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Trip Ideas

Where to Spend Thanksgiving This Year

Why spend another Thanksgiving watching football in a food coma when you could be out exploring Munich, Miami, Mexico or Montreal? Here, the best places to escape the in-laws — turkey optional.

See recent posts by April Ellis

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Washington D.C.

Any Thanksgiving trip to the nation’s capitol calls for a stop by the White House Rose Garden to catch the presidential turkey pardon. The quirky holiday tradition has been carried out since the Truman administration and this year visitors will witness President Obama pardon the last turkey of his Oval Office career. There are plenty of choice places to stay in DC, but the neoclassical Kimpton Hotel Monaco, in Penn Quarter, has us hooked. The historic hotel may be a work of 1839 art, but interiors are anything but dated; spacious guest rooms and communal areas are full of Presidential busts, funky furniture, and power-clashing patterns which artfully collide with Corinthian columns and loads of marble. Once you work up an appetite touring some of the country's finest museums, dine at chef Jeremiah Langhorne’s Michelin-starred The Dabney (pro tip: phone in a reservation first). The Blagden Alley spot serves up mid-Atlantic cuisine like hearth-roasted veggies, Maryland crab salad, and whole BBQ pheasant in a rustic, country-style kitchen.

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Tulum, Mexico

Sure, we love the crisp autumn weather, but a blissed-out beach vacation sounds even better — and rustic-chic Tulum is just that. Settle into a thatch-roofed cabana at the eco-friendly Papaya Playa Project, where you'll have easy access to pristine white sand, crystal clear cenotes and the cliffside Mayan Ruins. The food in this beachy bohemian paradise is on-point, too. Trade the stuffing for mouthwatering Mexican dishes at local favorite Kitchen Table. We're talking wood-fired ahi tuna, deviled avocado and pan-seared octopus. Now that's our kind of Thanksgiving.

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New York City

Let’s face it — there’s nowhere more iconic for the holidays than New York, with its Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Rockefeller Center ice rink and Black Friday shopping. So, go ahead and embrace it: Head to the Shops at Columbus Circle to catch the parade coming down Central Park (the best views are from the second and third floors). Then strap on your skates at Bryant Park's 17,000-square-foot rink before browsing the park's holiday market, filled with 125 stalls and food stands. If you don't find what you're looking for, there's Artists & Flea in Chelsea Market, which sells vintage-inspired gifts and handmade trinkets. For the main event — dinner, of course — chow down on butternut squash ravioli in ham hock broth, or roasted turkey with apple chestnut stuffing at The Peacock, then polish it off with a slice of chocolate bourbon pecan pie at Petee's Pie Company.

RELATED: 10 Stylish (and Affordable) NYC Hotels

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Plymouth, Massachusetts

If you paid attention in history class even a teeny bit then you don’t need any explanation as to why Plymouth is an A+ Thanksgiving destination. To reiterate, however, the coastal New England town was where the Mayflower Pilgrims touched down, and the site of the first ever Thanksgiving feast. To really embrace American heritage, stop by Plymouth Rock before hitting Plimouth Plantation – a 17th century English colony – for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with a touch of live-action Pilgrim reenactment. Transitioning back into the 21st century, take a walk through the meandering Brewster Gardens, a lush park which runs along Town Brook – the stream where original settlers collected their water. At the end of the day, bed down at Mirbeau Inn & Spa at the Pinehills, a French-inspired country manor reminiscent of Claude Monet’s Giverny home. Chilly temps won't stop you from enjoying the inn's main draw – a 14,000-square foot spa with a year-round, heated outdoor massage pool.

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Munich, Germany

A German feast? Yes please. Tuck into sausages, lebkuchen (gingerbread) and reiber-datschi (potato pancakes) at Munich’s famous Christmas market, where more than 80 booths are wreathed in twinkling lights and garlands. For a cup of hot, spiced gluhwein, head to the stalls on the Alexanderplatz before exploring the alleyways through the Gendarmenmarkt, an ideal place to stock up on holiday presents. Come evening, Unterfahrt has killer jazz shows and the luxe P1 club is the spot to see Munich's beautiful people in action.

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Savannah, Georgia

November is a sweet spot for Savannah, when temps hover around 60 degrees and the historic district’s rustic charm is in full autumnal swing. At the Mansion on Forsyth Park, a distinctly Victorian Romanesque exterior conceals chic, modern interiors (the lobby is done up in Versace furniture) and an art collection more than 400 pieces strong. Following a good night's rest, chow down at Collins Quarter, a farm-to-table Australian cafe where champagne brunch means bubbly with a side of brioche french toast, avocado smash, and biscuits gone wild (with chicken apple sausage, smoked bacon gravy, fennel-apple slaw, and poached eggs, that is). Post-meal, mosey over to the City Market, a four-block radius of art galleries and boutique shops tucked between Ellis and Franklin Squares.

RELATED: America's Coolest Southern Towns

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San Diego, California

This SoCal haven is the perfect turkey day getaway thanks to its family-friendly vibe, mouthwatering cuisine and laid-back culture. Check in to the Hotel del Coronado, a 150-year-old dame that sits on 28 coveted beachfront acres surrounded by the 15-mile Coronado Island bike path. From November 23 to 27, the annual San Diego Jazz Fest hosts swing musicians, classic orchestras and blues bands from around the world. Just make sure you make it back in time for the hotel's Thanksgiving spread at the Crown Room: cherry glazed ham, harvest squash bisque and cinnamon citrus cranberry sauce. Work off the carbs at the waterfront ice skating rink — you won't get bay views better than this.

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Reykjavik, Iceland

Mountainous glaciers. Northern lights. Geothermal spas. Reykjavik has more than enough natural wonders to fill your four-day Thanksgiving break. Once you’re done exploring the frigid tundra on a boat tour of the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon, a hike to the Gullfoss waterfall or a helicopter ride over Thingvellir National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), refuel with Icelandic delicacies like roasted leg of reindeer, wild goose breast and smoked eel at Perlan, a rotating glass-domed restaurant overlooking the city. JS Tip: Check out Icelandair for cheap flights from Boston, Washington D.C., New York, Seattle and Denver.

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Paris, France

You can't go wrong with Paris — especially on a holiday dedicated to food. Think of all the decadent Parisian dishes you could eat in four days. Take it all in on a city food tour with American transplant Wendy Lyn. You'll visit the hottest places to eat and drink, chat with of-the-moment Parisian chefs and explore the city's best artisan cheese shops. Once your stomach is full, it's time to shop (the sites can wait). Among our favorite spots: the Marche Aux Puces flea market for vintage finds, the Haut Marais for stylish one-off furniture and clothing boutiques, and Canal Saint-Martin for up-and-coming designers and hipster labels.

RELATED: 9 Gorgeous Paris Hotels Under $250

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Sante Fe, New Mexico

The land of adobe architecture, eye-catching art galleries and Native American culture kicks it up a notch during Thanksgiving with the three-day Winter Indian Market. Here, 200 local artists gather to sell handmade wares and put on live music shows and traditional dances (there's plenty of booze, too). For turkey dinner, you may be tempted to hit one of the city's five-star restaurants (we love Luminaria at the Inn and Spa at Loretto), but those who prefer a culinary challenge should take a class at the Santa Fe School of Cooking. You'll whip up elevated Southwestern staples like sautéed turkey scaloppini with red chile glaze and green chile spoon bread, then sit down for the feast.

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Miami, Florida

Who says holiday flights have to be so damn expensive? Leave a couple of days in advance of Thanksgiving and holiday flights to Miami are yours for less than $100. Once you land, book it to Il Mulino in South Beach, where you'll tuck into tasty plates like walnut and sausage stuffing, followed by a decadent pumpkin cheesecake. Come late night, put on your party clothes and hit the dance floor at Churchill's Pub's, where electronic and indie-pop tunes play until the wee hours. And don't be shy — you can recover poolside the next day.

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Charleston, South Carolina

This charming Southern town tops our list for a long-weekend getaway, thanks to its near-perfect 70-degree weather and non-stop November events. Earn your weekend calorie-binge with the Turkey Day Run & Gobble Wobble, an annual run that winds around the historic district's 18th-century plantations, along the quaint riverfront and ending with a party in Marion Square. If you'd rather skip it, explore the preppy-chic boutiques along King Street, then stock up on artisanal goods (think handwoven baskets, watercolor paintings, hot pepper jams, homemade creamy grits) at City Market. Whatever you choose, an evening tour of the Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island County Park is a must: two million twinkling lights set the park ablaze.

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Montreal, Canada

Make like the cool kids in Canada, and spend the holiday in Montreal. Start with breakfast at the hipster-chic Arts Café — we love the Shakshuka with cumin cardamom sauce, Swiss chard leaf, quinoa, potato toast and polenta. Then get in some early Christmas shopping at the classy emporiums and arts supplies stores along Saint-Laurent Boulevard. Don't miss Citizen Vintage for unique upcycled clothing and local handicrafts, Artemano for flawless reclaimed wood furniture, Westcott Books for rare tomes, and Freitag Concept for silver and semiprecious stone jewelry. Toast to your newly-bought treasures with a cocktail at the uber-sexy candlelit speakeasy, Big in Japan Bar. That is if you can find its secret entrance first.

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