Just thinking, though, why do you have to go anywhere far away? Isn’t there just a really nice restaurant in your area that does a special Thanksgiving dinner? Maybe someplace that wouldn’t normally be in your budget, but you can splurge on it?
I just want to have a different time.
You can try the Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge Ternnessee area. Summer time it’s crowded but late fall it’s pretty much easier to get around. There is nearby Dollywood which IIRC opens back up for it’s Christmas lights festivals on Thanksgiving or that weekend.
One of the most beautiful and interesting places in the nation is Asheville, NC and the Smoky Mountains to the south. “Cold Mountain” and Cherokee territory. I don’t know if autumn leaves would still be on the forests at Thanksgiving, but the Blue Ridge parkway is spectacular, and Asheville has a wonderful history.
Same for Vicksburg, MS. Right on the Mississippi, with a rich history, Civil War battleground, grand old antebellum mansions.
I’ve visited both and would highly recommend either one.
Or Memphis and Nashville, for music. And Elvis!