For so many, Thanksgiving is one of their favorite American holidays.
There are lots of good reasons for this: the weather is beautiful, the leaves are falling, football is on, friends and family are around, and there’s plenty of delicious food to be eaten.
One other special event that many people can find in lots of cities and towns around the country is the Thanksgiving parade. So, before it’s time to dig in to the feast and turn on the big game (or take a nap), you might want to grab the family and head out to take in some of these parades.
Let’s take a look at some of the best, and most interesting, around the country.
New York City
© Bigstock Photo / andykatz
Of course, we couldn’t do any list of Thanksgiving parades without mentioning the most famous one of them all, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Held every year in New York City since 1927, this parade is most well known for the huge floats that go right down Broadway and to Central Park.
If you’re in New York City this time of year, you don’t want to miss it!
Fountain Hills
On the outer edge of suburban Phoenix, Arizona, you’ll find the town of Fountain Hills. Each year, on Thanksgiving they have a little twist on the traditional event, featuring the Parade of the Hills, with a different theme each year.
The parade features floats, cars, dance routines, marching bands, and even a Santa (plus more) that all feature the special theme of the year. The parade is relatively short, about an hour, but the surrounding area loves to get together and watch.
Houston
As they say, everything is bigger in Texas, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Houston’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is one of the best in the country.
Patrons who line the parade route will be treated to floats, balloons, and celebrity sightings, plus live entertainment and lots of marching bands.
Miami
© Bigstock Photo / CelsoDiniz
For everyone who loves to head south to escape the cold during the Holidays, Miami is hard to beat. So, if you still want to get that feel of fall, you don’t want to miss the North Miami Winternational Thanksgiving Parade.
This parade has been around for over 40 years and features a collection of professional floats, bands, entertainment and dance groups to keep people entertained all around the route.
Plymouth
While Plymouth, Massachusetts is no where near the size of many of the other places that have parades on this list, this town does have a very special distinction: it’s where the Pilgrims first landed in 1620!
Celebrate the landing of the Pilgrims and the very first Thanksgiving the weekend before the event with a full three-day event that includes tours, parades, and food markets.
These are some of our favorite Thanksgiving parades, now what about yours? Let us know what parades you love to attend in the comments!
