Thanksgiving isn’t just at Grandma’s house anymore. These days, there are lots of possibilities, and a little surfing on the Web will help you pick one that suits your fancy.
www.plimoth.org/visit/calendar
For example, do you want something with a traditional, historic slant? Go to November on the calendar at Plimoth Plantation and check out the events during Thanksgiving week at this recreation of the Pilgrims’ settlement.
Plimoth Plantation is at Plymouth, Mass., 40 miles southeast of Boston, another holiday weekend possibility with a touch of history and tradition. Click on “Holiday Season Events &Packages” on the right side of the page for hotels’ Thanksgiving menus and price packages, plus holiday events over the next several weeks including the Boston Symphony’s Holiday Pops season.
www.macys.com/campaign/parade/parade.jsp
Like your Thanksgiving tradition with a little less history and more fun for the kids? Join the crowds on Broadway for the Macy’s Parade, the annual extravaganza of big helium-filled balloons in the heart of New York City. There’s a sweepstakes you can enter for a free trip package, and you’ll need to check “Parade Information” for details on viewing locations and parade history.
Unless you’re making the parade a day trip from nearby, you’ll need to visit the city’s official NYC &Company for help finding a hotel room and looking up other things to see and do. Try the calendar of events menu to search for holiday events in Manhattan, and drop by “Visitors” to learn about some of the highlights of shopping, Broadway shows and other things to do with your time.
www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors
Don’t want to go to the Northeast? Texans throw a mighty big party with the Holiday Parade in Houston featuring bands, hot-air balloons and cheerleaders. The city’s tourism Web guide promises “A Shopper’s Paradise” and can direct you to attractions including the downtown Bayou Place. And don’t forget to look at the calendar for events including concerts, art shows, and events such as the Home for the Holidays celebration at Old Town Spring, just 25 miles north of Houston.
www.sandiego.org/event/Visitors/42
Instead of overeating, head for California and give your ears a treat at the San Diego Thanksgiving Dixieland Jazz Festival, which promises more than 25 bands. Stay on that page, provided by the city’s Convention &Visitors Bureau, to consider hotel packages, and then look for the link to the festival’s own Web site.
www.visitoldcity.com/events/nights_of_lights.htm
Get a visual treat to celebrate Thanksgiving in the nation’s oldest city built by Europeans, St. Augustine, Fla., where the Nights of Lights festival lights up the historic district on Matanzas Bay from Nov. 18 to Jan. 31. Look over the “Getaway Package” offers and click on the “Getaway 4 Florida” link for more details on the area.
Roger Petterson, Associated Press
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