Turkeys listen as the National Anthem is sung ahead of the ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 28, 2024, in Austin.
Sara Diggins/American-Statesman, NAAS
A Central Texas city has been crowned the best place to go to this Thanksgiving — but it’s not Austin.
While focused on gratitude, family and loved ones, Thanksgiving has also become highly commercialized, particularly as it precedes the Black Friday shopping holiday. Each consumer spent an average of $235 on holiday gifts during Thanksgiving weekend last year, according to the National Retail Federation.
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There are countless ways to celebrate the holiday, and some places offer more opportunities than others. To determine the best places where Americans can spend Thanksgiving, WalletHub analyzed the 100 largest U.S. cities across 18 key measures — from the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner and the share of delayed flights to volunteer opportunities and forecasted precipitation.
“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,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “Other features make individual cities stand out; for example, San Antonio has great weather, Atlanta has a fantastic track record for on-time flights and Virginia Beach has surprisingly affordable accommodations.”
You read that right: San Antonio is the best place to spend Turkey Day in, according to WalletHub — and it’s because of more than just great weather. Here’s what makes San Antonio turkey-rific, and how other Texas cities measure up.
San Antonio named the best place to go to for Thanksgiving
Julian Champagnie #30 of the San Antonio Spurs shows off his costume where Spurs players interacted with San Antonio Food Bank clients at the annual Thanksgiving event held by the Spurs and the nonprofit taken on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at Frost Bank Center
Ronald Cortes/San Antonio Express News
WalletHub’s analysis determined San Antonio is the place to be during the Thanksgiving holiday — especially those looking to dine out instead of cooking, thanks to the multitude of restaurants with ratings of at least 4.5 stars. The South Central Texas city also offers ample pumpkin patches and holiday decoration shops.
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San Antonio’s residents also indicate excitement for the holiday via Google searches. The city also offered the third-cheapest Thanksgiving dinner in the country, allowing people to save their money for the biggest shopping day of the year. There is only a 1% chance of precipitation this year, completing the ideal atmosphere.
Texas cities dominate US with best Thanksgiving Day weather and lowest costs for dinner
While San Antonio topped the overall rankings, other Texas cities stood out in categories.
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Longtime Central Texans know that some of the most spectacular Texas fall foliage can be found at Lost Maples State Natural Area less than three hours southwest of Austin. Check in advance for reports of the colors in the canyon near the headwaters of the Sabinal River.
Provided by Chase Fountain
The Lone Star swept the top seven spots for the best weather forecasts:
No. 1: Laredo
No. 2: Lubbock (tie)
No. 2: San Antonio (tie)
No. 4: Austin (tie)
No. 4: Corpus Christi (tie)
No. 6: Irving
No. 7: Fort Worth
Laredo (No. 1), Corpus Christi (No. 2) and San Antonio (No. 3) also dominated the list for the lowest costs of Thanksgiving dinner. Dallas (No. 2), Houston (No. 8) and San Antonio (No. 10) ranked high for celebrations and traditions; San Antonio (No. 4), Austin (No. 7) and Corpus Christi (No. 8) ranked high for affordability; Plano (No. 7) and Irving (No. 8) ranked high for “giving thanks”; and Plano ranked No. 8 for safety and accessibility.
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Some other notable ranking cities weren’t so positive. Laredo had the lowest giving ratio in the county, three times worse than Tulsa, Oklahoma, which had the highest giving ratio. Corpus Christi (No. 7 worst) and El Paso (No. 9 worst) also ranked low in “giving thanks.”
Fort Worth had the third-lowest number of pumpkin patches per capita, behind New York, New York (No. 1 lowest) and Jacksonville, Florida (No. 2 lowest). Houston (No. 4 worst) and Dallas (No. 5 worst) ranked low in safety and accessibility, and Corpus Christi had the second-lowest ranking for celebrations and traditions.
Texas cities stood out among other U.S. cities in WalletHub’s analysis for the lowest costs for Thanksgiving dinner, along with the best weather forecasts for Turkey Day.
Natasha Breen/REDA/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
7 Texas cities in top 20 best places to go for Thanksgiving 2025
Here’s how cities in the Lone Star State landed in the overall rankings:
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Total score: 65.70
Celebrations & traditions rank: 9
Affordability rank: 4
Safety & accessibility rank: 58
Giving thanks rank: 71
Weather forecast rank: 2
Total score: 62.32
Celebrations & traditions rank: 2
Affordability rank: 28
Safety & accessibility rank: 96
Giving thanks rank: 33
Weather forecast rank: 9
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Total score: 61.52
Celebrations & traditions rank: 59
Affordability rank: 12
Safety & accessibility rank: 36
Giving thanks rank: 8
Weather forecast rank: 6
Total score: 60.96
Celebrations & traditions rank: 78
Affordability rank: 11
Safety & accessibility rank: 8
Giving thanks rank: 7
Weather forecast rank: 23
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Total score: 59.28
Celebrations & traditions rank: 99
Affordability rank: 8
Safety & accessibility rank: 43
Giving thanks rank: 94
Weather forecast rank: 4
Total score: 59.26
Celebrations & traditions rank: 8
Affordability rank: 23
Safety & accessibility rank: 97
Giving thanks rank: 34
Weather forecast rank: 19
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Total score: 58.53
Celebrations & traditions rank: 32
Affordability rank: 7
Safety & accessibility rank: 40
Giving thanks rank: 70
Weather forecast rank: 4
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20 best places to go for Thanksgiving 2025
San Antonio, Texas
Atlanta, Georgia
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Dallas, Texas
Scottsdale, Arizona
Irving, Texas
Plano, Texas
Louisville, Kentucky
Las Vegas, Nevada
Chesapeake, Virginia
Corpus Christi, Texas
Houston, Texas
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Cincinnati, Ohio
Washington, DC
Austin, Texas
San Diego, California
Boston, Massachusetts
New York, New York
Miami, Florida