Payless Car Rental Blog

Thanksgiving is traditionally a time when families gather to enjoy a huge turkey dinner with all the trimmings followed by pumpkin pie and an afternoon snooze. If you are looking to break the routine, there are some great places to enjoy Thanksgiving doing something a little different. As Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday it is easy to make it a long weekend break, incorporating a little Black Friday shopping too! Most of our Payless stores will be open for service during the Thanksgiving holidays. Here are some popular Thanksgiving travel destinations where we have Payless locations in.

Thanksgiving in San Francisco

Not only does San Francisco have great restaurants offering Thanksgiving favorites, you may want to join in the Turkey Trail Trot in Golden Gate Park. The 5-mile Turkey Trot run is guaranteed to burn 600 calories, the 3-mile Pilgrim Promenade amble should shed 300 calories and the Kids 100-meter Gobbler Chase should burn up all of 8 calories!

Another San Francisco Thanksgiving tradition is the engagement ceremony on Golden Gate Bridge itself. Those who say “Yes” have to chain a lock to the bridge and throw away the key, symbolizing a locked relationship forever.

If you’re staying in San Francisco, choose a hotel near Union Square to get a head start on all those bargains on Black Friday at Macy’s and other upmarket stores. Later, Ghirardelli Square hosts the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony with Christmas carolers, stilt walkers and of course free Ghirardelli chocolate.

Thanksgiving in Atlanta

If your Atlanta turkey dinner is weighing heavy, there are miles of hiking trails to walk it off. The scenic Silver Comet Trail is 13 miles northwest of Atlanta. Bring your roller blades and the dog and enjoy the fall colors.

Atlanta hosts a Marathon and Half-Marathon through downtown Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day, or go ice skating in Centennial Olympic Park which is decorated with a dazzling display of colored lights.

Thanksgiving in Denver

Those celebrating Thanksgiving in Denver will find plenty of venues offering family brunch or more traditional turkey fare. Everyone will enjoy Denver’s parks and zoo and the Children’s Museum offers plenty of hands-on activities to entertain and amuse.

Winter sports enthusiasts can drive an hour or so northwest to Winter Park Resort which offers 3,000 acres of snow-covered terrain for skiing, snowboarding and other exciting winter sports.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend the “Nutcracker” ballet opens at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and on Sunday the Denver Broncos vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game is held at Invesco Field. Add to that Denver’s great reputation as a shopping city, with the downtown Denver Pavilions and the upscale Cherry Creek Mall and you have the perfect destination for a happy Thanksgiving.