Take the Turkey Escape Route

If a day of cooking, arbitrating between warring family members, and washing dishes doesn't sound like a holiday to you, make it a vacation for the whole family by getting out of town. Forbes Traveler recommends Blackberry Farms in Tennessee, a farmhouse resort whose Thanksgiving festivities include a turkey fry, gingerbread house workshop, and bonfires with storytellers.

Or enjoy sky-high views of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from the ballroom of the Mardarin Hotel in New York. The hotel offers a buffet breakfast, gingerbread-cookie decorating station, and puppet and storytelling corner. And don't limit yourself to North America—London and Paris may not celebrate Thanksgiving, but some restaurants serve Yankee favorites. Forbes recommends the Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Café in London and the Thanksgiving in Paris Catering Service. (More Thanksgiving stories.)