Thanksgiving 2016 | KidFriendly DC

The Air & Space Museum and all of the Smithsonian Museums remain open on Thanksgiving!

How about a side of recreation to go with your Thanksgiving turkey? If you’re going to be in town for the holiday and looking for pre- or post-feast activities, here are some ways to complement the main event of the day. Happy Thanksgiving!

* Visit a Smithsonian museum or the National Zoo. They are all open on Thanksgiving from 10am – 5:30pm, except for the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery which are open 11:30am – 7pm. The National Gallery of Art (which is not part of the Smithsonian, just a neighbor on the Mall) is open, too, from 10am – 5pm.

* Experience Season’s Greenings at the U.S. Botanic Garden on opening day! Get an idea of what to expect in this post.

* Hang out at a playground. Hains Point, Clemyjontri, Watkins Regional Park, Beauvoir, Cabin John Regional Park, Wheaton Regional Park, plus loads of DC Parks and Rec locations, and many more in NoVa and Maryland are great places to play while you’re waiting for the feast.

* Get gliding and enjoy some active fun. You can skate under the sky at one of several ice rinks in the area that are open on the holiday. Find info for them here.

* Enjoy a holiday hike. For those who like to get out, it looks like it should be a pleasant Turkey Day this year. Rock Creek, Great Falls, Roosevelt Island, Huntley Meadows, Prince William Forest, Riverbend, and Turkey Run are all great parks for family tramping. This post has details on all of them along with even more recs for local walks in the woods.

* Go bowling. Pinstripes in Georgetown hosts Kids Bowling from 10am – 12pm, when ages 12 and under bowl for just $6 (and parents bowl free!). There is a locaton in Rockville, too. You can also hit the lanes at Lucky Strike in Penn Quarter, Bowlmor in Bethesda or Rockville, or Bowl America in several NoVa locations.

* Get into the holiday spirit at Christmas on the Potomac, the Gaylord National Resort’s spectacular seasonal attraction.

* Dance off the turkey dinner at the Kennedy Center. The evening’s free Millennium Stage performance features their annual Thanksgiving Day Swing with music by Josh Christina, an infectious blend of piano driven, high octane boogie-woogie and pop ’n’ roll. This all takes place from 5:30-8pm, and admission is free.

* Take an evening drive or stroll through a holiday light display — several in the area have started dazzling visitors with twinkling wonderlands.

Thanksgiving Made Easy and Delicious with Whole Foods Market

Do you need some help with your Thanksgiving feast? Perhaps you’ve been distracted by recent big events and haven’t even thought about preparing for it yet. Maybe you’re extra busy this time of year because, well, life can get really busy. Or you might just want to focus more on family and friends and have extra time to enjoy the many wonderful activities happening around DC over the holiday season.

Whatever the reason, Whole Foods Market can help make Thanksgiving easier. Offering already-prepped meals with all of the traditional dishes, the bulk of the work is done, so all you have to do is put the food in the oven and anticipate a wonderful feast!

I know from firsthand experience that it is one delicious dinner. A few evenings ago, I was invited to Whole Foods Market Fair Lakes for a wine tasting and dinner to learn about the market’s packaged meals for the holiday — in the tastiest way possible. After sampling their top reds, whites, and sparklings for the holidays, we feasted on a traditional dinner, which included the turkey, gravy, sage stuffing, homestyle mashed potatoes, organic cranberry orange relish, green beans with shallots, carrots, and sweet potatoes.

The first of my two big plates of the Traditional Turkey Dinner

Whole Foods Top 10 Wines for the holidays

Even better, the meal is not only scrumptious, it’s also an excellent deal: The Traditional Turkey Dinner serving 6-8 is just $89, and $169 serving 12-16. They also offer an Organic Turkey Dinner serving 6-8 for $99. On top of that, the wines they recommend are reasonably priced, ranging from $11.99 to about $30. (My favorite, the Camino Calixo Cava, was actually the least expensive one.)

The Traditional Turkey Dinner, packed and ready for your oven

Along with the tasting and feasting, there was also a tablescaping show by Williams Sonoma to inspire some Thanksgiving table decorating. This featured their Plymouth Dinnerware Collection with cute ceramic turkey tureens and other festive ware (psst… much of it is on sale right now!).

William Sonoma’s festive Thanksgiving table

Something I should note is that the turkey is not cooked! But it’s all seasoned and rubbed with herb butter on a bed of mirepoix and ready to go; you simply unwrap it and place in the oven for 3 to 4 hours to achieve a perfect, roasted bird.

All carved and ready to savor!

And if you’ve got the turkey down, but need some help with the sides, they are all available to order individually. You might even like an alternative to turkey, either to suite your preference or do something different for a holiday meal later in the season — they’ve got options for that, too. And speaking of holiday meals beyond Thanksgiving, if you place an order for one by November 22, you can get $10 off!

Ready to reserve your bird — and the rest of your Thanksgiving meal? Ordering is as simple as the meal prep will be. Go to www.wholefoodsmarket.com/shop, select your store, and place your order.

Easy as pie. (Speaking of, you can add that to your meal, too!)