Making Thanksgiving Traditions in Connecticut Last Updated 11/18
Photo: Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, Wethersfield
Thanksgiving is about coming together with family or friends. And in Connecticut, we’ve got all kinds of ways to make the holiday even more special, from farm-raised foods to community events, to honoring Native American traditions. Here are a few ideas for celebrating Thanksgiving in Connecticut.
Farm to Your Table
Making the Thanksgiving meal for two or twenty? Start with local ingredients from one of these great Connecticut farms, including turkeys (be sure to order ahead). Find a farm near you on this list of Connecticut farms and farm stands.
- Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm, Sterling
- Gozzi’s Turkey Farm, Guilford
- Clark Farms at Bushy Hill Orchard, Granby, for fresh produce and fresh baked pies
- Holmberg Orchards, Gales Ferry, for wine, cider, vegetables and more
- Silverman’s Farm in Easton, pies, baked treats, local honey and syrups
- Maple Bank Farm, Roxbury, for potatoes, acorn and butternut squash and more
Serving wine? Find perfect pairings along the Connecticut Wine Trail.
Let Someone Else Do the Cooking
Here are just a handful of the many restaurants around Connecticut that are open for Thanksgiving. Be sure to call for reservations and times.
A Little Less Traditional
These places put a spin on the traditional holiday meal.
- Bear's Smokehouse in Hartford and Windsor offers take-out options, including whole smoked turkeys, smoked glazed hams, brisket and baby back ribs.
- Madison Beach Hotel in Madison offers a Thanksgiving brunch from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m
- Millwright's Restaurant in Simsbury is offering a three course prix fixe dinner with a family-style dessert plate.
Authentic Native American Thanksgiving
For a memorable experience that’s a little earlier in November, The Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center hosts a very special Native Thanksgiving Buffet Dinner on Saturday, November 17, 2018 from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Reservations are required.
Work off the Calories
From running a race to getting in an early visit to Santa, here are some other ways you and your family and friends can have a memorable Thanksgiving in Connecticut.
- The weekend before Thanksgiving, cheer on the bands and the balloons at the Stamford Downtown Parade Spectacular in Stamford on Sunday November 18.
- On Thanksgiving morning, the 82nd Manchester Road Race takes over Manchester with thousands of runners, some in costume. Sign up early, or cheer from the sidelines!
- Visiting Mystic Seaport is a great way to entertain your out-of-town guests. And later that weekend, you can take the whole gang to watch the Mystic’s Holiday Lighted Boat Parade.
- All aboard! Take a post-Thanksgiving journey on the Santa Special with the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat.
- Meet the turkeys who made it through Thanksgiving at Roaring Brook Nature Center’s Turkey Daze, Friday November 23–Sunday November 25 in Canton.
- Get a head start on holiday celebrating at the Greenwich Reindeer Festival & Santa’s Village, November 23–December 24.