Where to go for Thanksgiving?

Ted

Ted

The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
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We're thinking about going someplace for Thanksgiving as a family vacation, as we think schedule wise that may be harder to accomplish next year. Thanksgiving makes things a bit of a challenge weather wise since, being fall, weather can be somewhat transitional around the country. We enjoy going to the Pensacola area, but the main thing we enjoy doing there is being on the beach and it'll be a bit chilly in late November for that. Not necessarily tied to warm but we don't want to go someplace to just sit in a hotel room, there needs to be something for burning off energy.

Having the MU-2 as a family transport vehicle helps, but we try to keep flights with the family under 3 hours (so let's say within 750 nm of KMKC) because the kids do get stir-crazy. Still that gives us a lot of potential destinations. Must be domestic as the kids' passports have expired.

Throw out ideas for family friendly places. :)
 
A bit farther than you want (1040NM), but we're going (not flying) to Sturbridge, MA for Thanksgiving... dinner and staying overnight at the 200+ year old Publick House (might be too late for reservations by now), then we may or may not (already done it) walk around Old Sturbridge Village, which is great for kids and adults alike.
 
Also too far but we used to love spending Thanksgiving on Ocracoke Island.
 
Go take the kids out turkey hunting, find a nice cabin to rent, harvest the bird and have a nice meal with family.
 
I have friends who AirBnB a house in Kennebunk, ME. Lobster for Turkeyday...
 
I got stuck in Anchorage one Thanksgiving. I ended up going to Denny's and sat with about a dozen other losers strangers stuck there like me and had the turkey day special.

Turned out to be a memorable day. And night but that is not really a story for young ears.....
 
Heidelberg, Germany. You’ll get free lodging.

Edit: dang you said domestic. Just check the kids as luggage.
 
Fly the airplane to Florida and go on a cruise (that's what we're doing!).
 
We used to go to Ft. Myers (actually Sanibel Island) every Thanksgiving. The weather was always great that time of year, even for ocean swimming and late night walks on the beach. And it is not hot and humid that time of year. We thought it was perfect Thanksgiving weather. Unfortunately, we would rent cabins at the "Pink Shell". Three couples could have a great time. I say "unfortunately" because they tore those down and replaced them with highrise condos, which have none of the ambiance of the cottages. But the weather there is still perfect. If you get much further north, the weather becomes very "iffy" and not beach friendly.

Jay's place also sounds great, and we might do that this year (either Thanksgiving or Christmas).
 
bradg33 said:
Fly the airplane to Florida and go on a cruise (that's what we're doing!).
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So what you're saying is that you want to ride in the MU-2 down to Florida. ;)

We'd actually looked at the cruise option a decent amount. The main negative with it is we don't want any international destinations without the kids having passports, even though the rules say you technically don't need them. Other thing is it seems harder to book a single room that sleeps 5. I'm sure it's doable but it seemed harder when we were looking at it.

JOhnH said:
We used to go to Ft. Myers (actually Sanibel Island) every Thanksgiving. The weather was always great that time of year, even for ocean swimming and late night walks on the beach. And it is not hot and humid that time of year. We thought it was perfect Thanksgiving weather. Unfortunately, we would rent cabins at the "Pink Shell". Three couples could have a great time. I say "unfortunately" because they tore those down and replaced them with highrise condos, which have none of the ambiance of the cottages. But the weather there is still perfect. If you get much further north, the weather becomes very "iffy" and not beach friendly.
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Fort Myers was on my list. It's a bit further than Laurie wants to fly with the kids, but I think that might be a good future destination.

I think we're likely going to go to Branson. Kid friendly and looks like it should work out well for a 4-day weekend. Close enough that we'll drive. I've put 45 hours on the plane this month so I'm not exactly looking for extra reasons to fly. :)

Appreciate the suggestions, we'll take notes for next time around.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
So what you're saying is that you want to ride in the MU-2 down to Florida. ;)

We'd actually looked at the cruise option a decent amount. The main negative with it is we don't want any international destinations without the kids having passports, even though the rules say you technically don't need them. Other thing is it seems harder to book a single room that sleeps 5. I'm sure it's doable but it seemed harder when we were looking at it.



Fort Myers was on my list. It's a bit further than Laurie wants to fly with the kids, but I think that might be a good future destination.

I think we're likely going to go to Branson. Kid friendly and looks like it should work out well for a 4-day weekend. Close enough that we'll drive. I've put 45 hours on the plane this month so I'm not exactly looking for extra reasons to fly. :)

Appreciate the suggestions, we'll take notes for next time around.
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Branson is a good place....went there a few years back.
 
I go to upstate NY every year the week before Thanksgiving for deer hunting. The Thursday before we have a "game feed" where we eat everything taken that year such as pheasant, partridge, lake trout, walleye and of course deer. Usually by then someone has killed one so we eat the back strap aka tenderloin. I fly out a week from this Friday. I understand there are two bottles of Blanton's and one of Dalwhinnie waiting for me.

By the way, anyone here based at Watertown (ART)?
 
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CC268 said:
Branson is a good place....went there a few years back.
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Ted isn't nearly old enough for the Branson scene yet! Hell, at 58, I'm not nearly old enough for the Branson scene yet!

Austin is fun, Ted. The only drawback is it's surrounded by Texas.

Petit Jean (MPJ) is fun if you've never been there and enjoy the "outdoors" thing. The park has an airport, 5800'

Both would offer plenty of opportunities for the kids to "burn off energy"
 
Branson can be fun with kids. It's been a long since we were there, but we stayed at a hotel just off the strip and were able to avoid a lot of the traffic. The kids liked the fish hatchery.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
So what you're saying is that you want to ride in the MU-2 down to Florida. ;)

We'd actually looked at the cruise option a decent amount. The main negative with it is we don't want any international destinations without the kids having passports, even though the rules say you technically don't need them. Other thing is it seems harder to book a single room that sleeps 5. I'm sure it's doable but it seemed harder when we were looking at it.



Fort Myers was on my list. It's a bit further than Laurie wants to fly with the kids, but I think that might be a good future destination.

I think we're likely going to go to Branson. Kid friendly and looks like it should work out well for a 4-day weekend. Close enough that we'll drive. I've put 45 hours on the plane this month so I'm not exactly looking for extra reasons to fly. :)

Appreciate the suggestions, we'll take notes for next time around.
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Tarpon Springs. Not as far as Ft Myers, warm gulf waters. Take the kids out on a sponge boat and let them watch a diver. Take them to nearby Weeki Wachi and watch the mermaid show. Lots of great seafood.
 
timwinters said:
Austin is fun, Ted. The only drawback is it's surrounded by Texas.
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I think this post needs a warning from the MC. It is obviously politically motivated since Austin is one of the few liberal areas of Texas.

Or do I get punished again for saying the word "liberal".
 
You have it backwards. "Austin is fun"..."...surrounded by Texas" which would imply the rest of Texas isn't fun.
 
We take the kids to mount charleston here in vegas every year.. Usually is cold enough to dress kinda warm and they have great food
 
We spent our honeymoon in Sedona, AZ around Thanksgiving time and it was really nice. We visited the grand canyon and flagstaff. evenings were a little chilly but daytime temps were really pleasant.
 
If you find yourself in Hong Kong, check out Fat Angelo's. They put out a very nice "traditional" Thankgiving dinner for American expats.

I took my crew and another Captain there about six years ago, very nice experience.

The other Captain and I had their biggest Porterhouse, the three FO's had the turkey special. It was funny watching them take pictures of their dinner and text the pictures to their wives/GF's.

This year I'm on layover in Portland, OR where my older brother and his wife live. Hopefully we can get through dinner without politics coming up. He and his wife are very leftist.
 
Half Fast said:
I’m pretty sure Liberal is in Kansas. I spent a week there one afternoon.
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I spent a week there one evening. See my thread circa February 2010.
 
Stickman said:
If you find yourself in Hong Kong, check out Fat Angelo's. They put out a very nice "traditional" Thankgiving dinner for American expats.

I took my crew and another Captain there about six years ago, very nice experience.

The other Captain and I had their biggest Porterhouse, the three FO's had the turkey special. It was funny watching them take pictures of their dinner and text the pictures to their wives/GF's.

This year I'm on layover in Portland, OR where my older brother and his wife live. Hopefully we can get through dinner without politics coming up. He and his wife are very leftist.
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Spent one Thanksgiving a few years back in Geneva due to work. Went to a local place that offered a special expat "Thanksgiving Feast" with a few other Americans. I think it was close to 100 bucks for dinner.

However, the Swiss owner didn't understand the concept of gluttonous excess that is an integral part of the holiday. I went to McDonald's later because I was still hungry.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
We're thinking about going someplace for Thanksgiving as a family vacation, as we think schedule wise that may be harder to accomplish next year. Thanksgiving makes things a bit of a challenge weather wise since, being fall, weather can be somewhat transitional around the country. We enjoy going to the Pensacola area, but the main thing we enjoy doing there is being on the beach and it'll be a bit chilly in late November for that. Not necessarily tied to warm but we don't want to go someplace to just sit in a hotel room, there needs to be something for burning off energy.

Having the MU-2 as a family transport vehicle helps, but we try to keep flights with the family under 3 hours (so let's say within 750 nm of KMKC) because the kids do get stir-crazy. Still that gives us a lot of potential destinations. Must be domestic as the kids' passports have expired.

Throw out ideas for family friendly places. :)
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Anyplace that's not flat would be a nice change of scenery.
 
Branson is good for a family trip (just went with the wife and kiddo back in June). I’d think end of November might get pretty cold for anything outdoorsy though.


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We always go to Grandmother’s house in Hawaii. Lucky for me I’m married to Grandmother, so I’m invited. I do enjoy playing with my grandson at the beach. Bottom line for us? It’s about who we spend it with, not where we spend it.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
We're thinking about going someplace for Thanksgiving as a family vacation, as we think schedule wise that may be harder to accomplish next year. Thanksgiving makes things a bit of a challenge weather wise since, being fall, weather can be somewhat transitional around the country. We enjoy going to the Pensacola area, but the main thing we enjoy doing there is being on the beach and it'll be a bit chilly in late November for that. Not necessarily tied to warm but we don't want to go someplace to just sit in a hotel room, there needs to be something for burning off energy.

Having the MU-2 as a family transport vehicle helps, but we try to keep flights with the family under 3 hours (so let's say within 750 nm of KMKC) because the kids do get stir-crazy. Still that gives us a lot of potential destinations. Must be domestic as the kids' passports have expired.

Throw out ideas for family friendly places. :)
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915 NM Orlando Florida
 
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