7 Unique Ways To Spend Thanksgiving with Friends This Fall
This Thanksgiving, welcome the season of changing leaves and heartfelt gratitude with those who have cheered you on at your best ... and held your hand during your worst: your friends. Life wouldn’t be the same without meaningful friendships. After all, who else could we count on to keep our secrets, give us advice, and travel around the world with us? Here are seven unique ways you can spice up your Friendsgiving celebration this year.
1. For the foodie friend: Take a city-wide food tour
Nothing says Thanksgiving quite like eating your body weight in snacks.
Thanksgiving is all about gathering around a table of hearty food and letting the good times roll. But, this year, consider switching things up by going on a food tour instead. This way, you’ll be able to experience the city around you, learn about new eateries, and sample a bit of everything all at once. Large cities like Los Angeles and New York City that are famously associated with eclectic and adventurous restaurants and popular food trends make excellent locations for food tours ... but you can pretty much find one wherever you are in the country.
2. For the boujee friend: Enjoy dinner on a steamboat
Tuck into a fancy Thanksgiving dinner, without the hassle of washing dishes.
Let someone else do the cooking while you and your friends kick back and relax on a steamboat, taking Instagram-worthy pictures and admiring the fall views. When opting for dinner on a steamboat, you can sip Champagne and experience fine dining ... with no dirty dishes afterward. New Orleans is the ideal place to start your steamboat search too, as the city offers a unique steamboat cruise with a buffet-style dinner, live jazz music, and the option to have a personal VIP host who will cater to you and your friends all night. Chin chin!
3. For the “always Halloween” friend: Opt for a ghost tour
Does spooky season ever end? We say no.
There’s no reason to end the spooky festivities on October 31—and Thanksgiving is only a month after Halloween anyway. After all, being frightened together helps people bond. Savannah, Georgia—quite possibly one of the most haunted cities in the US—is the perfect destination for a supernatural getaway. You can tour some of the city's most haunted locations and hear the spine-chilling stories that make them so eerie. It will definitely beat having a scary movie marathon on the couch after a Friendsgiving potluck.
4. For the active friend: Get your Segway or e-bike on
It's impossible to have a bad time on a Segway tour.
Friends who like to see all the sights on a tight timeline will especially enjoy a Segway tour. When you explore a city like Nashville on a Segway, for instance, you can see major landmarks including the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Tennessee State Capitol, and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in just minutes. This is great for your first visit to any city and will generate plenty of laughs as you and your friends put your balance skills to the test. If Segways aren’t your thing, opt for an e-bike tour around locations like Lake Mead in Nevada.
5. For the outdoorsy friend: Go leaf peeping in a kayak
This Thanksgiving, there's nothing a little soft adventure can't solve.
Going on a kayaking trip is a great way to bond and build team-working skills. Make the trip even more exciting by picking a route (or tour) that will take you through stands of gold, orange, and red trees so you can admire the seasonal foliage as you paddle. (The adventure will also help you build up an appetite for your Friendsgiving meal.) For a trip you and your friend will always remember, consider a guided kayaking tour in Alaska that takes you past the Tongass National Forest and catch a glimpse of bald eagles, seals, salmon, and perhaps even some whales.
Related: 9 Incredible Leaf-Peeping Trips That Aren’t in New England
6. For the thrillseeker friend: Try ziplining or 4WD-ing
Thanksgiving needn't just be about eating and watching TV.
If your friends prefer adrenaline to turkey, ditch dinner and head out to do something more exciting, like ziplining through the jungles of Maui, where you’ll see miles of lush greenery as you fly through the air. If you’d prefer a thrillseeking adventure closer to the ground, try a 4WD excursion instead. And for really stunning views (and extra thrills) consider going off-roading in Moab, where you can follow an experienced guide over sandstone domes and slickrock ledges.
7. For the “It’s 5pm somewhere” friend: Sip wine or craft beers
There's no better way to get the festivities off to a fun start.
To start the festivities early, begin your Friendsgiving dinner with a wine tasting. Whether you’re into chardonnay, zinfandel, or pinot noir, heading to Napa Valley—California’s most famous wine region—can make for an unforgettable experience. Not a wine person? There are plenty of brewery tours all around the nation, including one in Chicago that takes you to some of the city’s most unique breweries inside a barrel-shaped bus. No matter what your preference, you and all your friends will be in good spirits by the time dinner rolls around (pardon the pun).
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