Things To Do

Thanksgiving in Miami: Where to Eat, Give and Celebrate

Date Published

Illustration of a Thanksgiving in Miami table with turkey, palm trees and holiday lights

At a glance

  • When: Fourth Thursday of November, with the holiday season starting that weekend
  • Where: Downtown Miami, Brickell, Coconut Grove and Overtown, plus North Miami and South Miami-Dade
  • Cost: Free to pay-per-person; restaurant prices vary, check each official site
  • Best for: Dinner reservations, giving back, and holiday lights the day after

Thanksgiving in Miami is a warm-weather holiday: dinner at a restaurant that posts its own holiday menu, a morning of volunteering, and a long weekend when the lights, gardens and farm festivals switch on. The big annual parade is in North Miami, a separate city next door, while inside Miami the action is meals, charities and the first holiday-season openings.

This guide is grouped by when things happen: Thursday morning, the meal, and the long weekend. Every pick below was checked against its own official website. Exact times change every year, so we describe what usually returns and put this year's dates in one labelled section.

How we chose

We only included places whose official sites were live and, where we say so, that posted something specific about Thanksgiving or the holiday season. Places we could not confirm are left out. Where a pick sits outside the City of Miami, we say so plainly.

What happens on Thursday morning?

Thursday morning in Miami usually means giving or a parade. Two Miami charities post Thanksgiving-season ways to help, and a parade just north of the city line is the traditional morning outing.

The Caring Place (Miami Rescue Mission), NW 50th Street

The Caring Place, operated by Miami Rescue Mission, is at 3553 NW 50th Street, Miami. Its website, caringplace.org, runs a Thanksgiving donation banner pegging one Thanksgiving meal at $2.70, which is the kind of number worth passing on: a few dollars covers a plate. It also lists a Thanksgiving Outreach event, and volunteer sign-up and donations are both open on the site. Pick this if you want to give money or time on your own schedule.

Touching Miami with Love, Overtown

Touching Miami with Love, at 711 NW 6th Avenue in Historic Overtown, Miami, lists an Overtown Thanksgiving Dinner and asks for volunteers on its site, touchingmiamiwithlove.org. The dinner has been scheduled before Thanksgiving Day itself, so check the date and book your shift early.

Bigger operations: Feeding South Florida

Feeding South Florida at feedingsouthflorida.org takes volunteers and donations for the region, though its main warehouse is at 2501 SW 32nd Terrace in Pembroke Park, in Broward County, outside Miami-Dade. Plan on a drive north if you sign up for a warehouse shift.

The parade just north: North Miami

The City of North Miami, a separate city from Miami, holds its WinterNational Thanksgiving Day Parade along NE 125th Street, usually on Thanksgiving morning. The route runs from NE 6th Avenue to NE 12th Avenue, with the main stage at North Miami City Hall, 776 NE 125th Street, where seating is limited. The parade has been going for more than half a century: the city celebrated its 50th edition as a Golden Jubilee. Details are on the City of North Miami parade page.

What about turkey trots?

Turkey trots are a Thanksgiving-morning habit across Miami-Dade, but we could not find an official organizer page confirming one for this year, so none is listed here. Register only through the race organizer's own site, never a resale listing.

Where can you eat Thanksgiving dinner in Miami?

Two Miami restaurants post Thanksgiving menus on their own sites, and both are the kind of room where you reserve early.

Hutong Miami, Brickell

Hutong Miami at 600 Brickell Avenue, Brickell, posts a Thanksgiving Specials menu that it serves on Thanksgiving Day only. It is a list of priced holiday dishes rather than a set menu, and the showpiece is a Flaming Peking Turkey for the table. Order that instead of the regular menu: it is the one thing the kitchen builds the day around. See the Thanksgiving Specials page and reserve early.

Ariete, Coconut Grove

Ariete at 3540 Main Highway in Coconut Grove, Miami, posts a family-style Thanksgiving menu served from 4 pm to 8 pm. The menu on its site lists $125 per adult and $65 per child, before tax and gratuity, but it does not show a year, so confirm the current menu at arietecoconutgrove.com before you book. On a regular week Ariete is typically open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday and closed Monday and Tuesday.

Ordering in: Joe's Stone Crab

Joe's Stone Crab at 11 Washington Avenue is in Miami Beach, a separate city across the bay. Its site, joesstonecrab.com, carries a Thanksgiving Orders link for holiday take-home orders. We could not read the details, so check the order page for what is offered and when to pick up.

If your favourite neighborhood spot posts nothing about the holiday, call before assuming it is open on Thursday.

What opens on the long weekend?

The weekend after Thanksgiving is when Miami flips to holiday mode, and the best of it is outdoors.

Miami Book Fair, Downtown Miami

Miami Book Fair is run by Miami Dade College in Downtown Miami, with the college's address at 300 NE Second Avenue, and it usually finishes the weekend before Thanksgiving. Its Street Fair fills the last three days, and the site says the Street Fair is free to walk in, though some programs are ticketed. Go the week before, since it is done by Thanksgiving. Details at miamibookfair.com.

Zoo Miami's Zoo Lights, South Miami-Dade

Zoo Miami at 12400 SW 152nd Street is in South Miami-Dade, outside the City of Miami. It starts Zoo Lights the day after Thanksgiving with a tree-lighting ceremony on opening night. The lights typically run in the evening, 6:30 pm to 10 pm, on set dates through December, and the zoo closes early on select days to prepare. Tickets are sold online only through zoomiami.org/zoo-lights. Zoo Lights does not run on Thanksgiving night itself.

The Berry Farm, Redland

The Berry Farm at 13720 SW 216th Street is in the Redland farm area of South Miami-Dade, outside the City of Miami. It opens its Winter Festival, with holiday lights, the day after Thanksgiving, and nighttime hours may be extended on some dates. Hours are posted at visittheberryfarm.com.

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden at 10901 Old Cutler Road is in Coral Gables, just south of the City of Miami. It is typically open daily 10 am to 5 pm except December 25, and its holiday décor season starts in mid-November and runs to Christmas Eve. Its Night Garden season runs into early January. See fairchildgarden.org.

Deering Estate, Palmetto Bay

Deering Estate at 16701 SW 72nd Avenue is in Palmetto Bay, outside the City of Miami. It usually opens a historic holiday décor display the day after Thanksgiving and runs it into early January, typically 10 am to 4 pm. Call (305) 235-1668 or see deeringestate.org.

What is open and closed on Thanksgiving Day?

Museums and transit do not always post Thanksgiving hours online, so check before you go. Here is what each posts.

  • Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, 3251 South Miami Avenue, Miami, is typically open daily 9:30 am to 4:30 pm except Tuesdays. It does not post Thanksgiving hours, so call or check vizcaya.org.
  • Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), 1103 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, typically stays open late on Thursdays, but it does not say whether that holds for the holiday. See pamm.org.
  • Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, 1101 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, says it is open every day of the year, typically 10 am to 5 pm Monday to Thursday and until 6 pm Friday to Sunday. It posts no special Thanksgiving hours, so confirm at frostscience.org.
  • Metrobus, Metrorail and Metromover holiday schedules were not posted on the county's official page when we checked. Check Miami-Dade transit service updates before you rely on a ride.

This year's dates

These are the dates the official sites showed in November 2026, and they will change next year.

  • Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 26, 2026.
  • North Miami's 51st Annual WinterNational Thanksgiving Day Parade is listed for Thursday, November 26, from 10 am to noon.
  • Hutong Miami's Thanksgiving Specials menu is available on Thursday, November 26.
  • Miami Book Fair runs November 15 to 22, with the Street Fair November 20 to 22.
  • Touching Miami with Love lists its Overtown Thanksgiving Dinner on November 18.
  • The Caring Place lists its Thanksgiving Outreach on November 21.
  • Zoo Lights opens Friday, November 27, with a tree lighting at 7 pm on opening night.
  • The Berry Farm's Winter Festival begins November 27.
  • Deering Estate's holiday décor runs from November 27 into early January.

Save this: Thanksgiving week checklist

  1. Reserve dinner at Hutong Miami or Ariete early, and confirm the menu on its site.
  2. Pick a volunteer shift at The Caring Place or Touching Miami with Love before the week of the holiday.
  3. Go to Miami Book Fair the weekend before Thanksgiving.
  4. Stake out a spot on NE 125th Street in North Miami early on Thursday morning.
  5. Check Vizcaya, PAMM, Frost Science and transit before Thursday.
  6. Plan Friday night for Zoo Lights, and the weekend for The Berry Farm, Fairchild or Deering Estate.

Still hungry for more? See our food and dining listings and events calendar, and check the weather before an outdoor evening.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Thanksgiving parade in Miami?

The main annual Thanksgiving parade nearby is the WinterNational Thanksgiving Day Parade in North Miami, a separate city, along NE 125th Street, usually on Thanksgiving morning. The City of North Miami's official page lists the current year's time.

Where can I eat Thanksgiving dinner in Miami?

Hutong Miami in Brickell and Ariete in Coconut Grove both post Thanksgiving menus on their own websites. Confirm the current year's menu, price and reservation rules on each site before booking.

How can I volunteer on Thanksgiving in Miami?

The Caring Place (Miami Rescue Mission) and Touching Miami with Love in Overtown both list volunteer sign-ups on their official sites. Feeding South Florida also takes volunteers, though its main warehouse is in Pembroke Park in Broward County.

What holiday lights open in Miami after Thanksgiving?

Zoo Miami's Zoo Lights typically opens the day after Thanksgiving with a tree-lighting ceremony. The Berry Farm's Winter Festival and Deering Estate's holiday décor also open that weekend, and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden's Night Garden runs through the season.

Does Miami-Dade transit run on Thanksgiving?

Miami-Dade County had not posted a Thanksgiving schedule for Metrobus, Metrorail or Metromover on its official page when we checked. Check Miami-Dade transit service updates before you travel on the holiday.