7 Texas cities rank among top US cities to spend Thanksgiving in

Turkeys listen as the National Anthem is sung ahead of the ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 28, 2024, in Austin.

While focused on gratitude, family and loved ones, Thanksgiving has also become highly commercialized, particularly as it precedes the Black Friday shopping holiday. Each consumer spent an average of $235 on holiday gifts during Thanksgiving weekend last year, according to the National Retail Federation.

There are countless ways to celebrate the holiday, and some places offer more opportunities than others. To determine the best places where Americans can spend Thanksgiving, WalletHub analyzed the 100 largest U.S. cities across 18 key measures — from the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner and the share of delayed flights to volunteer opportunities and forecasted precipitation.

“The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “Other features make individual cities stand out; for example, San Antonio has great weather, Atlanta has a fantastic track record for on-time flights and Virginia Beach has surprisingly affordable accommodations.”

You read that right: San Antonio is the best place to spend Turkey Day in, according to WalletHub — and it’s because of more than just great weather. Here’s what makes San Antonio turkey-rific, and how other Texas cities measure up.

San Antonio named the best place to go to for Thanksgiving

WalletHub’s analysis determined San Antonio is the place to be during the Thanksgiving holiday — especially those looking to dine out instead of cooking, thanks to the multitude of restaurants with ratings of at least 4.5 stars. The South Central Texas city also offers ample pumpkin patches and holiday decoration shops.

San Antonio’s residents also indicate excitement for the holiday via Google searches. The city also offered the third-cheapest Thanksgiving dinner in the country, allowing people to save their money for the biggest shopping day of the year. There is only a 1% chance of precipitation this year, completing the ideal atmosphere.

Texas cities dominate US with best Thanksgiving Day weather and lowest costs for dinner

While San Antonio topped the overall rankings, other Texas cities stood out in categories.

The Lone Star swept the top seven spots for the best weather forecasts:

• No. 1: Laredo
• No. 2: Lubbock(tie)
• No. 2: San Antonio(tie)
• No. 4: Austin(tie)
• No. 4: Corpus Christi (tie)
• No. 6: Irving
• No. 7: Fort Worth

Laredo (No. 1), Corpus Christi (No. 2) and San Antonio (No. 3) also dominated the list for the lowest costs of Thanksgiving dinner. Dallas (No. 2), Houston (No. 8) and San Antonio (No. 10) ranked high for celebrations and traditions; San Antonio (No. 4), Austin (No. 7) and Corpus Christi (No. 8) ranked high for affordability; Plano (No. 7) and Irving (No. 8) ranked high for “giving thanks”; and Plano ranked No. 8 for safety and accessibility.

Some other notable ranking cities weren’t so positive. Laredo had the lowest giving ratio in the county, three times worse than Tulsa, Oklahoma, which had the highest giving ratio. Corpus Christi (No. 7 worst) and El Paso (No. 9 worst) also ranked low in “giving thanks.”

Fort Worth had the third-lowest number of pumpkin patches per capita, behind New York, New York (No. 1 lowest) and Jacksonville, Florida (No. 2 lowest). Houston (No. 4 worst) and Dallas (No. 5 worst) ranked low in safety and accessibility, and Corpus Christi had the second-lowest ranking for celebrations and traditions.

7 Texas cities in top 20 best places to go for Thanksgiving 2025

Here’s how cities in the Lone Star State landed in the overall rankings:

No. 1: San Antonio

• Total score: 65.70
• Celebrations & traditions rank: 9
• Affordability rank: 4
• Safety & accessibility rank: 58
• Giving thanks rank: 71
• Weather forecast rank: 2

No. 4: Dallas

• Total score: 62.32
• Celebrations & traditions rank: 2
• Affordability rank: 28
• Safety & accessibility rank: 96
• Giving thanks rank: 33
• Weather forecast rank: 9

No. 6: Irving

• Total score: 61.52
• Celebrations & traditions rank: 59
• Affordability rank: 12
• Safety & accessibility rank: 36
• Giving thanks rank: 8
• Weather forecast rank: 6

No. 7: Plano

• Total score: 60.96
• Celebrations & traditions rank: 78
• Affordability rank: 11
• Safety & accessibility rank: 8
• Giving thanks rank: 7
• Weather forecast rank: 23

No. 11: Corpus Christi

• Total score: 59.28
• Celebrations & traditions rank: 99
• Affordability rank: 8
• Safety & accessibility rank: 43
• Giving thanks rank: 94
• Weather forecast rank: 4

No. 12: Houston

• Total score: 59.26
• Celebrations & traditions rank: 8
• Affordability rank: 23
• Safety & accessibility rank: 97
• Giving thanks rank: 34
• Weather forecast rank: 19

No. 16: Austin

• Total score: 58.53
• Celebrations & traditions rank: 32
• Affordability rank: 7
• Safety & accessibility rank: 40
• Giving thanks rank: 70
• Weather forecast rank: 4

20 best places to go for Thanksgiving 2025

1. San Antonio, Texas
2. Atlanta, Georgia
3. Virginia Beach, Virginia
4. Dallas, Texas
5. Scottsdale, Arizona
6. Irving, Texas
7. Plano, Texas
8. Louisville, Kentucky
9. Las Vegas, Nevada
10. Chesapeake, Virginia
11. Corpus Christi, Texas
12. Houston, Texas
13. Tulsa, Oklahoma
14. Cincinnati, Ohio
15. Washington, DC
16. Austin, Texas
17. San Diego, California
18. Boston, Massachusetts
19. New York, New York
20. Miami, Florida

Nov 26, 2025