Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving in 2026

Nov 11, 2025

Adam McCann, WalletHub Financial Writer

Nov 11, 2025WalletHub Financial Writer

Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving is one of America’s most beloved holidays, giving families a chance to share a meal together and reflect on all the things for which they are grateful. But even though Thanksgiving is centered on family and gratefulness, it’s still become a highly commercialized holiday. For example, consumers spent $235 per person on gifts during the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday last year.

To help Americans find the best places for gobbling up the Thanksgiving festivities, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities based on 18 key metrics. Our data set ranges from the cost of Thanksgiving dinner and share of delayed flights to volunteer opportunities per capita and forecasted precipitation.

For fun and interesting facts about Turkey Day, check out WalletHub’s Thanksgiving Fun Facts Infographic.

Top 5 Places to Go for Thanksgiving

San Antonio, TX
Atlanta, GA
Virginia Beach, VA
Dallas, TX
Scottsdale, AZ

“The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history. Other features make individual cities stand out; for example, San Antonio has great weather, Atlanta has a fantastic track record for on-time flights and Virginia Beach has surprisingly affordable accommodations.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

Table of Contents

Main Findings

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Best Cities for Thanksgiving

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Celebrations & Traditions Rank	Affordability Rank	Safety & Accessibility Rank	Giving Thanks Rank	Weather Forecast Rank
1	San Antonio, TX	65.70	9	4	58	71	2
2	Atlanta, GA	63.60	1	26	73	5	89
3	Virginia Beach, VA	63.49	48	6	7	25	8
4	Dallas, TX	62.32	2	28	96	33	9
5	Scottsdale, AZ	61.70	15	35	25	1	89
6	Irving, TX	61.52	59	12	36	8	6
7	Plano, TX	60.96	78	11	8	7	23
8	Louisville, KY	60.77	13	25	83	44	9
9	Las Vegas, NV	60.47	3	68	42	37	74
10	Chesapeake, VA	60.10	61	39	2	22	14
11	Corpus Christi, TX	59.28	99	8	43	94	4
12	Houston, TX	59.26	8	23	97	34	19
13	Tulsa, OK	58.88	43	3	55	26	31
14	Cincinnati, OH	58.75	31	38	63	15	16
15	Washington, DC	58.66	22	60	49	3	51
16	Austin, TX	58.52	32	7	40	70	4
17	San Diego, CA	57.67	5	81	50	52	35
18	Boston, MA	57.13	25	73	33	38	44
19	New York, NY	57.07	4	89	28	65	53
20	Miami, FL	57.00	6	84	66	40	33
21	Garland, TX	56.75	84	10	39	11	23
22	Pittsburgh, PA	56.62	46	27	13	9	25
23	San Jose, CA	56.52	10	90	24	39	37
24	St. Louis, MO	56.46	34	34	70	10	34
25	Gilbert, AZ	55.86	26	57	6	20	75
26	Los Angeles, CA	55.71	7	83	67	49	37
27	St. Paul, MN	55.44	74	65	32	4	71
28	Chandler, AZ	55.36	24	56	16	27	72
29	Tampa, FL	55.18	20	76	27	21	63
30	Orlando, FL	55.07	18	30	65	47	69
31	Oklahoma City, OK	54.95	45	2	35	74	13
32	Baltimore, MD	54.93	40	48	62	2	51
33	Phoenix, AZ	54.47	11	52	76	36	99
34	Charlotte, NC	54.40	17	33	38	66	92
35	Portland, OR	54.35	12	71	84	13	83
36	Philadelphia, PA	54.31	27	61	68	31	35
37	Lubbock, TX	54.02	29	88	20	85	2
38	Columbus, OH	53.86	67	24	23	75	20
39	Jersey City, NJ	53.46	80	78	11	56	53
40	Sacramento, CA	53.01	14	77	69	83	46
41	Arlington, TX	52.91	70	36	74	23	9
42	Norfolk, VA	52.85	95	39	44	18	14
43	Indianapolis, IN	52.75	53	22	53	30	9
44	Tucson, AZ	52.69	16	59	64	54	100
45	Fort Wayne, IN	52.37	91	18	1	57	21
46	Denver, CO	51.98	19	47	79	29	91
47	Chicago, IL	51.88	21	62	47	62	82
48	Omaha, NE	51.68	37	13	18	88	83
49	Boise, ID	50.81	38	50	3	72	97
50	Fort Worth, TX	50.80	62	29	61	50	7
51	Colorado Springs, CO	50.69	33	43	21	77	96
52	Madison, WI	50.54	93	15	9	80	83
53	Buffalo, NY	50.50	73	17	31	91	45
54	Lexington-Fayette, KY	50.48	54	45	34	86	17
55	Raleigh, NC	49.95	44	49	30	43	63
56	Birmingham, AL	49.55	36	16	95	35	79
57	Irvine, CA	49.50	64	79	14	41	59
58	Mesa, AZ	49.38	54	66	29	46	73
59	Seattle, WA	49.33	28	85	59	6	94
60	Detroit, MI	49.32	56	37	88	61	22
61	Greensboro, NC	49.24	47	9	48	63	83
62	Wichita, KS	49.11	98	5	86	60	29
63	Minneapolis, MN	48.56	65	53	60	14	81
64	Glendale, AZ	48.20	57	57	81	12	75
65	North Las Vegas, NV	48.11	30	95	4	79	77
66	Aurora, CO	47.95	50	54	51	48	80
67	Baton Rouge, LA	47.94	92	1	77	82	62
68	Milwaukee, WI	47.82	83	46	90	32	95
69	Reno, NV	47.51	60	32	41	78	61
70	Kansas City, MO	47.48	52	14	98	17	32
71	Toledo, OH	47.19	86	20	89	90	30
72	Jacksonville, FL	46.23	39	42	56	93	63
73	Laredo, TX	46.15	94	82	12	100	1
74	Bakersfield, CA	46.10	41	64	54	97	46
75	Anaheim, CA	45.87	68	74	26	55	46
76	Henderson, NV	45.64	58	69	10	76	67
77	El Paso, TX	45.44	49	19	57	92	83
78	San Francisco, CA	45.39	23	94	99	16	37
79	New Orleans, LA	45.26	66	41	92	73	58
80	Cleveland, OH	44.96	77	51	82	42	27
81	St. Petersburg, FL	44.75	63	70	37	45	63
82	Winston-Salem, NC	44.38	81	31	19	68	88
83	Durham, NC	44.32	90	55	45	51	56
84	Santa Ana, CA	43.77	82	74	46	53	37
85	Chula Vista, CA	43.19	76	80	22	69	56
86	Fresno, CA	42.94	42	63	80	96	69
87	Long Beach, CA	41.86	75	86	52	59	37
88	Nashville, TN	41.41	79	44	85	67	68
89	Oakland, CA	41.22	89	87	94	19	37
90	Newark, NJ	41.12	96	72	91	57	53
91	Honolulu, HI	40.94	35	98	17	98	78
92	San Bernardino, CA	40.84	100	92	75	81	46
93	Riverside, CA	40.80	51	93	71	84	37
94	Memphis, TN	40.21	72	67	100	28	28
95	Lincoln, NE	39.24	69	99	5	89	97
96	Fremont, CA	38.81	71	96	78	24	46
97	Albuquerque, NM	38.61	85	21	93	87	92
98	Anchorage, AK	37.39	88	97	72	95	18
99	Hialeah, FL	36.62	97	100	15	64	26
100	Stockton, CA	35.63	87	91	87	99	59

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Cost of Thanksgiving Dinner

Lowest

Lowest
1. Laredo, TX
2. Corpus Christi, TX
3. San Antonio, TX
4. Wichita, KS
5. Oklahoma City, OK

Highest

Highest
96. Oakland, CA
97. Fremont, CA
T-98. San Francisco, CA
T-98. Anchorage, AK
T-98. Honolulu, HI

Number of Pumpkin Patches per Capita

Highest

Highest
T-1. Portland, OR
T-1. Miami, FL
T-1. Gilbert, AZ
4. Tucson, AZ
5. Chandler, AZ

Lowest

Lowest
52. Seattle, WA
53. Indianapolis, IN
54. Fort Worth, TX
55. Jacksonville, FL
56. New York, NY

Number of Holiday Decorations Shops per Capita

Highest

Highest
T-1. Louisville, KY
T-1. Orlando, FL
T-1. Las Vegas, NV
T-1. Tampa, FL
T-1. Scottsdale, AZ

Lowest

Lowest
86. Newark, NJ
87. Cleveland, OH
88. Wichita, KS
89. Minneapolis, MN
90. Columbus, OH

Giving Ratio

Highest

Highest
1. Tulsa, OK
2. Fort Wayne, IN
3. Birmingham, AL
4. Wichita, KS
5. Winston-Salem, NC

Lowest

Lowest
T-96. New York, NY
T-96. Newark, NJ
T-96. Jersey City, NJ
99. Honolulu, HI
100. Laredo, TX

Total Volunteer Hours per Residents Age 16 and Over

Most

Most
T-1. Baltimore, MD
T-1. Portland, OR
T-1. Milwaukee, WI
T-1. Chesapeake, VA
T-1. Virginia Beach, VA

Fewest

Fewest
T-69. New York, NY
T-69. Newark, NJ
T-69. Jersey City, NJ
T-72. Miami, FL
T-72. Hialeah, FL
74. Jacksonville, FL

Weather Forecast

Best

Best
1. Laredo, TX
T-2. San Antonio, TX
T-2. Lubbock, TX
T-4. Austin, TX
T-4. Corpus Christi, TX

Worst

Worst
96. Colorado Springs, CO
T-97. Lincoln, NE
T-97. Boise, ID
99. Phoenix, AZ
100. Tucson, AZ

In-Depth Look at the Top Thanksgiving Cities

San Antonio, TX

San Antonio is the best place to go for Thanksgiving this year, and it’s an especially good place for people who want to dine out, with an extremely high number of restaurants rated at least 4.5 stars. San Antonio also helps make things festive with an abundance of pumpkin patches and holiday decoration shops.

In addition, San Antonio residents get very excited about Thanksgiving, searching Google for terms related to the holiday more than people in most other cities. And if you’re looking to celebrate Thanksgiving on a budget before diving into the shopping weekend, San Antonio offers the third-cheapest Thanksgiving dinner in the country.

Finally, San Antonio is only forecasted to have a 1% chance of precipitation during Thanksgiving, giving an even better atmosphere to the holiday.

Atlanta, GA

Atlanta ranks as the second-best place for Thanksgiving, with an especially large number of holiday decoration stores and highly-rated restaurants per capita. Atlanta residents also show a lot of interest in celebrating the holiday, based on their Google searches.

One of the biggest stressors when traveling for a holiday is whether your flights will be on time, and Atlanta has a great track record. Only 12% of flights arriving to or departing from Atlanta were delayed last November, the 11th-lowest percentage in the country.

In addition, Atlanta ranks among the top cities for the number of charities per capita, and its residents give around 5.3% of their income to charity, on average, the 22nd-highest percentage in the U.S. As we reflect on what we’re thankful for, it’s also a great time to help those who are less fortunate.

Virginia Beach, VA

Virginia Beach is the third-best place for Thanksgiving this year, and has surprisingly affordable accommodations for a big city. The lowest price for a 3-star hotel room in Virginia Beach on Thanksgiving is just $41, the second-cheapest in the country. Of course, not all hotels will be that inexpensive, but there are options for budget-conscious travelers.

Virginia Beach shines during the holiday season as it boasts an abundance of 4.5-star or higher restaurants if you don’t feel like cooking. Beyond the table, the city has the 3rd-lowest crime rate in the nation, along with some of the most generous residents nearly 5.8% of income goes to charity, ranking 15th overall. To top things off, the city has one of the highest volunteer rates in the country, making it a truly giving community in every sense.

Ask the Experts

The Thanksgiving holiday is a great opportunity for making memories with family and friends, but it requires a lot of planning and budgeting to go smoothly. For more insight on the holiday, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts. You can click on the experts below to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:

What money-saving tips do you have for people planning to travel for Thanksgiving?
When evaluating the best cities for Thanksgiving celebrations, what are the top five indicators?
What tips do you have for celebrating Thanksgiving on a budget?
What are some of the big money wasters on Thanksgiving?
Has Thanksgiving become too commercialized in recent years?

Ask the Experts

Kerri Camp
Ph.D., Professor of Marketing and Coordinator, Master of Science in Marketing Insights, Soules College of Business - University of Texas at Tyler
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Stephen M. Rapier
Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Marketing, Graziadio Business School - Pepperdine University
Read More

John Gaski
Professor Emeritus of Marketing, Mendoza College of Business – University of Notre Dame
Read More

Elisabeth Honka
Associate Professor of Marketing, Anderson School of Management – University of California, Los Angeles
Read More

Dominique Braxton
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of Marketing – Loyola Marymount University - College of Business Administration
Read More

Charles Richardson
Professor of Marketing – Alabama A&M University
Read More

More Experts

Methodology

In order to determine the best places to go for Thanksgiving, WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. cities across five key dimensions: 1) Thanksgiving Celebrations & Traditions, 2) Affordability, 3) Safety & Accessibility, 4) Giving Thanks and 5) Thanksgiving Weather Forecast.

We evaluated those dimensions using 18 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for a Thanksgiving celebration. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), we calculated the population size using the square root of the population in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. In determining our sample, we considered only the “city proper” in each case and excluded cities in the surrounding metro area.

Thanksgiving Celebrations & Traditions – Total Points: 30

Pumpkin Patches per Capita*: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
Google Search Interest for Thanksgiving Celebrations: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
Note: This metric measures the real intent of the population to find information during the month of November about “Thanksgiving activities”, “Thanksgiving dinner”, “Thanksgiving traditions”, “Thanksgiving holiday”, and “Thanksgiving parade”.
Holiday Decoration Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)

Affordability – Total Points: 25

Cost of Thanksgiving Dinner: Double Weight (~10.00 Points)
Prevalence of Affordable Restaurants with Ratings of 4.5+ Stars: Double Weight (~10.00 Points)
Lowest Price for Three-Star Hotel Room for a Thanksgiving Holiday: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)

Safety & Accessibility – Total Points: 20

Crime Rate: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
Perception of Safety (Safety walking alone during daylight/night): Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Note: These data are based on perceptions of visitors of Numbeo website in the past 3 years. If the value is 0, it means it is perceived as very low, and if the value is 100, it means it is perceived as very high.
Pedestrian Fatalities per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
DUI-Related Fatalities in Motor Vehicle Crashes around Thanksgiving per Capita: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
Share of Delayed Flights near Thanksgiving Holiday: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Traffic Congestion: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

Giving Thanks – Total Points: 15

Volunteer Opportunities per Capita: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)
Note: This metric measures the number of volunteer opportunities per 100,000 residents aged 16 and older.
Volunteer Hours per Capita: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)
Note: This metric measures the number of volunteer hours per 100,000 residents aged 16 and older.
Charity Organizations per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)
Share of Income Donated to Charity: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)

Thanksgiving Weather Forecast – Total Points: 10

Thanksgiving Temperature vs. Average Temperature: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Forecasted Thanksgiving Precipitation: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of October 14, 2025 from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Council for Community and Economic Research, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, AmeriCorps, Google Ads, Yelp, Kayak, Numbeo, VolunteerMatch, Charity Navigator, Internal Revenue Service, Farm Bureau and AccuWeather.

Supporting Video Files:

Questions & Answers

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Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving (2026)

Main Findings

Best Cities for Thanksgiving

In-Depth Look at the Top Thanksgiving Cities

San Antonio, TX

Atlanta, GA

Virginia Beach, VA

Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

Methodology

Thanksgiving Celebrations & Traditions – Total Points: 30

Affordability – Total Points: 25

Safety & Accessibility – Total Points: 20

Giving Thanks – Total Points: 15

Thanksgiving Weather Forecast – Total Points: 10

Supporting Video Files:

Questions & Answers

Important Disclosures