Thanksgiving Travel Destinations

I have often thought of ditching some of the traditions associated with Thanksgiving. In lieu of spending the  day slaving away in the kitchen to prepare a delicious high calorie meal to be enjoyed by 2, I would love to take a mini vacation and let someone else worry about the cooking for a change.

Here are the top 3 places I would choose to escape to if I could go anywhere to celebrate

Thanksgiving in the United States this year. 

1. This is a no brainer- New York City! I would love to finally see the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade in person. I would also like to dress up and head out for Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings at one of the city’s top restaurants such as Craft New York. Let’s not forget this is the city never sleeps. That means there will be a plethora of patisseries such as the Lafayette Grand Cafe & Bakery and Dominique Ansel Bakery open long enough for us to grab some delicious pastries before hopping on the subway and making my way to the SoHo boutiques for a little late night shopping  to work off all those calories. Hey if the city doesn’t sleep then why should we?

Photo credit: TripAdvisor

2. The Smoky mountains of Tennessee – Gatlinburg, TN to be exact. This travel destination would be great for families and couples who would still like to cook and gather together for a traditional Thanksgiving meal in a different location. I would check into a beautiful cabin in the area and get lost in the beauty of nature. The color of changing leaves, the feel of the brisk Autumn air, and the smell and taste of some good ole Southern soul food would be tantalizing to my senses. My goal is to get away from cooking altogether on Thanksgiving so I would opt to go somewhere like the Seasons of Ober at Ober Gatlinburg for a delicious home cooked meal. The menu sounds divine and the price of this dinner can not be beat at less than $20 per person. After dinner, we could head to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN for some fun. It’s important to start working off those calories before the tryptophan from the turkey starts to set in otherwise it’s a one way trip to a food induced coma for me.

3. San Francisco & Napa Valley, CA. If you are chasing the perfect Thanksgiving dinner, I think it can be found in the bay area. The Food Network and Food & Wine magazine were actually the inspiration behind me choosing these 2 travel destinations. They are approximately 1 hr apart which means you could easily choose to visit one or both locations in the same day! There are many award-winning chefs and restaurants in the area. This means that you are bound to stumble upon a delicious Thanksgiving meal somewhere in the city or the countryside. Besides the food, you could take a train through the wine country and enjoy the beauty of nature. You could also enjoy some premier wines if you are into that. In San Francisco, you could take a Bridge to Bridge cruise on the Bay, enjoy some shopping in Ghirardelli Square or Union Square, or even take a waterfront segway tour with the Electric Tour Company before dinner.

The possibilities are endless! Where would you choose to go? Let me know in the comments below.

Don’t forget guys there is $150 dollars still up for grabs. Head on over and play the Creativity Arise Social Media Scavenger Hunt. Winner will be announced on Black Friday so make sure you enter for a chance to win today! Details found here.