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Top 10 Thanksgiving destinations
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6. Phoenix & Scottsdale
Thanksgiving celebrates a legendary dinner between Pilgrims and Indians — why not tip your hat to America’s original inhabitants this Thanksgiving and head to Arizona, where the ubiquitous presence of ruins and reservations hold living tribute to the nation’s Native American past. Lively Phoenix makes for a good home base, boasting such jewels as the Heard Museum, housing a wonderful Native American art and archaeology collection that highlights works by indigenous peoples of the Southwest — Navajos, Hopis, and Apaches — many of whom still reside on nearby reservations. It’s also a great base to head out on a local road trip along the legendary Apache Trail, a 40-plus-mile route marked by breathtaking scenery, ghost towns, and ancient Indian ruins. Meanwhile, the posh resort city of neighboring Scottsdale offers such diversions as Western-themed Old Town Scottsdale, a good spot to pick up turquoise jewelry and Navajo rugs. Even the local “pamper-me” spa culture reflects the area’s Native American heritage and desert setting; get smothered in an adobe clay body mask or exfoliated with a cactus and aloe moisturizer at an area spa.
7. Plymouth
Celebrate the first Thanksgiving, pilgrim-style, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where Mayflower passengers famously disembarked back in 1620. After visiting their supposed landing site, at Plymouth Rock, pay your respects to the statue of native Wampanoag chief Massasoit, who signed an accord with the pilgrims in 1621; what few members remain of his tribe today can be found living across the water, on Martha’s Vineyard. These two sites aside, the area’s biggest draw at this time of year is Plimouth Plantation, a sizeable estate that recreates the 17th-century pilgrim village that once stood here, complete with timber houses, barn and livestock, as well as a replica of the Mayflower itself. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more historic spot to spend the holiday.
8. Transatlantic Cruise
You’ll need your sea legs to follow in the Pilgrims’ footsteps this Thanksgiving! We propose reenacting the seafaring adventure that those adventurous pioneers set out on nearly 400 years ago aboard the legendary Mayflower. Happily, you can experience the exhilaration of crossing the Atlantic without having to rough it as the poor Pilgrims surely did — we've discovered that some of the world's top cruise lines offer transatlantic crossings around Thanksgiving week. Years past have seen Cunard Line's lavish Queen Mary 2 whisks travelers from Southampton, England to New York (the last of these six-night sailings for 2008 is November 15 — just shy of the holiday, unfortunately), while this year Norwegian Cruise Line operate a 13-night routes from Barcelona to New York City disembarking on November 16 — a little off path from the original course between Plymouth, England, and Plymouth, Massachusetts, but a fitting tribute all the same.
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10. Vieques
This tiny U.S.-affiliated island paradise is as close as you’ll get to uncharted territory in the Caribbean — it only recently opened to tourism after serving for decades as a U.S. military base — and its close proximity to the East Coast (eg., it's about four hours from New York plus a short flight or ferry ride from Fajardo, Puerto Rico) makes it ideal for a long-weekend beach getaway. Known for its virtually unspoiled sands, this 21-mile-long isle six miles off the coast of Puerto Rico isn't your average Caribbean hotspot, so don't come expecting high-rise hotels, luxury complexes, or shopping centers — instead, the island caters to sophisticated, eco-minded tourists with small boutique hotels, the Caribbean’s largest wildlife refuge, and over 40 miles of pristine beach. Visit before everyone else discovers it — and be thankful for the experience.
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