Texas is the place to travel this Thanksgiving, with San Antonio topping WalletHub’s 2025 list of the best cities for the holiday.
Atlanta placed second and Virginia Beach third, followed by Dallas and Scottsdale to round out the top five. Texas packed the top 20 with seven cities making the cut: San Antonio, Dallas, Irving, Plano, Corpus Christi, Houston and Austin.
WalletHub compared the 100 most populous U.S. cities across five dimensions — Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions, affordability, safety and accessibility, giving thanks, and holiday weather — using 18 metrics graded on a 100-point scale. For select per-capita measures, analysts used the square root of population to prevent minor size differences from skewing results, and rankings reflect the city proper only.
Louisville, Kentucky; Las Vegas; Chesapeake, Virginia; and Corpus Christi, Texas, rounded out the top 10.
The study weighs practical factors like travel access and safety alongside costs and community generosity to help travelers find festive experiences without breaking the bank. WalletHub’s “Thanksgiving weather” component adds a timely nod to conditions that can make or break parade plans and outdoor gatherings.
