Nashville Hotels & Vacation Rentals for Thanksgiving

Chef Levon Wallace has designed a Thanksgiving menu that combines traditional 'meat and three vegetables' solidity with twists on classics. Locally foraged ingredients and a selection of different meats to choose from make this a strong contender. Take all the stress out of Thanksgiving and enjoy innovative flavors.

Head to Merchants if you need a quick fix of Thanksgiving dinner. Their first floor bistro will be serving special Thanksgiving plates from 11am. For those who prefer to book ahead and enjoy a sit-down Thanksgiving dinner, the second floor dining room opens at 2pm, and serves multi-course Thanksgiving dinners at reasonable prices.

Gastronomic adventurers should head to The Mockingbird come Thanksgiving. Roast turkey is re-imagined with Oxacan Stuffing, cranberry sauce, and cider gravy. Gratinated squashes and Apple Pandowdy and Bourbon Pie for dessert are tempting offerings at this well-priced restaurant.

For locally produced gifts and goods, head to Centennial Park. More than 200 vendors are waiting to welcome you with demonstrations and plenty of shopping opportunities. There is also a crafting tent where kids can learn to make their own gifts and play at the same time.

Worth attending simply for the sights, Historic Downtown Franklin is ideal if you prefer to avoid the crush of frenzied Black Friday crowds. Mosey in a leisurely fashion through 150 shops and restaurants supplying all manner of traditional goodies. Small Business Saturday is a celebration of localism and the best place to come if you are in search of one-offs, and handmade, sustainable goodies.

Nashville local and pop icon Taylor Swift was snapped enjoying a Thanksgiving stroll with actor Jake Gyllenhaal at Hillsboro Village. There are four blocks of pretty boutiques and quaint restaurants to explore, including the celebrity-approved coffee shop. Refuel with seasonal flapjacks from Pancake Pantry.

Celebrate Nashville-style this Thanksgiving. Musicians Corner will be producing three family-orientated concerts showcasing a range of genres this Thanksgiving. Centennial Park is also the destination for 60,000 attendees to the Celebration of our Cultures Thanksgiving festival, which brings together more than fifty local cultures for music and dance performances, yet another marketplace, and international food vendors.

Live music is also the focus of this family festival. Expect inflatable lawn games, an obstacle course, scavenger hunts, face painting, and a balloon artist. Get your costume ready for the pageant, try your hand at some arts and crafts, or paint a pumpkin. There are also storytime sessions that integrate local history and a fleet of packed food trucks to enjoy.

This classic Nashville resort is transformed by a swathe of sparkling Christmas lights come the holiday season. Kids will be entertained by costumed characters. There are a plethora of scrumptious feasts on offer at restaurants in the resort, and entertainments in nearby Opry Mills like 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!' the musical, and 'The Nutcracker.' ICE! Arctic Plunge tubing, ice skating, and gingerbread decorating will enthral little ones.