Austin has many things to be thankful for this year, including being named one of the best places to go for Thanksgiving, according to a new WalletHub study.
Austin ranked as the No. 16 best Thanksgiving destination, jumping up 16 spots from its former rank as No. 30 in 2024.
WalletHub’s annual “Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving” ranking compares the 100 largest U.S. cities to discover which have the ultimate Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions, and the best holiday weather, affordability, safety, and accessibility.
A total of 18 relevant metrics were measured for each city’s ranking; factors that were considered include the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the share of delayed flights around the Thanksgiving holiday, the number of volunteer opportunities per capita, and more.
WalletHub says Austin has the 4th best Thanksgiving weather forecast out of all 100 U.S. cities in the report. The city’s Thanksgiving affordability – which considered factors like Thanksgiving dinner costs, the number of affordable restaurants with high ratings, and the lowest price for a three-star hotel room during the holiday – is the 7th best in the nation.
Austin additionally earned high marks in the categories for its Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions (No. 32) and its safety and accessibility (No. 40). Austin’s lowest-scoring category was for a “giving thanks” rank, which consisted of the number of volunteer opportunities, volunteer hours, and charity organizations per capita, and residents’ share of income donated to charity.
San Antonio is the No. 1 best place to go for Thanksgiving
San Antonio rose through the ranks to claim the top spot as the best place to celebrate Turkey Day festivities in 2025.
WalletHub praised the Alamo City for having the third-cheapest Thanksgiving dinner nationwide, and the city boasts an “extremely high number of restaurants rated at least 4.5 stars.”
“San Antonio also helps make things festive with an abundance of pumpkin patches and holiday decoration shops,” the report’s author wrote. “In addition, San Antonio residents get very excited about Thanksgiving, searching Google for terms related to the holiday more than people in most other cities.”
Other top Turkey Day destinations in Texas
The North Texas cities of Dallas (No. 4), Irving (No. 6), and Plano (No. 7) also claimed spots among the top 10, while Garland (No. 21), Arlington (No. 41), and Fort Worth (No. 50) all ranked among the top 50.
Other Texas cities that made it in the top 100 best places to go for Thanksgiving in 2025 include Corpus Christi (No. 11), Houston (No. 12), Lubbock (No. 37), Laredo (No. 73), and El Paso (No. 77).
Laredo and Corpus Christi also earned extra nods for having the cheapest and second-cheapest costs for a Thanksgiving dinner, respectively.