For some people Thanksgiving is one of the few chances they get to visit with out-of-town relatives. If you are reuniting with your favorite cousin, a nomadic uncle or just welcoming home your college-coed son this Thanksgiving, consider doing more than just sitting around the house gorging on goodies.
The long holiday weekend is the official kick-off to a number of seasonal activities, including ice-skating. Several outdoor rinks open to the public on Thanksgiving. In San Diego, where November temperatures often top 60 degrees, the outdoor Ice Arena is already open for business.
If you prefer snow to ice, then head to the slopes. A few ski resorts are already open, including Loveland and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, which opened last month with an 18-inch base of manufactured snow. Likewise, Alta in Utah opened to the public last week, as did Killington Resort in Vermont. Meanwhile, resorts in Aspen and Snowmass, Colorado expect to open to the public on Thanksgiving Day. According to the National Ski Areas Association, last season nearly 8% of visits nationally occurred before Christmas.
Eastern ski resorts are also offering fantastic deals to families looking to spend some serious bonding time on the slopes. Belleayre Mountain in Highmount, New York, about two and a half hours from New York City, plans to open the day after Thanksgiving. In addition, Michigan ski resorts such as Boyne Mountain will be offering family discounts to clans who make the trip up north this weekend.
Finally, if you would rather have your wisdom teeth pulled than have to spend hours shivering on the side of a snowy mountain, then consider heading to the Great White Way this holiday weekend. Broadway traditionally hosts a slew of out-of-town guests in the days following Thanksgiving. Tickets are still currently available for The American Plan, Avenue Q, Billy Elliot The Musical, Chicago, Grease, Gypsy, In The Heights, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins, The Phantom of the Opera, Shrek The Musical, The 39 Steps, Wicked, and Young Frankenstein, along with the long-running Off-Broadway hits Altar Boyz and Stomp.
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