Celebrating Thanksgiving in Charlotte

Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 26, 2009 and the Charlotte area offers a variety of ways to prepare for and spend the holiday.

Take a Cooking Class

The Ballantyne Resort and Spa's Executive Chef Kirk Gilbert provides a cooking class on site at the resort to prepare for a holiday feast. Learn culinary secrets and enjoy a delicious lunch with wine or paired beverages. This class costs $65 per person and takes place Saturday, Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. You must call to reserve a spot and they fill up quickly.

Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge
10000 Ballantyne Commons Parkway
Charlotte, North Carolina 28277
704-248-4100

Volunteer in the Community

Each year the Charlotte charity Loaves and Fishes hosts a Thanksgiving Food Drive. Members of the community can volunteer their time to the drive by picking up donated food items from area schools and churches or they can donate food items directly to one of the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantries located throughout the Charlotte area.

Take in a Parade

The annual Carolinas' Thanksgiving Day Parade is Charlotte's biggest and best parade of the year. The parade begins at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day at at Tryon at 9th St. in Uptown and turns left onto 3rd and ends between Davidson and McDowell on 3rd. If you're planning on making the trip Uptown for the parade, organizers suggest you ride CATS buses or the LYNX Blue Line to the Parade. Round-trip fare is only $3 for adults.

Run a Race

Charlotte's 20th annual Turkey Trot 8K race is run on Thanksgiving Day through SouthPark and also features a 1-Mile Fun Run, a 5k Walk and a Tot Trot.

Get Out of town

Biltmore's Christmas Candlelight Evenings
If you feel the need to leave town for Thanksgiving weekend you don't have to look very far. The Biltmore in Asheville, NC is approximately 130 miles from Charlotte and features Christmas Candlelight Evenings through January 2010.

Pinehurst Thanksgiving Package
The Pinehurst Resort is just 100 miles east of Charlotte and offers a Thanksgiving Package featuring craft workshops, Family Fairways golf clinics, and tennis clinics. Guests will feast on a traditional Thanksgiving meal and watch a special holiday concert performed by the North Carolina Symphony.

North Carolina Zoo
If you're looking for a daytime activity for the entire family, the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro is open on Thanksgiving Day.