Where should I go for Thanksgiving?

October 5, 2023 11:35 PM

I'm thinking of going away for Thanksgiving. Up to 3 hours drive from San Francisco with my shih tzu.

Where should we go? It must be 3 or fewer hours away by car and obviously dog friendly. I love taking him on walks and to the beach and parks but I'm not a huge hiker and not in amazing shape. I do not want to camp. I like really nice places to stay but it's not a dealbreaker if it's a more plain place as long as it's clean. Ideally somewhere that won't feel too lonely if it's just me and my pup for Thanksgiving so maybe more hotel than Airbnb? I'm not sure though. I've never spent Thanksgiving alone.

posted by bookworm4125 to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

My parents used to live in Sea Ranch, which is about an hour north of Bodega Bay on the coast. Tons of easy hiking and beach access. It is fairly remote, but I house/dog-sat a few times for my folks over the years and kinda loved it. If that's too remote, there are small towns like Bodega Bay, Gualala, and Point Arena that are also great. It may be late in the season to book Thanksgiving up at Sea Ranch since it's a favorite for holiday getaways, but worth a shot for sure.
posted by Molasses808 at 11:45 PM on October 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

You’ll find a lot of nice places with easy hikes and other people in and around Monterey, Carmel, and Big Sur.
posted by notyou at 5:04 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I love Sea Ranch, thanks! I should've specified I'm looking for specific places to stay that people have liked. Especially if you've actually gone during thanksgiving.
posted by bookworm4125 at 6:56 AM on October 6, 2023

We went to Fort Bragg for Thanksgiving one year. It was great. Weather was nice, hardly any tourists. Went on the Skunk Train, visited Mendocino for a day, saw the glass beach, checked out lighthouses, went to the movies, had Thanksgiving Day dinner at Denny's because it was open.

We stayed at the Noy Harbor Inn, which was quite nice and didn't break the bank. Don't know about dog friendly, though.
posted by mrphancy at 7:20 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]