Last Thanksgiving was absolutely gruesome, due to my brother-in-law walking out on my sister as she was trying to get her three-year-old and a number of prepared dishes into the car to drive to my dad's house, which is normally a five or ten minute journey. Long story short, we wound up eating cold food an hour after scheduled, without my brother-in-law, with all of the adults tense, my 14-year-old upset, and my nephew wild, giddy, cranky and throwing silverware. I'm not up for a repeat. I will get away with not repeating if I schedule a vacation (it would be even better if we could get Dad to come with us too, but that's a separate battle).

I can't think of anything besides Colonial Williamsburg, which we've been to this year. Likely candidates need to be within a 5 hour drive of Philadelphia, cheap over a holday weekend (ideally under a hundred a night, although that's situational, and also negotiable depending on any included goodies), and reasonably festive. I know most things get more expensive on Black Friday, but we'd likely check out and drive home on Thanksgiving night.

Why not consider a drive up through the catskills to Cooperstown Baseball hall of Fame... small villages, lots of fall character, roadside eateries, and a destination that gives you a look at the history of Baseball...

Are there any of the places out in Amish country that would do what you want?

Within 5 hours?
I'd head over to Fallingwater -
http://www.fallingwater.org/14/traveler%e2%80%99s-guide

Is that something your dad would be interested in?
They are closed on Thanksgiving Day, but you could go the day before.

Their website recommend the Summit Inn and the Seven Springs Mountain resort
http://www.fallingwater.org/17/lodging-and-food
http://www.summitinnresort.com/index.php?id=1
but they are other hotels on the way

You could make it a road trip - stop by Gettysburg if dad would be interested in that

Have Thanksgiving lunch in the mountains or in Amish country on the way back. Maybe a splurge lunch at Nemacolin?
Here are options from last year -
http://www.insidelaurelhighlands.org...giving-dinner/

Or, closer to home maybe New Hope PA?

Cooperstown is a thought. It's a longish drive, but Dad could possibly be talked into it. Fallingwater is also longish, and probably kind of a budget buster, since we priced it out this summer and were really kind of astounded by what it was coming up to, with likely hotels and admission. Amish country isn't a terrible idea either, but we're doing it next weekend as a day trip, and we've been a fair amount. I should add that we really don't have all weekend, and leaving Thanksgiving night was not just a budgetary concern, since I have to be at work on Friday.

What about Chincoteaque Island?
A two bed room is less than $100 at the Hampton Inn?

Is there anything open on Chincoteague? We like it, but I'm thinking off season on a holiday weekend it'll be closed up tighter than a drum.

They are hosting the Assateague Island Waterfowl Weekend so I imagine there's something for the folks coming -
http://www.virginia.org/site/descrip...p?attrid=23579

http://www.chincoteaguechamber.com/e...dule-of-events
also a show and auction. November 26-27, 2010
24th Annual Deborah Waterfowl Show/Auction
Carvers and artists display for competition and sale.

At the top of my list would be a boat ride to see the horses -
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio..._Virginia.html

My favorite times to visit Hilton Head Island and Jekyll Island are in the winter. I just thought it might fit your description - a unique place to see, within your distance parameters and something your father may enjoy too.

Emerald Isle in NC might be too far but the beach house we rented one Thanksgiving week was a bargain. Cheaper than a hotel but we have 4 bedrooms and a block or so from the beach. One thing that happened that weekend that might in another coastal and closer area is a Christmas boat parade.

We enjoyed the quiet time and exploring an area new to us. Another Thanksgiving weekend we were near Havre de Grace MD and attended a Christmas play. Some communities have a lot of Thanksgiving weekend activities.

I was enchanted by November_moon's trip report -
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...rip-report.cfm

They stayed in a VRBO cottage. Here's one for $75/ night with great reviews -
http://www.vrbo.com/269853

Since you'll have a kitchen, stop on the way in and buy stuff to cook a small TDay meal...or create a new tradition and cook something non-traditional or do a picnic basket of turkey sandwiches with your favorite sides and go out and have a picnic!

Who knows? It may become a new (happier) tradition.

Well I'll ask the obvious question, why do you have to go away? What's wrong with just deciding to do dinner in a restaurant & attend some special activities? http://www.uwishunu.com/2009/11/than...tution-center/
Or is the idea to avoid spending it with sis/b-i-l?

What about New Hope/Lambertville? What about coming to NYC for the parade? Gettysburg? Annapolis?

We did a Thanksgiving trip to Mystic, CT one year. It rained but we had fun.

You want to pack everybody in the family up other then your sister, her husband and their bratty child for thanksgiving 'weekend' while actually returning home on a thursday, thanksgiving night? so thanksgiving weekend has nothing to do with anything since you will be home? And that is ganna be less hurtful to your sister? nothing about any of this makes sense.

Come up to Boston...it'll be chilly though. But you can have Thanksgiving dinner at Plimouth Plantation. http://plimoth.org/dining-functions/...giving-dining/

Okay, every family is different, but in MY family, you will get a pass on all kinds of things if you have a "vacation" planned, as opposed to just not feeling like showing up. My other sister has dealt with Thanksgiving in this manner for years. Also I work retail and have a screwy schedule, so my Thanksgiving "weekend" is Tuesday-Thursday. I have had this schedule for years, and everyone in the family is familiar with it, so there's nothing odd about my wanting to be home Thursday night.

It'll be obvious that there's some degree of avoidance going on, but last year was particularily awful, and for reasons no-one has ever entirely figured out, we do not do Thanksgiving well. Christmas is usually fine, and we can generally manage other family occasions, but Thanksgiving is problematic. Nor is my sister likely to be traumatised by our taking my father out of her hair for a holiday, IF we can get him to go, since this will let her spend a quiet holiday at home without worrying about meat-eaters or (hopefully) her husband getting squirrelly. He's notoriously anti-social, and it was quite possibly the idea of a family meal with the gang that set him off last year.

Chester County, PA; Longwood Gardens & surrounding area; usually have events (both indoor & outside) year round.

Gettysburg is most definitely on the table, as is CW (possibly with a fairly large complement of family, but no BIL). We are hoping to talk Dad into the Thanksgiving Harvest Feast at Cock n' Bull Tavern in Peddler's Village, although he would have to travel for it (stiil with a lot of family, but probably not BIL). It has been decided by all, that whatever we do, whether alone or together, not at home is probably the best strategy.

Hope you land in a happy place to truly feel a sense of calm and thanksgiving. Funny most people I know love Thanksgiving and hate Christmas. To them it is stressfree cooking and football, whereas the winter holidays are filled with boxes and bows and presents and decorating and ~ well I guess your holidays are like a glass of eggnog, half filled. Goodluck, everyone deserves a holiday away.

Well, nobody really likes football, and since it's a really traditional menu you can't play with it the way you can with Christmas menus (and any attempts to do so have been almost as disastrous as last year was). We have had many post-mortems over the years trying to figure out why Thanksgiving is relatively unsuccessful, and the closest anyone has come is positing that there is more cooking, less drinking, and no tree and presents to distract people. We're hoping to come up with something that works for everyone this year.

Round 2.

We actually didn't do too badly last year, since the sister who usually escapes decided to be part of it since she had a new baby, and my BIL was left at home to have a quiet Thanksgiving playing war games on line while we all went to a restaurant.

This year the escaping sister is on a cruise and the other one would be delighted if we went away, especially if we took my father with us. Taking Dad with us is the sticky point. We will cheerfully take him anywhere he wants to go, but he is 83 and a bit fussy. We had Newport/Mystic, Florida, Colonial Williamsburg, and Hershey, PA on the table.

Dad does not want to go to Florida or Hershey. He is thinking about the other two. He also said he has ideas, but hasn't told me what they are yet. We are taking bets on whether it involves Canada and/or trains, since both of these things come up every time he suggests a vacation.

We all have passports, and we are willing to fly, but would kind of prefer not to. We are looking at leaving on the evening of Mon. 11/21 and returning Thanksgiving night. We're trying to keep costs to a dull roar, and I am a little wary of city breaks since I think a lot of things are likely to be closed.

Suggestions?