The Best US Cities To Visit for Thanksgiving

Personal finance website WalletHub recently compared the 100 largest U.S. cities based on 20 key metrics of a fun and affordable Thanksgiving getaway. Researchers looked at factors such as the cost of Thanksgiving dinner, the share of delayed flights, volunteer opportunities per capita and forecasted precipitation to determine the best cities overall. However, the category carrying the most weight was Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions (30 out of 100 points). This category looked at metrics such as Thanksgiving events and pumpkin patches per capita as well as Google search interest for Thanksgiving celebrations and holiday decoration shops per capita. Here are the 10 cities that fared the best in this category, offering travelers the most in terms of holiday festivities and traditions this Thanksgiving.

Despite ranking 55th overall, New Orleans rounds out the top 10 best cities in terms of Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions this fall. The Big Easy, a renowned party destination, obviously offers visitors plenty of fun and holiday spirit in 2022.

Seattle ranks ninth for holiday celebrations and traditions and 20th overall. It also ranks fifth nationwide for giving thanks, a category that considers volunteer opportunities, volunteer hours and charity organizations per capita as well as the share of income donated to charity.

Milwaukee is certainly one of the nation's best cities when it comes to Thanksgiving festivities but the city also excels at the act of giving thanks. After all, the Cream City ranks third in the U.S. in terms of total volunteer hours per residents age 16 and over, trailing only Baltimore and Portland, Oregon.

Chilly Buffalo not only ranks seventh for Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions but 15th for affordability, making it an easy choice for travelers on a tight budget this holiday season. Sports-loving visitors can even cheer on the home team Bills on Thanksgiving Day.

Despite its last-place ranking for safety and accessibility, Birmingham ranks sixth for Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions and 16th for affordability, joining Buffalo among the most wallet-friendly Turkey Day destinations this year.

One of two Florida cities in the top 10 this year, Tampa ranks fifth for Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions this year and sixth overall, shooting to the top on the strength of its widely available and accessible Thanksgiving events and holiday season decoration shops.

While Miami ranks fourth nationwide in terms of Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions, it ranks 10th overall when taking all of WalletHub's research into account. Where the Magic City shines are its plentiful pumpkin patches and Thanksgiving-related events as it is tied for the most per capita in both categories.

Perhaps surprisingly, Las Vegas is tied for the highest number of pumpkin patches and holiday decoration shops per capita when it comes to the 100 cities that WalletHub analyzed. Ultimately, that helps the Entertainment Capital of the World to a third-place ranking for Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions and a third-place finish overall.

An iconic family-friendly destination, Orlando is one of only two U.S. cities to crack an overall WalletHub score of 70 out of 100. The Theme Park Capital of the World is tied for the highest number of Thanksgiving events and the highest number of holiday decoration shops per capita but also ranks inside the top 30 in terms of affordability and ranks a solid 16th in terms of the holiday weather forecast.

Atlanta ranks first overall in WalletHub's 2022 study and also first in the all-important category of Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions. Like Orlando, the ATL is tied for the highest number of Thanksgiving events and the highest number of holiday decoration shops per capita. What's more, its nation-best overall score of 72.26 is aided by its second-place finish for giving thanks and 20th-place ranking for affordability.