8 Fantastic Thanksgiving Getaways the Whole Family Will Love

Have a “home on the range” Thanksgiving in Waco at this super chic updated barn, Fixer Uppers Barndominium Available to Enjoy. This sprawling farmhouse is perfect for kids, with multiple bunk beds and lots of outdoor play space. Plus, there are five bedrooms and space for 20, so all the relatives can come for an old-fashioned holiday on the farm. There’s even a kitchen spacious enough for everyone to cook together at the same time and not bump elbows.

For lovers of house reno shows, the town of Waco, TX, near Dallas, has become a kind of pilgrimage site as the home base of Chip and Joanna Gaines of the popular HGTV show Fixer Upper. Even better than a visit to their Magnolia Market home store at the Silos is staying in one of the family-friendly homes, and Barndominium is one of the best known and largest of their TV endeavors.

Nestled on more than 16 private acres of oak tree and wildflower covered fields, staying here gives you exclusive access to both a private pond and a lake for fishing and boating. The outdoor area also offers hammocks, yard games such as croquet and corn hole, fire pits, and a full outdoor kitchen with gas grill, so you can cook up an outdoor turkey dinner for the holiday.

New England charm, views of towering Mount Mansfield, and vibrant fall foliage all set the scene for a picturesque family Thanksgiving at Topnotch Resort located in Stowe, Vermont. Stowe is often called “Fall’s Color Capital,” and trees bursting with yellow, red, orange, and brown leaves create the perfect backdrop for family outdoor activities, such as hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, fishing, or paddling.

Topnotch makes a great base for a New England extended family Thanksgiving retreat, with two- and three-bedroom resort homes that offer plenty of space and privacy – always important when you’re traveling with children. The private homes have large decks and outdoor space, so you can easily enjoy all the views. Plus, real kitchens mean you can makes snacks (including Thanksgiving leftovers) in the middle of the night.

On-property diversions range from horseback riding on the resorts’ 120 acres of grounds, to horse drawn carriage rides, splashing it up at the indoor and outdoor pools, and tennis lessons at the Topnotch Tennis Academy. After building up an appetite in the fall air, enjoy a family-style Thanksgiving feast at Flannel, which offers contemporary cuisine along with some of the best views of Mount Mansfield in all of Stowe.

A plain motel exterior hides a whimsical world of themed multi-bedroom suites and Tower Cottages at The Roxbury, sure to delight kids of any age (and most adults, too).

Families can unwind in their own thematically-designed cottages. Cinderella’s Gown welcomes guests with an 18-foot ball gown doubling as a bedroom canopy and an enormous pumpkin morphing into a golden-carriage style bathroom, while the Faerie Forest features floor-to-ceiling trees, rock ledges ascending the walls, and deep blue morning “sky”.

Enjoy it all while sipping complimentary steaming mugs of white chocolate cocoa for the kids and chilled champagne for the adults.

The property will book the ultimate in innovative Thanksgiving dinners for guests at Peekamoose Restaurant. After dining, families can embrace quality time together in the great outdoors with a hike through the nearby Plattekill State Forest, spanning over 1,700 acres of wildlife, or with a stroll along the Roxbury’s waterfall trail.

The South Carolina coast is a sunny vacation magnet for the Thanksgiving holiday, and there’s no better spot for a family get together on the warm Atlantic oceanfront than the 10 miles of pristine beaches along Kiawah Island.

The Kiawah Island Golf Resort offers a wide range of activities to keep kids and grownups entertained at Thanksgiving, from the annual Turkey Trot and a family sand sculpting competition, to a turkey scavenger hunt and a movie in the park. Of course, the main event is the feast itself, and you and the fam can enjoy a four-course family-style Thanksgiving meal at Jasmine Porch, with Lowcountry favorites like hushpuppies and crab cakes in addition to a full turkey dinner.

Of course you can also choose to cook a dinner yourself in the Kiawah Premier Villa Steps from the Ocean, a two bedroom and two bath villa with ample space for a family, including a gourmet kitchen. The villa is in a lush, peaceful wooded area, but just a short walk to the golden sand. Staying here gives you access to all the resort amenities, including the beach club and outdoor pool with water slides.

As they say in the Big Easy, “laissez les bon temps rouler” (let the good times roll!). This could be the motto at the Magazine Mansion, a stylish getaway that puts families in the heart of New Orleans. The unique home is comprised of five luxury units under one roof, all with private entrances and granite counter kitchens. The units share a common backyard with jacuzzi, swings, and BBQ for the ultimate extended family getaway that ensures R&R time at the end of the day.

New Orleans is a city known for its decadent dining options and with a home to call your own while you’re visiting, you can have the foodie highlights of the city brought right to your doorstep. For a Thanksgiving dinner centerpiece, consider a turducken from the Cajun Grocer. Round things out with a Southern dessert from Willa Jean, such as the signature pecan chocolate bourbon pie. You’ll be happy your bedroom is nearby when you’re done with that feast, but be sure to leave time to explore the scenic neighborhoods of New Orleans, including the playgrounds and swan boats at City Park and the historic French Quarter, including Jackson Square.

For stunning scenery, it’s hard to beat the soaring Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona. After a day of hiking or biking on Sedona’s 200 miles of trails, families can unwind at the pool at the expansive Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock.

Even basic rooms here come with a slew of family-centric extras, such as gas fireplaces, wet bars with microwaves, and private patios. Suites, including two-bedroom options, amp up the space with dining tables and living rooms.

Best of all, you can bring your family pet along for the holiday getaway – the Hilton Sedona Resort is one of the most dog-friendly resorts in the country, offering everything from special pet spa treatments to gourmet dog menus.

The resort does up Thanksgiving dinner with a bountiful buffet, featuring special action stations, traditional fall favorites, and a variety of delectable seasonal desserts. You don’t need to wait until a holiday to fire up the fireside s’mores and listen to live music on the Porch in the evenings at ShadowRock Tap + Table. Cocktails are a specialty here, and there’s even a special “red whine” for dogs (a blend of chicken and beef broth, cranberry juice, and H20).

It will be a white Thanksgiving when you try out early season skiing in Park City. The ski season under the bluebird Utah skies starts the third week of November, and even if there isn’t the real white stuff yet, there will at least be manmade snow in time for turkey day. For families, the luxurious Waldorf Astoria Park City offers ski lessons geared to every age.

If you’re not a downhill kind of group, you can immerse yourselves in the early preview of winter weather with dog sledding or horse-drawn sleigh rides, lace up your skates for a whirl around the ice skating rink at Olympic Park, or maybe even make a snowman or snow angel or two (followed, of course, by some hot cocoa).

Warm up back in the multi-bedroom suites at the Waldorf, where the luxe hideaways offer marble kitchens with top-of-the-line Viking appliances for holiday cooking, and fireplaces to warm your toes while you gaze at the snow capped peaks out the window.

For the holiday, the hotel’s special Thanksgiving prix fixe menu features elevated twists on traditional favorites, including sweet potato gnocchi with sage, brown butter, and candied pecans.

Want a cozier holiday dinner without doing the cooking? The Waldorf can deliver a feast to enjoy in the comfort of your suite. Fun fact: the Waldorf Astoria in NYC actually invented room service, so they’re the pros at delivering delicious food. Not only will dinner include all of the offerings from the restaurant, but there will also be seasonal cocktail kits to mix up in your room after the kids turn in for the evening. On the practical side, if you have picky eaters, you can even order up a grilled cheese for the festive meal.

Prefer warm weather to cold snow? Then spend the holiday in the California desert at The Inn at Death Valley. The historic hotel has access to Death Valley National Park—-the lowest, largest, and warmest park in the country. It’s wonderfully temperate in November, with an average high of 77, and rain is rare.

Explore the otherworldly desert terrain, or play a round on the golf course, the lowest greens on earth. The humidity free desert is also a great outdoor destination for biking, horseback riding, and Jeep tours. Plus, it’s one of the only sanctioned Dark Skies areas in the U.S. – at night you can see the Milky Way with the naked eye.

Nestled into the mountainside, the Inn at Death Valley has new family-friendly two-bedroom casitas with private patios shaded by date palms. Casitas come with golf carts so you can explore the oasis-like resort grounds with ease, including the opulent gardens and spring-fed pool.

The kids will probably want to hang out in the water and at the pool café, but see if you can rally them to The Last Kind Words Saloon, a Wild West-themed restaurant that lets you step back in time for a taste of the frontier – a special taste of Americana for a Thanksgiving dinner.