9 Great Thanksgiving Getaways

Thankgiving Trips

Thanksgiving is approaching, but if you want to take a trip over the holiday, now’s the time to book — especially if you want to travel as a family. Consider stepping away from tradition: You’ll find beaches, colonial festivities, northern lights and more on our list of top Thanksgiving destinations. Of course, these destinations also have plenty of great restaurants for traditional (and not-so-traditional) turkey dinners. Turducken, anyone?

Baltimore, Maryland

Make holiday meal plans at Bluegrass Tavern for smoked turkey, crispy Brussels sprouts and sweet-potato cornbread, but save room for another meal of bratwurst and glühwein at the Christmas Village, where you’ll find more than 60 booths offering holiday foods, ornaments and crafts for sale. You’ll also want to take a drive or a stroll down 34th Street in the Hampden neighborhood to behold two blocks of row houses festooned with holiday decorations.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Turducken (a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey) is on the menu everywhere, but the best is at K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, which serves up the dish with eggplant and sweet potato gravy on Thanksgiving Eve. The Thanksgiving po’boy at Parkway Bakery & Tavern is a post–Turkey Day must-have. On Thanksgiving Day, camp out on Decatur Street near Cafe du Monde and Jackson Square to watch the Bayou Classic Thanksgiving Parade.

Reykjavik, Iceland

It’s an easy hop over to Reykjavik, particularly for those on the East Coast. Surprisingly, an increasing number of Icelanders are celebrating this American holiday. (Try the turkey buffet at Hotel Cabin.) Explore the geysers, waterfalls and volcanic craters of the Golden Circle. Make a stop at Thingvellir National Park and book a northern lights excursion early on in your stay, as most tour operators will take you for free if you miss the aurora borealis the first time.

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Darby, Montana

Spend a day riding horses, hiking and honing your archery skills before settling in for a cowboy-inspired Thanksgiving feast at Triple Creek Ranch. Before the weekend is over, take a private flight to Kalispell, a jumping off point for a visit to Glacier National Park. Save time for a photo safari and one of many off-ranch hikes.

West End, Anguilla

Head to Anguilla for a Caribbean resort vacation at the Viceroy Anguilla resort. On Thanksgiving Day, indulge in butternut-squash ravioli and cornbread-stuffed turkey breast, then burn off the calories exercising with celebrity trainer Derek Degrazio or plan for some kayaking, snorkeling or windsurfing.

Williamsburg, Virginia

For Thanksgiving, enjoy a three-course meal in a historic venue such as Shields Tavern or King’s Arm Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg. Then enjoy the annual three-day Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia at the nearby Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center. You may also want to explore Christmas Town at the Busch Gardens theme park.

Breckenridge, Colorado

Ski season kicks off early here, and lift tickets are a bargain this month. Go skiing on Thanksgiving before diving into a traditional feast at one of several restaurants around town. Not a skier? Try zip-lining, an underground gold-mine tour, or a carriage ride through the historic downtown area.

Phoenix, Arizona

Take in some 4 million twinkling lights and 700 displays that make up ZooLights at the Phoenix Zoo. Or head to the Arizona International Auto Show to get a look at the latest models. (Kids get in free on Sunday.) This may be the desert, but you can still ice-skate outdoors at the Wigwam resort and enjoy nature walks, water slides and golf before settling in with s’mores around the fire pit.

Orlando, Florida

Universal Orlando Resort has teamed up with Give Kids the World, a nonprofit that provides vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses. Book a three-night getaway through the end of the year that includes the price of the hotel and park tickets as well as early admission to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction.

Also of Interest

• Two ways to cruise the Panama Canal
• An Atlantic crossing on the 'Queen Mary 2'
• A bucket-list cruise in the Galápagos