Posted on
November 19, 2025
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Trip Ideas
Not only do you have a four-day weekend coming up, your family and friends do, too. Take advantage of the effortlessly coordinated vacation days and steal away, if only for a few hours. Here are six suggestions from IgoUgo members.
The City Break: New York
New York City is an obvious holiday destination for a reason: nowhere else will you find such tremendous energy or such a large tree. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off the season, and rickhowe and family helped kick off the parade as balloon handlers. If you’re up for leading a “sort of spastic chicken dance” as millions of people shout, "Chicken LITTLE Chicken LITTLE," you may want to find out more.
The Charming Throwback: Charlottesville, VA
Charlottesville’s collegiate commitment to tradition shows itself in the annual Blessing of the Hounds on Thanksgiving morning. Local expert tachi puts the event in her Charlottesville top 10 and recommends getting there early to watch a “ceremony rich in history” that is “taken quite seriously.” She says, “If you are in the area for Thanksgiving, this is a must-do.”
The Island Escape: St. Maarten
New Englander nancybruce5 and her husband love “watching St. Maarten prepare for Christmas” so much that they own a timeshare there for the weeks from Thanksgiving to Christmas. They recommend Lee’s Roadside Grill for a Thanksgiving dinner of mahi-mahi, snapper, tuna, and lobsters prepared on an “outdoor fire grill.” There’s entertainment, too, though they say that "it was funny listening to a steel band do Christmas carols.”
The Shopping Trip: Hershey, PA
Fall and winter are favorite seasons for Hershey weekends, from leaf peeping to holiday-light peeping. The Christmas in Hershey program, celebrating its 25th year, has already begun, and Laura Z recommends the Hershey Sweet Lights drive portion for “miles and miles of displays.” But the real draws on Thanksgiving are the Midnight Madness sales at the Outlets at Hershey, which can even net you a free Christmas tree.
The Ski Preview: Lake Tahoe, CA
Thanksgiving is the traditional opening day for Lake Tahoe ski resorts, though some slopes open before or after, depending on the weather. Shari Lynne found Turkey Day a great time to go, saying, "This was a nice weekend to kick off the holiday season! Holiday cheer was in the decor, music, and (lots of) snow!” You can also have as much holiday food as PRINSEWING did by renting a condo and preparing your Thanksgiving meal there.
The Family Reunion: Hayward, WI
Thanks to his entire family bunking at Spider Lake Lodge, SFPhotocraft describes Thanksgiving 2004 as the “Thanksgiving that felt like a Hallmark card come to life.” Drivable from Minneapolis or Chicago but “a world away,” the Spider Lake area is full of picture-perfect Midwest cabins. Make sure to stop at Tremblay’s Sweet Shop to stock up on post-turkey treats; MCJ graduate “highly recommends it for your sweet tooth.”