For those of you not planning to leave Washington, DC for Thanksgiving there are no shortage of activities to attend. Many of you might be hosting friends or family from out of town, so here are some of our personal suggestions on things to do this Thanksgiving weekend.
There is no doubt hosting Thanksgiving dinner is not cheap, unfortunately if you decide to go out for dinner that night it might not be cheap either. Here are a couple places in the area that are offering Thanksgiving style meals for cheaper prices.
Clydes(various locations)- $25.95 adults and $15.95 children.
Cedar Knoll Inn(Alexandria)- $29.95 adults and $12 children (5-12)
Laporta’sRestaurant (Alexandria)- $29.99 per person
The Hamilton(DC)- $26 adult and $17 children under 10
Old Ebbitt Grill(DC)- $25.95 adult and $15.95 children
If you want to spend a little more here are additional options:
Gadsby’s Tavern(Alexandria)- $49 adults and $24.50 children
Willard Room(Willard Hotel, DC)- $99 adults and $35 children under 6-12, while those under 5 eat for free.
The Thanksgiving holiday isn’t just about food; there are also a variety of parades, shopping options, as well as other events you shouldn’t miss.
Parades:
Reston Town Center– Starting at 11am, the day after Thanksgiving, you’ll get a chance to see a variety of balloons and the Clauses in a Macy’s day style parade. There are a variety of other events that you can attend in the Reston Town Center that day as well.
Shopping:
We all know Friday is the infamous Black Friday, but don’t forget to show your support for the local stores in the area with Small Business Saturday (November 30th) either. There are more than a few ideas on shopping, from Tysons Corner Center to Fashion Centre at Pentagon City for larger malls to Old Town Alexandria and Georgetown if you’re looking for smaller shops. Check out the Old Town Boutique District in Alexandria, for a variety of options to satisfy your shopping needs. They provide a calendar of a variety of events from now through the holiday.
Santa Claus is coming to the DC area!
Friday, November 29th:
 
The City of Alexandria’s tree lighting ceremony will be held in the Historic Market Square at 6pm and will include performances by the Metropolitan Fine Arts Center.
The National Harbor Christmas tree lighting will be held from 5pm-7pm, which will also include fireworks over the some 20,000 lights that cover the tree.
Zoolights at the National Zoo beings at 5pm and runs to 9pm, with free admission to the yearly light display around the zoo.
Saturday, November 30th.
Every Saturday and Sunday, from Thanksgiving through Christmas, you can meet Santa at 210 N. Lee Street in Old Town Alexandria from 9am-4pm.
ICE began on November 15th and will run through January 5th, at National Harbor. You may be wondering what ICE is, and we were as well when we saw an ad for it last weekend. Imagine 5,000 blocks of ice hand-sculpted into a winter wonderland, the rest you’ll have to check out for yourself. It will get cold though, so dress accordingly.
This should get you started and into the holiday spirit, as Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas is ahead. Enjoy your hot chocolate and keep warm, because the season is just beginning.