Thanksgiving is fast-approaching, but yams, football, and distant cousins aren’t for everyone. Whether you can’t make it home to your family for this year’s feast or simply despise the holiday, there are countless other activities to make this time memorable. Here are six alternative ways to feel thankful without a gravy boat.
See also: These Miami Staples Are Honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month With Unique Offerings
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Skip the yams and gravy this Thanksgiving and experience Cochon555’s Heritage Fuego. On November 20, the Biltmore Miami will be hosting an afternoon filled with Miami’s top chefs and finest flavors. Guests will experience a one-of-a-kind tasting experience of a wide variety of the city’s best heritage meats. Ticket holders will receive an all-inclusive pass for uninterrupted dining paired with a large selection of free-flowing, quality wines. Be sure to stay around for the crowning of the Prince or Princess of meat while you enjoy the menus of extravagant dessert stations. The event is open to VIP ticket holders at 5 p.m. and GA holders at 5:45 p.m. Get your tickets here.
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Bring a blanket and a bucket of popcorn to Miami’s favorite lawn, Soundscape park, and enjoy a movie under the stars. The city’s SoundScape Cinema Series is back for its 13th season, and you don’t want to miss out on their 7,000-square-foot projection wall. Each film screening begins at 8 p.m. and is free to the public, so there is no need to purchase a ticket in advance. With a mission of connecting the community through the art of cinema, this is a perfect place that will have anyone feeling thankful for Miami’s remarkable people and culture. During the holiday week, the cinema series will host a screening of The Mitchells vs. the Machines on November 16 and Addams Family Values on November 30.
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A good thing about skipping Thanksgiving is that the holiday falls in the month of Miami Entertainment Months. October through November, Miami hotels, restaurants, and theaters pay tribute to the Magic City’s vibrant locals and lifestyle by hosting various events and activities for visitors and seasoned Miamians to discover everything entertaining. If you’re a theater fan, there’s a variety of performing arts offered: Floyd Nation: Experience Pink Floyd, Thee Phantom & The Illharmonic Orchestra, Miami City Ballet: Romeo and Juliet (code GMCVB for savings), and Miami New Drama: Elián. In addition to events, Miami Entertainment Week has promotional discounts, BOGO deals, and more here.
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Why should tourists have all the fun? With the busy hustle and bustle of everyone’s daily lives, use your days off by taking a staycation where most people vacation. Check yourself into one of Miami’s luxurious hotels and treat yourself to a guest experience. Whether you decide to tan by the pool or get pampered in the spa, use the time to relax and reset. During Miami Entertainment Months, many hotels are offering luxury packages for a reduced price. Escape to the oasis of Miami’s serene hotel, The Setai, as the resort provides a two-night Fall for the Setai experience this Autumn. Guests can enjoy signature Setai Coconuts and a daily grand Breakfast at Jaya with classic breakfast dishes. Come nighttime, Setai provides complimentary transportation to nearby entertainment venues, or stay in-house for their Asian Night Bazaar at Jaya, where your dining experience is complemented by aerial acrobats, contortionists, and fire dancers.
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You’re never without family if your friends are around. Invite your family that you’ve chosen over to your place for a Friendsgiving filled with laughter, food, and conversations you just can’t have with grandma at the table. Practicing gratitude for the people in your life you see all the time is something we sometimes forget to do, so tell your friends how much you love and appreciate them this fall while you all figure out exactly how you’re supposed to stuff a turkey. Get some tips for hosting the perfect Friendsgiving here.
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If you are a through-and-through Thanksgiving hater just waiting until people stop talking about mashed potatoes, hop right into the Christmas spirit the following day at Miami’s iconic Deering Estate. Beginning November 25, Deering Estate will take it back to the glitz and glamor of the 1920s through its holiday decorations and music. In celebration of the building of their Stone House in 1922, rooms will be decorated for the holiday season as they were envisioned in the early twentieth century. Transport yourself from turkeys to Christmas in the Golden Age at this magical display of vintage accents and furnishings.
Photography by: Courtesy alvarez/Getty
