Chicago Makes the List of America's Cheapest Thanksgiving Trips

Thanksgiving is a tradition typically about getting together with family, eating and maybe drinking too much, and watching a bit of football.

For some, though, it's a great reason to get away for a minute. If you're looking to get away for Thanksgiving without blowing all the money you've been saving for the holidays, there's a surprisingly affordable option right here in Illinois.

Chicago Named One of America's Cheapest Thanksgiving Getaways

Travel + Leisure used Kayak to compare flight and hotel prices and find ten destinations where round-trip airfare and one hotel night would cost less than $650.

Kind of a surprise, but Chicago landed at No. 9 with a combined airfare and hotel price of $616. That's more expensive than Orlando at $529 and Nashville at $590, but still good enough to make the top ten.

people walking on street near high rise buildings during daytime — Photo by Andrew Valdivia on Unsplash

Things to Do in Chicago During Thanksgiving

Chicago is certainly not the first place people think of when you hear "cheap vacation," but compared to other major US cities, it works.

Chicago offers plenty to do that makes it an attractive, albeit a bit colder, option for Thanksgiving, with a parade, Christkindlmarket, and ZooLights among the highlights.

Why Chicago Makes an Easy Thanksgiving Trip From Rockford

For us in Rockford, since we're driving instead of flying, we can skip the airfare altogether, but parking in Chicago could potentially make up the difference.

Personally, I don't think I've ever really gone anywhere during Thanksgiving, but since it seems cheaper than I've ever considered traveling on Turkey Day, maybe it's time for a new tradition.

IN PHOTOS: 100 Years of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Stacker curated a selection of photographs from the past century of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to help illustrate the history of the iconic event.

Gallery Credit: Stacker