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Two Of The 10 Best Cities For Thanksgiving Are In North Carolina

Author KC Atkins
Where are the best places for Thanksgiving? Well, right here in North Carolina it turns out.

Thanksgiving is on the horizon; you can practically smell the stuffing by now. But where are the best cities to celebrate Turkey Day? According to a new study, two of them are right here in North Carolina!

WalletHub set out to find the cities where Thanksgiving is treated with the utmost enthusiasm, and the Tarheel state did very well with two NC cities making the top ten.

The two best North Carolina cities for Thanksgiving are Raleigh (5th overall), and Greensboro (9th overall). You can find the full rankings on WalletHub’s website, seen here.

In order to find the most festive cities for the upcoming holiday, researchers took many different factors into account. Five key dimensions were examined among the 100 most populated U.S. cities, which include:

  1. Thanksgiving Celebrations & Traditions
  2. Affordability
  3. Safety & Accessibility
  4. Giving Thanks
  5. Thanksgiving Weather Forecast

Each of these dimensions also contained different subfactors with various point systems. For instance, under Thanksgiving Celebrations & Traditions, the researchers looked at how many pumpkin patches per capita there were in each city, along with the availability of holiday decor shops.

The average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner was a big determining factor in each city’s Affordability dimension, as well as the amount of affordable restaurants for the holidays. I’ll admit, it’s pretty astounding to me that Raleigh did as well as it did in this regard. The idea of ANYTHING in the City of Oaks being affordable is nothing short of a holiday miracle.

It should also be noted that, while it didn’t rank very highly in the final total, the city of Winston-Salem did score in the top 5 most giving cities. This metric is evaluated under the dimension of Giving Thanks, which accounts for the presence of charitable organizations and volunteer opportunities.

But overall Raleigh and Greensboro are the best North Carolina cities for Thanksgiving. So if you live in either of those cities, don’t be surprised if you’re picked to host the family get-together this year!

KC is bringing you the Workday Wind Down, afternoons on KML. He’s a Carolina boy making Carolina noise! When he's not slinging music and mouth sounds on the BIG 95.7 WKML, you can catch him at the gym, live wrestling shows, open mics, or wherever fine pasta is sold. KC is a big fan of self-expression, as his many tattoos will show you. KC's favorite pastime is making others laugh. In his mind, if he can bring a smile to your face then it's a day well spent. KC likes to write about TV and film, especially Spider-Man, and Fayetteville happenings.

North Carolina Has One of the Cheapest Christmas Vacations

Christmas is a time to visit family and friends and get away from the daily grind. The holidays can be a wonderful time, but they can also be very expensive. From buying lots of Christmas gifts for family and friends to having to pay for plane tickets and travel, holiday expenses can really add up. But, the good news is that there are some affordable Christmas vacations in the U.S. that are available for a good deal. Also, North Carolina has one of the cheapest Christmas vacations in America.

One good thing about traveling during the winter months is that it’s often the off-season for popular vacation destinations. Of course, the holidays are a busy travel time. That makes late December a difficult time to find a deal for travel. But, if you don’t mind the cold and snow, some northern areas of the U.S. offer very good deals. That’s true even during the Christmas season.

Some tips for finding a good deal for holiday vacationing include searching a lot of booking websites, comparing different hotel dates to find the most reasonable ones and finding bundle deals. Also, keep your eyes open for special deals on resorts and hotels that are just opening. That’s because sometimes, during those opening months, new vacation spots try to attract a loyal clientele by offering special deals. One more tip is to search for airfare rates individually even if you are traveling as a couple or a group. If you put in a search for a group of tickets, the algorithms will often leave out information on one or two cheaper tickets being available. They’ll just send you a group of tickets, sitting together, all at the same price. So, you might get a deal if you search for one ticket, instead.

So, what are the best affordable Christmas vacations in the U.S.? Here are some popular spots that won’t break the bank. One is in North Carolina.

Cheapest Christmas Vacations in the U.S.

  • Frankenmuth, Michigan

    Frankenmuth, Michigan, is the self-proclaimed Christmas capital city of the world. Okay, so many argue that Strasbourg, France, takes that honor, but Frankenmuth is close, and it’s a lot cheaper to get there. No passport needed. The villiage’s Franconian-style architecture has given it the loving name “Little Bavaria.” Frankenmuth is also home to the world’s biggest Christmas store.

    Clock tower telling the story of the pied piper in Frakenmuth Michigan.

    Getty Images / Michael Deemer

  • Lancaster, Pennsylvania

    Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is located in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and it offers a beautiful view of snowy hills and Amish country. It’s a very old-fashioned type of town, making it a charming winter getaway. There are plenty of fun, holiday-type things to do in Lancaster that won’t break the bank.

    Rowhouse in Lancaster, PA

    Getty Images / 2windspa

  • Las Vegas, Nevada

    You might never guess, but Las Vegas, Nevada, is a great spot for an affordable holiday trip. Think about it. Most people wouldn’t think to go to “Sin City” for Christmas. Of course, it’s much less the “sin” part these days, as Las Vegas offers fun activities for the whole family.

  • Fort Myers, Florida

    Fort Myers, Florida, is a popular destination for snow birds. But, that’s doesn’t mean to skip it during the holidays. If you want to get away from the snow and ice, Fort Myers offers a great escape over Christmas and for prices that are more reasonable than in many other areas of Florida.

  • Charlotte, North Carolina

    Charlotte, North Carolina, is a great spot to visit in the holiday season, because it’s not as crowded as other times during the year. It’s also less expensive to visit during the holidays and offers beautiful decorations during Christmas. Don’t forget the many holiday markets.

    Charlotte, North Carolina, USA Skyline

    Getty Images / Sean Pavone

  • Boston, Massachusetts

    Boston, Massachusetts, gets cold in the winter, but it also has that classic Christmas charm. It’s a big city with a smaller city feel during the holidays. What’s more, it’s a more affordable winter vacation destination than many other areas, and you won’t have the fight the crowds.

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Author KC Atkins
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