City Tavern—Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
138 South 2nd Street at Walnut Street
About two hours from Midtown Manhattan by car
Dine like America’s forefathers at Philadelphia's City Tavern. Located in the center of today’s old city, City Tavern hosted the first Continental Congress and was also a watering hole favored by Founding Fathers Paul Revere and George Washington. It was demolished in 1834 after a fire, but this authentic replica was built in 1976 to celebrate America’s bicentennial.

Today, City Tavern is a popular restaurant run by award-winning chef and culinary historian Walter Staib. Historically accurate meals, served by authentically dressed waiters in a candlelit dining room are a memorable way to bring history to life for kids. It’s no surprise that a meal at City Tavern is on our list of 100 Things to Do with Kids in Philly.

While reservations for Thanksgiving Day's traditional four-course, family-style feast with lots of trimmings is nearly sold out, families can enjoy a historic meal here, including options for vegetarians and picky kids, on another night. The tavern is a stone's throw from Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Benjamin Franklin Museum and the Betsy Ross House. If you choose to make a weekend in the City of Brotherly Love we have hundreds of ways to explore Philadelphia on our sister site Mommy Poppins Philadelphia. The tavern will also host a special New Year's Eve meal and reservations are encouraged.

RELATED: 15 Family Friendly Thanksgiving Dining Options in NYC

Visit the Colonial-era homes at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum where staff wear historic dress. Photo provided by museum. 

Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum—Wethersfield, Connecticut
211 Main Street
About two hours by car from Midtown Manhattan
Another great day or weekend trip option, Wethersfield, Connecticut was settled in 1634 and is among the oldest settlements in the state. Today the town boasts Connecticut's largest historic district with nearly 300 homes built during or before the Civil War, 50 of them dating back to original English settlers.

In Wethersfield’s historic district you'll find a visitors center, a number of cafes and several museums, including the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum. This three-building complex gives tours of the 1752 Joseph Webb House, where General George Washington and French General Rochambeau worked to win the Revolutionary War; the 1770 Silas Deane House, built for America’s first diplomat to France; and the 1788 Isaac Stevens House, illustrating 18th- and 19th-century life in Connecticut.

The museum also hosts special "Three Centuries of Christmas" tours that kick off in mid-December.

RELATED: Living History Museums: 3 Day Trips for NYC Kids

Villagers enjoy post-Thanksgiving-meal target shooting at Old Sturbridge Village. Photo courtesy of the museum.  

Old Sturbridge Village—Sturbridge, Massachusetts
1 Old Sturbridge Village Road
About three hours by car from Midtown Manhattan
Head to Old Sturbridge Village, the Northeast's largest living history museum, to celebrate Thanksgiving as they would have in 1830s New England. The central Massachusetts' museum is anchored by a quaint town commons and boasts 40 period buildings (many of them moved to the site from around the region); a water-powered grist mill; and a working farm where kids can interact with heritage-breed animals that trace their genealogy back to the Colonial era.

The village is an immersive step-back-in time year-round but is particularly interesting during its Bounty: Thanksgiving celebration, a campuswide look at period traditions of the holiday, including cuisine, etiquette and weddings.

Each weekend in November and on the big day itself, visitors can discover Native American food with special guests from the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. Listen to a minister preach on the importance of the holiday at the historic meeting house and watch the locals partake in a round of after-dinner target shooting.

Of course, what is Thanksgiving without turkey and the trimmings? Unfortunately the on-site restaurants at Old Sturbridge Village are often booked for Thanksgiving Day dinner, but you can drop by the Bountiful Buffet in the Bullard Tavern Room for roast turkey, country ham and a slew of traditional sides during Bounty weekends. At three hours from NYC, this is a better weekend destination than a day trip, and lodging options are available.

Plimoth Plantation—Plymouth, Massachusetts
137 Warren Avenue
About four hours by car from Midtown Manhattan
Why not celebrate Thanksgiving where it all began? Coastal Plymouth, Massachusetts is said to be where the Mayflower Pilgrims first came ashore, and is home to the iconic Plymouth Rock and replica of the Mayflower. The town also offers a host of lodging, dining and entertainment options—historic or not—perfect for a three-day weekend.

Plimoth Plantation is one of our favorite Thanksgiving spots. Here, kids can see what living at the Plymouth colony would have been like for both the English settlers and the Native Americans they encountered. This living history museum recreates the original Plimoth village with costumed staff interpreting the Pilgrims’ daily lives, and a period Wampanoag homestead staffed with tribesmen.

On select days through the end of November, visitors can enjoy a Harvest Dinner with the Pilgrims—a family-style sitdown meal of authentically prepared dishes, including steamed mussels, corn pudding, cabbage soup and roasted meats. Pilgrims regale diners with stories and songs about the original feast. Traditional Thanksgiving meals are available on Thanksgiving Day and Friday. Some seatings are already sold out, so it is best to make a reservation now. Already have Thanksgiving plans? Look ahead to plan a family getaway to enjoy this seasonal historic spot on a non-holiday weekend when it reopens in the spring. We recommend the Mirbeau Inn & Spa.

Enjoy a traveling troubadour with your meal at one of Colonial Williamsburg's four period taverns. Photo courtesy of the museum. 

Colonial Williamsburg—Williamsburg, Virginia
101 Visitor Center Drive
About six hours by car from Midtown Manhattan. Also accessible via Amtrak.
Leave the 21st century behind and immerse your family in American history for Thanksgiving weekend. Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the world, recreating the city when Virginia was still an English colony.

The historic village has 88 period buildings on 100 acres, including a jail, military magazine, tradesmen, shops, restaurants and a plantation on the outskirts of town. Tour the Governor's Palace, watch as horse and carriages ride down the main drag and encounter hundreds of costumed interpreters playing out the early days of the Revolution in mini-dramas throughout town.

Four taverns serve up period-style fare that is pleasing to modern palettes, and they all offer children's menus. Meals are served in candlelight by costumed interpreters. Troubadours, minstrels and storytellers drop by to entertain and share news just like they would have centuries ago. These four period restaurants will serve Thanksgiving dinner along with the Regency Room, the Williamsburg Inn's modern upscale dining establishment.

Williamsburg will also play host to a number of holiday activities in December, including light displays, theater, ice skating, caroling and even a Victorian Christmas dinner.

Top image: Learn about period Thanksgiving traditions during Old Sturbridge Village's Bounty event. Photo courtesy of the museum.