A Big Apple Thanksgiving is a bucket-list trip worth taking — once. If you’ve been there, done that, and had your fill of Broadway crowds for years to come, try one of our startling Turkey Day alternatives.
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Oenophiles should head to Oregon’s Willamette Valley for the 30th anniversary of the pinot-rich area’s Wine Country Thanksgiving Weekend. From November 23 to 25, more than 150 wineries will welcome visitors with tastings, nibbles and live music. Check into The Allison Inn & Spa and enjoy a farm-fresh Thanksgiving feast at JORY at The Allison Inn.
San Antonio, Texas
To skip New York without forgoing floats entirely, attend the sparkling Holiday River Parade in San Antonio. Under the glow of 1.4 million lights, a flotilla of characters will mosey down the San Antonio River the day after Thanksgiving — leaving Thursday open for the elegant holiday buffet at Ostra in the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Mokara Hotel & Spa.
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Beach lovers, consider Hilton Head; with summer throngs long gone but 70-degree days hanging around, Thanksgiving is lovely in South Carolina’s Low Country. Stay at the Four-Star Inn at Harbour Town and enjoy a scavenger hunt, wagon hay rides, tennis lessons from former U.S. Open champ Stan Smith and an all-day buffet at Topside Waterfront Restaurant that pairs turkey with shrimp and grits. And don’t forget Harbour Town’s tree lighting on Friday.
Photo Courtesy of The Allison Inn and Spa
