Illinois is home to one of the best towns for Thanksgiving celebrations, magazine says

Meredith Howard
·3 min read

Two Missouri cities and a town in Illinois were recently named among “The 35 Best Thanksgiving Towns in America” by Country Living.

The holiday falls Nov. 23 this year, and it should be sunny with a high of 59 degrees Fahrenheit in Belleville, AccuWeather reported as of Thursday.

More than 55 million Americans are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, auto club AAA projects, and while many will visit family in their hometowns, others may be looking for a getaway destination.

Here’s the spots Country Living magazine considers the best Thanksgiving destinations in Illinois, Missouri and across the U.S.

Thanksgiving in St. Louis

St. Louis snagged the 20th spot in Country Living’s ranking. The magazine cited Ameren’s Thanks-for-Giving Parade as a reason to visit the city for the holiday.

The parade will begin at 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Day and will feature more than 120 “parade units,” including marching bands, floats and displays, dance groups and more.

The event takes place on Market Street in downtown St. Louis, beginning near Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark and ending near Stifel Theatre.

Galena, Illinois

This northwest Illinois town is known for its historic Main Street, wineries, bed-and-breakfasts and scenic trails. Country Living put Galena in the 27th spot for best Thanksgiving destinations.

This Thanksgiving weekend, local business owners will host a holiday kick-off at 5 p.m. Nov. 25. The event will feature Mr. and Mrs. Claus and a tree lighting, along with a contest for decorated Jeeps in the parade.

Galena is located about 5 hours and 30 minutes from Belleville by car. The town was also a favorite of Country Living for its recent feature on best U.S. small towns for fall foliage. Galena was ranked 16 of 55 in that feature.

Hermann, Missouri

This small Missouri town, which Country Living named the second best Thanksgiving destination in the country, is known for its wineries and German heritage.

There’s no shortage of festive events this year in Hermann, including a Children’s Lantern Parade Nov. 24, a Christmas concert and market Nov. 25 and a Holiday House Tour Dec. 2.

Hermann is located about an hour and 45 minutes from Belleville by car.

Not to miss on accolades, Hermann and Galena were also named among the most “beautiful” small towns in the U.S. earlier this year by Travel and Leisure magazine.

Full list of “Best Thanksgiving Towns”

Here’s Country Living’s ranking of the best 35 Thanksgiving destinations for 2023:

  1. Charlottesville, Va.

  2. Hermann, Mo.

  3. Lambertville, N.J.

  4. Lake Placid, N.Y.

  5. Portsmouth, N.H.

  6. Santa Barbara, Calif.

  7. Canterbury, N.H.

  8. Leavenworth, Wash.

  9. Hawley, Pa.

  10. Park City, Utah

  11. Killington, Vt.

  12. Georgetown, Colo.

  13. New York City

  14. New Paltz, N.Y.

  15. Winterset, Iowa

  16. Long Beach, Calif.

  17. Grapevine, Texas

  18. Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, Mass.

  19. Savannah, Ga.

  20. St. Louis

  21. Estes Park, Colo.

  22. Greenbrier Valley, W.Va.

  23. Fredericksburg, Texas

  24. Kennebunkport, Maine

  25. Williamsburg, Va.

  26. Wareham, Mass.

  27. Galena, Ill.

  28. Pawhuska, Okla.

  29. Arlington, Texas

  30. Gatlinburg, Tenn.

  31. Mountain View, Ark.

  32. Laurel, Miss.

  33. Kiawah Island, S.C.

  34. Oaks, Penn.

  35. Key West, Fla.