10 Unique Ways To Spend Thanksgiving with Friends This Fall

Thanksgiving is all about gathering around a table of hearty food and letting the good times roll. But, this year, consider switching things up by indulging in a food tour instead. This way, you’ll be able to experience the city around you, learn about new eateries, and sample a bit of everything all at once.

Large cities such as Los Angeles and New York City that are famously associated with eclectic restaurants and popular food trends make excellent locations for food tours ... but you can find a food tour just about anywhere in the country.

Let someone else do the cooking while you and your friends kick back and relax on a dinner cruise, taking Instagram-worthy photos and admiring the fall views. The best part about opting for dinner on a boat is you can sip Champagne and experience fine dining ... with no dirty dishes afterward.

New Orleans is the ideal place to start your search, as the city offers a unique steamboat cruise with a buffet-style dinner, live jazz music, and the option to have a personal VIP host who will cater to you and your friends all night. However, many dinner cruises can be found across the country. Chin chin!

There’s no reason to end the spooky festivities on October 31—and Thanksgiving is only a month after Halloween anyway. Plus, getting frightened together helps people bond (apparently). Savannah, Georgia—quite possibly one of the most haunted cities in the US—is the perfect destination for a supernatural getaway.

Here, you can tour some of the city's most haunted locations and hear the spine-chilling stories that make them so eerie. If you can't make it to Savannah, broaden your search to other spooky locales across the US. It will definitely beat having a scary movie marathon on the couch after a Friendsgiving potluck.

Related: Haunted Savannah: A Spooky City Guide to Savannah

Friends who like to see all the sights on a tight timeline will especially enjoy a Segway tour. When you explore a city such as Nashville on a Segway, for instance, you can see major landmarks including the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Tennessee State Capitol, and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in just minutes.

This is great for your first visit to any city and will generate plenty of laughs as you and your friends put your balance skills to the test. If Segways aren’t your thing, opt for an e-bike tour around locations such as Lake Mead in Nevada.

Going on a kayaking trip is a great way to build team-working skills. Make the trip even more exciting by picking a route (or tour) that will take you through stands of gold, orange, and red trees so you can admire seasonal foliage as you paddle. (The adventure will also help you work up an appetite for a post-Friendsgiving meal.)

For a trip you and your friend(s) will always remember, consider a guided kayaking tour in Alaska that takes you past the Tongass National Forest and catch a glimpse of bald eagles, seals, salmon, and perhaps even some whales.

Related: 9 Incredible Leaf-Peeping Trips That Aren’t in New England

If your friends prefer adrenaline to turkey, ditch dinner and head out to do something more exciting, such as ziplining through the jungles of Maui, where you’ll see miles of lush greenery as you fly through the air. (If Maui's a little far flung for you, you can also keep your search closer to home.)

Or, if you’d prefer a thrillseeking adventure within reach of the ground, try a 4WD excursion instead. And for really stunning views (and extra thrills) consider going off-roading in Moab, where you can follow an experienced guide over sandstone domes and slickrock ledges.

To start the festivities early, begin your Friendsgiving dinner with a little wine tasting. Whether you’re into chardonnay, zinfandel, or pinot noir, heading to Napa Valley—California’s most famous wine region—can make for an unforgettable experience.

Not a wine person? There are plenty of brewery tours all across the nation, including one in Chicago that takes you to some of the city’s most unique joints inside a barrel-shaped bus. But no matter what your preference, you and all your friends will be in good spirits by the time dinner rolls around (pardon the pun).

Friends passionate about historical happenings will enjoy taking a tour that expands their knowledge. Thankfully, Thanksgiving offers the perfect opportunity to explore a different part of American history from the typical Plymouth Rock story.

Cities such as Philadelphia offer many tours that shed light on the country’s early days pre- and post-Constitution: This Black history–focused walking tour passes by some of the city’s most recognizable attractions, including Independence Hall, Liberty Bell Center, and Congress Hall. So, save the turkey for later and instead spend the day digging into stories of the nation's past and the people who helped pave the way.

What better way to celebrate a holiday with friends than making a keepsake to use year-round? Most people plan Thanksgiving dinner weeks in advance, but few give much thought to the plates on which dinner will be served. This year, plan a clay date with your closest friends and create your own dishware that can be used for many more Thanksgiving feasts to come. Hands-on experiences, such as this pottery class in Ojai, offer demonstrations and all of the necessary equipment so you and your crew can feel confident creating your own clay pieces.

Celebrate with the ones that have lifted you at your lowest and helped you reach new heights by flying above it all, together. Whether you’re looking for aerial views of autumn leaves or want to fly high over colorful city lights, getting a better vantage point of striking cities such as Las Vegas lets you get a new perspective on your city, whether you’re visiting for the first time or you’re a longtime local.

But if flashy lights aren’t your thing, Las Vegas in particular offers plenty of daytime helicopter tours that head for the Grand Canyon, including options with aerial views of the natural wonder from a luxury helicopter.