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Thanksgiving Feasts and Where To Find Them

By: Sarah Marcantonio

Thanksgiving with the family agaaaaain? Are you really looking forward to dry, stringy turkey (great job, Mom), drunken political arguments (really, Uncle Bob??) and interminable football games (sorry in advance, Giants fans)? Maybe this is the year to get away from the extended family… by just getting away. Here are a few alternate destinations for Turkey Day: three traditional feasts in the good ol’ USA and three food-centric spots abroad if you want to get your expatriate on.

P.S. If you actually love spending time with your family—we do!—why not take them with you?

Greenough, Montana

Sitting just outside of Missoula amid abundant national forests, it will be just you, the stars and the trees at The Resort at Paws Up—oh, and that turkey you’ll be eating. The luxury ranch pulls out all of the stops for Thanksgiving, from touch football and birdwatching to roasting s’mores on the fire-pit and cuddling up on the couch for family movie night.

Escondido, California

Golden Door’s menu is serious #ThanksgivingGoals: Tahitian butternut squash soup, traditional whole roasted Diestel turkey, porcelain doll pumpkin pie with a ginger cookie crust… all responsibly grown and organic. (It’s a wellness resort, after all.) Work off the big meal with daily hikes in the SoCal hills and unwind with craniosacral therapy and a yuzu elegance floral purifier. (The hotel can’t be booked online, but one of our agents can help.)

Middleburg, Virginia

Stay at the Salamander Resort and you’ll have two tempting meal options—dinner at Harrimans Virginia Piedmont Grill with roasted turkey and cranberry chutney or the brunch buffet with multiple kid-friendly stations. Or do both and regret nothing. Also on tap for the long weekend in the Blue Ridge foothills? A three-mile turkey trot, field goal–kicking contest and holiday card photo shoots for the family.


Tuscany

Thanksgiving is carb-tastic, but who says those carbs can’t be pasta? Book your stay at Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco and indulge in mushroom tortelli, cannelloni with rabbit, veal meatballs…and constantly-refilled glasses of the superb Montalcino produced on-premises. After you’ve tasted your fill, sign up for La Canonica Cooking School and learn how to make your favorite dishes—the chef teaches in an informal style, the way Italian cooking has always been handed down.

Oxfordshire, England

The first Pilgrims were English, so why not spend the holiday back in the old country? Though we doubt Governor Bradford and his kin ate as well as guests do at Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’saisons. Chef Raymond Blanc has earned two Michelin stars for dishes like grilled Cornish mackerel in an apple, honey, soy and ginger sauce and “millionaire shortbread.” The tranquil, 32-room country manor has in-room spas and open fires throughout the winter—but the food is the main focus.

Mendoza, Argentina

Not a bird person? Jet off to The Vines Resort & Spa in Argentine wine country for meals showcasing the country’s best beef. Chef Francis Mallmann uses open-flame cooking techniques to create specialities like nine-hour slow-grilled rib eye and beef risotto. Opt for a seat in the open kitchen and the restaurant’s artisans will treat you to a show—almost like watching your family prepare Thanksgiving dinner, only way better.