Austin is among the top 20 best cities to visit for Thanksgiving, a new report has declared. Even better, when scoring the costs of dining out at a well-liked restaurant and staying in a hotel during the Thanksgiving holiday, Austin landed at No. 3 nationally.
Experts at personal finance website WalletHub examined the 100 largest U.S. cities using 18 relevant metrics to determine the best places to "gobble up Thanksgiving festivities at a reasonable price." Cities were also ranked across five main categories: celebrations and traditions; affordability; safety and accessibility; weather forecast; and a "giving thanks" rank.
The top three best places to visit for Thanksgiving are Dallas (No. 1), Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2), and San Antonio (No. 3). This is the first time Dallas has landed in the top spot; the city previously ranked No. 4 in 2025.
Austin, meanwhile, ranked 19th nationally for 2026 after ranking 16th previously in 2025.
Out of the five main categories, Austin performed best on the affordability list. The city also ranked 4th for its favorable weather forecast over the holiday weekend.
Here's how the city ranked in the four remaining categories:
- No. 32 – Celebrations and traditions
- No. 52 – Safety and accessibility
- No. 78 – Giving thanks
"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.
Other Texas cities that earned spots on the list include Plano (No. 12), Arlington (No. 17), Austin (No. 19), Lubbock (No. 28), Corpus Christi (No. 36), Fort Worth (No. 47), Irving (No. 55), Garland (No. 67), Laredo (No. 71), and El Paso (No. 80).
The top 10 best places to go for Thanksgiving in 2026 are:
- No. 1 – Dallas
- No. 2 – Atlanta, Georgia
- No. 3 – San Antonio
- No. 4 – Louisville, Kentucky
- No. 5 – Las Vegas
- No. 6 – Scottsdale, Arizona
- No. 7 – Houston
- No. 8 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
- No. 9 – Boston
- No. 10 – Chesapeake, Virginia
