Best Thanksgiving Meals in Orlando

If you’re planning on celebrating Thanksgiving in Orlando this year, whether you’re a vacationer or a resident, you’ve made a great choice. There are plenty of excellent dining options for Turkey Day, so slaving over a hot stove isn’t necessary. But with so many restaurants to choose from, trying to pick where to have your holiday feast can be a daunting task. Never fear though – we’ve selected some of the Orlando’s tastiest Thanksgiving specials, so that this holiday, your most stressful decision will be choosing which pair of loose pants to wear.

Close to Walt Disney World in Celebration, Florida, the Columbia Restaurant continues to serve their holiday feast as they’ve done for more than 100 years. Columbia will offer all the traditional treats that your grandmother used to make: roast Vermont turkey, Columbia’s signature stuffing, veggies, whipped potatoes, candied yams, cranberry sauce, and giblet gravy. And downtown, amid views of the fantastic Orlando skyline, Doc’s Restaurant is offering a delicious four-course Thanksgiving Day menu with hot cider, pumpkin bisque or Plymouth Bay chowder, and choices of oven-roasted Vermont turkey, roasted prime rib, New England baked cod, and brown sugar and honey mustard glazed ham. You’ll definitely feel stuffed and satisfied after dining at either of these two appetizing options.

If you’re staying at the Walt Disney Parks or Resorts, dining there is certainly a convenient and delicious alternative. At Disney’s Contemporary Resort, the California Grill is offering turkey with chestnut stuffing, whipped potatoes, beef filets with sweet potatoes, and pecan pie. Be sure to request a table by the windows, so that you can see the Magic Kingdom fireworks show for a spectacular view during your dinner. At Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort, you’ll also enjoy nice views of the neighboring streams while you eat a Turkey Day feast of soup, salad, fresh greens, wine, and of course, turkey.

Inside the Disney parks, all the restaurants will be open, many offering Thanksgiving-themed buffets, special Thanksgiving Day menus, or prix-fixe meals. And at select locations, such as the Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom, fun Disney characters can join in on your family feast.

At Universal Studios Orlando, there are also plenty of tasty dining choices. At the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Mama Della’s Ristorante will be cooking up a maple-roasted turkey dinner with all the trimmings, including oyster cornbread, oven-roasted mushrooms, and garlic and herb mashed potatoes. It’s a romantic and classy setting for your Thanksgiving meal, and you’ll love dining to the sound of the strolling musicians.

And for those who like to enjoy their Thanksgiving meal extra-early (or for those who simply don’t want to wait until nighttime to enjoy the yummy goodness), Villa de Flora restaurant at the Gaylord Palms Resort is offering an all-day Thanksgiving brunch. Their menu, which will vary throughout the day, will offer delicious breakfast dishes such as Belgian waffles and apple crepes, as well as dinnertime delights such as turkey with sage gravy, sweet potato casserole, and fall harvest vegetable lasagna. The Thanksgiving brunch buffet at the Celebration Hotel’s Plantation Room Restaurant is another excellent option for the early diner. They’ll offer delicious entrees like hand-carved Virgina Ham and Granny Smith Apple-Vegetable Turkey, and savory sides like honey cornbread stuffing and spiced butternut squash. The brunch is offered at 10:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 3:30 pm.

And we haven’t forgotten our vegan readers – you can enjoy vegan versions of a traditional Thanksgiving feast at the Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar. There’ll be tofurkey, vegan stuffing, and veggie sides like gingered carrots and curried squash.

Ultimately, no matter which location you choose, you can’t go wrong having your Thanksgiving dinner in an Orlando restaurant. Our stomachs are already growling at the thought of dining at these flavorful eateries.

Holidays Around the World at Epcot

Epcot has never been your average amusement park. It combines the fun and excitement of all the great Orlando theme parks with world geography, culture and fine dining. And during the Christmas season, the Holidays Around the World celebration takes the term World Showcase to a whole new level. DWTickets.com takes discount theme park tickets to another level too. We are your best source for cheap park tickets during the holiday season and through the rest of the year! So get your Epcot park admission tickets here and then head over to enjoy the holidays from a global perspective.

The holiday season is brought to life all over Epcot with beautiful decorations and spectacular seasonal shows. Kids will love to visit the traditional Santa Claus who makes daily appearances at the American Adventure Pavilion. But in the spirit of Epcot’s global environment, holiday icons from around the world share their own special stories and customs throughout the park. France’s Père Noël tells tales of his French history, and La Befana, as he is know in Italy, describes that country’s holiday folklore to the delight and enlightenment of both children and adults. Each country around the World Showcase has something unique and interesting to contribute to this seasonal celebration, and presentations of Hanukah and Kwanzaa can also be enjoyed around the World.

Each night, guests can watch and participate in “Mickey’s Tree Lighting Treat” in the World Showcase Plaza for even more great storytelling, holiday singing and, of course, the lighting of the fabulously worldly Christmas tree. “The Lights of Winter” enliven the World Showcase breezeway bridge and guests are amazed as they wander under this glittering canopy of dancing lights and music. The ever-popular Candlelight Processional has shows nightly with celebrity narrators, a mass choir and a full orchestra revealing the traditional Christmas nativity story to guests at the America Gardens Theater. To complete each holiday night at Epcot, visitors are treated to a super special holiday finale of “Illuminations: Reflections of Earth.”

The holiday happenings are going on at Epcot and all across the Walt Disney World Resort through the end of December, and some even into the new year. Also available this holiday are the best prices on theme park tickets for the holidays and all year at DWTickets.com! We are always your first and best choice for cheap theme park tickets, so get them now and start your holiday celebration today!