred-year-old towering pines and several species of native plants.
Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Greenville is the right bet if what you’re longing for is an adventurous Thanksgiving vacation with family. The city is widely known for offering amazing outdoor experiences, which many are now craving after being homebound over the past months.
If you want the kids to delve into the wilderness as authentic explorers during Thanksgiving, there are some experiences you can’t miss in Greenville. The Jones Gap State Park, for instance, has 60 miles of hiking trails where you can have a glimpse of the radiance of the late fall. For some stunning views of the Appalachian mountains, take the family on a trip to the Caesars Head State Park, which is a famous spot for “Hawk Watching” during the fall migration of hawks from the US to South America.
Another must-go for the nature lovers during Thanksgiving vacation is the 112-acre Cleveland Park, which is Greenville’s largest National Park. It has picnic shelters, plenty of green spaces and a 420-foot drop waterfall, the Raven Cliff Falls.
Greenville is also one of the best destinations for foodies to spend Thanksgiving. Named as the “Next Big Food City of the South” by Esquire, the city brings together more than 1,000 eateries that are sure to make your mouth water. For a homemade familiar Thanksgiving feast with a twist, go to Up on The Roof, a sleek rooftop with the best views of the city’s skyline. This year’s menu includes a turkey roulade with cranberry chutney, plenty of family-style sides — sage roasted yams, braised collard greens, and more — and a pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.
Wrap up your Thanksgiving trip to Greenville by taking a boat tour on the 300-foot deep Lake Jocassee. That way, you can have a memorable view of the Blue Ridge Mountains from a different perspective.
New York City brings together all of the elements for a perfect Thanksgiving vacation with family. It has parks where you can see late fall foliage during the holiday season—such as the iconic Central Park, of course —, amazing restaurants from around the world, unique shops and so much more.
This year, the iconic Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will happen virtually. But there are plenty of other holiday-themed experiences for you to take the kids in New York City. One of the best events in town is the Holiday Train Show, which happens in the NY Botanical Garden, in The Bronx. From mid-November to late January, visitors can marvel at model trains traversing a display of nearly 200 of the city's landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Rockefeller Center and the Brooklyn Bridge. All carefully crafted from plant parts and natural materials.
And there are more Thanksgiving attractions in NYC for you to add to your itinerary. Be sure to also visit the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park, a true winter wonderland has a fully outdoor ice-skating rink and a European inspired open-air market with food kiosks and shops. Kids will absolutely love it.
If you don’t feel like cooking on Thanksgiving day, no worries. The city is heaven for foodies, and it has many unique award-winning restaurants for your feast. This year, many eateries are creating menus for takeout, so you can grab a meal and go enjoy it with your family. Voted the #1 restaurant in the world and awarded with three Michelin stars, the Eleven Madison Park will share a classic Thanksgiving feast for pickup. It includes a juicy turkey with 7 side-dishes and a pie for dessert. Another great option is Carmine’s homemade Thanksgiving dinner: an 18 pound roasted turkey with sausage, mashed potatoes with gravy, and grandma’s style pumpkin or apple pie.
Sant Antonio boasts a very festive atmosphere that perfectly kicks-off the holiday season. One of the top family-friendly experiences in the city around this time of year is the Christmas Light Fest, which starts on Thanksgiving night. This light festival is held inside an authentic western town at Enchanted Springs Ranch, where you can play laser tag, ride on the Mechanical Bull, and even meet Santa Claus himself.
A great time to visit Santo Antonio with kids is in November when the average temperature is around 66 F. To make the most out of the city's pleasant weather during your Thanksgiving trip, go outdoors and visit places like the San Antonio Walk, a park and network of walkways. During this time of year, it displays over 100,000 festive lights placed over the cypress trees that line the River Walk. From November 30, you can even take a cruise with the kids on the river while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate and eating dessert. This is a great tip in case you decide to extend your family Thanksgiving vacation.
San Antonio is also home to a showcase of resorts and hotels for your stay. A good option for a weekend getaway with your family is the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa, a rustic retreat that welcomes its guests with the genuine southern hospitality. With more than 10 options of suites and bedrooms and a 5-acre water park with lazy river, the resort offers many recreational activities, including walking trails, biking and s' mores by the fire. Overall, a perfect place for family travel.
And since there's no better way to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday than by eating, make sure to book a typical feast to celebrate. This year, the hotel will host a traditional Thanksgiving meal filled with family-style dishes, such as roasted butternut squash & spiced shrimp bisque, oven-roasted free-range turkey, and your choice of pumpkin or dutch apple pie.
The Blackberry Farm, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
One of the best Thanksgiving vacation ideas for families is to go for a long weekend trip surrounded by nature. With sweeping views of the idyllic Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blackberry Farm is a celebrated luxury hotel set amidst a pastoral 4,2000 acre-state in Tennessee.
The Blackberry Farm hotel offers countless activities for the kids every season of the year. When spending the Thanksgiving holiday at the hotel, guests 8 and older can go horseback riding into the Smoky Mountain Foothills, plan an archery session on a secluded wooded hilltop, and cycle through the country roads of Walland, where the resort is located.
A bucolic Thanksgiving getaway for a family vacation with kids, the Blackberry Farm has 6 categories of accommodations, from Hill Cottages to Estate Rooms. Families might want to book one of their houses, which provide many bedroom options ranging from three to five bedrooms. The houses are also equipped with fully-functioning kitchens and dining rooms, where families can organize memorable dining experiences with a private chef.
This year, the hotel will also host a special dinner and a set of unique family-friendly Thanksgiving activities, such as a flag-football game, a family bingo and a 5k Turkey Trot.
Spread over 2,000 acres in the Laurel Highlands, on Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort provides families with a well-deserved Thanksgiving vacation filled with activities for all types of guests. In November, the resort usually hosts a series of activities, such as painting classes, family movies at the Nemacolin theatre, and even a visit from the elves, who will drop off a book, a stocking full of gifts, and collect a letter to Santa. They also organize a 5k Turkey Trot and an Outdoor Ice Skating Rink at Lafayette Square.
The Nemacolin Woodlands Resort has a premium collection of restaurants and lounges that will offer special meals on Thanksgiving day. A must-go is the five-diamond restaurant Lautrec, which is set to have a five-course Thanksgiving day brunch. Some of the highlights of the menu include a sweet potato gratin with Amish feta cheese and brown-butter pecans, and a farm turkey with potato butter and rosemary gravy. To gild the lily: a maple-roasted pumpkin pie with toasted marshmallow.
The Williamsburg Lodge, Williamsburg, Virginia
Get ready for a cosy Thanksgiving weekend at the Williamsburg Lodge. Placed in the historical Colonial Williamsburg, in Virginia, the hotel offers a wide range of seasonal activities for families during the holidays. On Thanksgiving night, the hotel will host a special feast with a family-style menu filled with typical dishes: oven-roasted turkey, roasted garlic and whipped potatoes. For dessert: pumpkin ie with vanilla whipped cream, warm apple pie bread pudding and bourbon crème anglaise
The Williamsburg Lodge is part of the Colonial Williamsburg Resorts, and it has newly renovated guest rooms. The resort usually includes nightly accommodation at a hotel and tickets to the historic area of Williamsburg and the art museum. Another unmissable experience during Thanksgiving is the Annual Pie Sale at the Taste Studio, placed across from the Williamsburg Lodge. There, you'll taste every pie flavor you can dream of, from pumpkin to apple-cranberry and their famous rum cream pie.
After a high-calorie Thanksgiving dinner, make sure to have relaxation time at the hotel's spa. They offer a variety of treatments to recover body and mind, from aromatherapy massages to wrinkle repair facials.
Have some extra time during your Thanksgiving family vacation in Williamsburg? Then you may also like to go to the Christmas Celebration at the Busch Gardens, located within a short drive —2 miles —, from the city. The event turns the gardens into a winter wonderland decorated with Christmas lights and trees. Guests will be able to meet Santa Claus, ride on roller coasters, and participate in a traditional turkey dinner at Das Festhaus.
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