turkey day destinations

Dallas gobbles up top-20 spot on list of best U.S. cities for Thanksgiving

Dallas even has its own Thanks-Giving Square.

Courtesy photo

For Dallasites, there's no place like home for Thanksgiving feasts and festivities. So says a new WalletHub study, "Best Places to go for Thanksgiving (2023)," which ranks Dallas the 17th best city for Turkey Day this year.

Dallas fell four places from its No. 13 ranking in WalletHub's 2022 report but still landed highest among North Texas cities.

The study analyzed the largest 100 American cities based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The category that Dallas ranked the highest in was the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 2), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 93). Other categories that determined Dallas' overall ranking were affordability (No. 44), a "giving thanks" rank (No. 33), and the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 48).

Abundant lists of local restaurants offering dining-in or to-go options on Thanksgiving surely can't hurt the city's ranking (and offer more reason for home cooks to give thanks). A big Dallas Cowboys game starring Dolly Parton at halftime doesn't hurt, either.

Other Dallas-Fort Worth-area cities that made it into the top 100 include:

No. 29 – Irving
No. 36 – Fort Worth
No. 38 – Plano
No. 55 – Garland
No. 78 – Arlington

Those who plan to travel over the holiday weekend should note that San Francisco, California (No. 1) tops the overall list, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Jose (No. 2) and San Diego (No. 3). Rounding out the top five is Scottsdale, Arizona (No. 4) and Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 5).

Thanksgiving weekend spending
The study also revealed that Americans spent an average of $325 per person during the brief window between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday in 2022.

For Texans wanting to celebrate Thanksgiving while adhering to their budget, Queens University of Charlotte professor Bradley W. Brooks suggested keeping an eye on the cost of the household's food purchases.

"Most Thanksgiving hosts prepare far more food than necessary for the number of guests," Brooks explained. "Having leftover food can be good for a couple of days, but it is not essential. The turkey is often the most costly item on the Thanksgiving menu, and it is often the item with the most leftovers. Serving multiple dessert options is often an unnecessary added cost to the menu as well."

Brooks further reminds Americans that the commercialization of Thanksgiving shouldn't outweigh the true purpose behind the holiday: Being thankful for your loved ones and your inner community.

"The commercialization might seem excessive," Brooks said. "But, at its core Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. No amount of commercialization can take that away. It is up to the consumer to have the right attitude – regardless of how commercialized Thanksgiving has become."

More information about the report can be found at wallethub.com.

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Turkey Day news

Dallas eats up top-5 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Photo courtesy of Razzoo's

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Dallas is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

Dallas ranked No. 5 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12. The city made a huge leap over its 2023 ranking as No. 17, and remains the highest-ranking Texas city.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The category that Dallas ranked the highest in was the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 2), and the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 9), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 82). Other categories that determined Dallas' overall ranking were affordability (No. 60), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 26).

Dallas restaurants are getting prepared for their big Turkey Day feasts, and CultureMap has rounded up a thorough list of all of the local restaurants hosting holiday feasts, from brunch to dinner.

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, Dallas will be fully decked for the December holidays. Dallasites who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. Dallas-Fort Worth goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Across North Texas, three Dallas-area cities also made big improvements from their 2023 rankings. Irving moved up 10 spots to claim No. 19 this year, and Garland jumped up 21 spots on the list as No. 34. Arlington made the biggest improvement in the region, moving from No. 78 last year to No. 55 this year.

Meanwhile, Plano and Fort Worth slipped in the rankings, falling into No. 44 and No. 45 in 2024, respectively. Plano previously ranked No. 38 in 2023, and Fort Worth was No. 36.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

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