Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026. A rental house gives the whole family one roof, a full kitchen for the big meal and space to spread out, with indoor waterparks, small towns and the first holiday events close by for the rest of the long weekend.
Below: resort dinners if you'd rather not cook, what's open from Thursday to Sunday, and where to shop for groceries near our homes. Holiday hours change every year, so call ahead before you head out.
Thanksgiving dinner out
Only a few places had posted 2026 details by early November. Book as soon as you decide: holiday buffets at the big resorts often sell out.
- Skytop Lodge, Skytop (confirmed for 2026): a Thanksgiving buffet in the Windsor Dining Room from noon to 4 PM, listed at $72 for adults and $32.50 for children, plus tax and service. Windsor then serves an à la carte dinner with holiday specials from 6 to 9 PM, and the Lakeview bar serves dinner from 4 to 9 PM. Reservations are open to the public at (855) 345-7759. Skytop also holds a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.
- Kalahari, Pocono Manor: lists a Thanksgiving Celebration Buffet for online booking. We couldn't confirm this year's time or price, so check the resort's dining page.
- Camelback, Tannersville: its Hemispheres restaurant has served a Thanksgiving buffet in past years (in 2024, 3 to 10 PM, $49.99 for ages 13 and up). Watch the resort's website for 2026 details.
- Shawnee Inn, Shawnee on Delaware: served a Thanksgiving buffet with a carving station and a kids' station in 2025. Call for 2026.
- Prefer a quieter meal? Ask your host which local restaurants are open on the holiday. Many smaller places close for the day.
Sources: Skytop Lodge: Thanksgiving 2026 · Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau: Thanksgiving dinners (2025) · Camelback holiday dining (2024)
What's open Thanksgiving weekend
- Santa trains: the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway's Santa Claus Specials start the day after Thanksgiving, running November 27, 28, 29 and 30, with departures at 10:30 AM, 1 PM and 3:30 PM. After the October 31 rockslide near Jim Thorpe, trains are boarding at 1 Iron Horse Way in Nesquehoning while the tracks are repaired, and Jim Thorpe tickets are honored there. Call 570-325-8485 or check the railroad's website before you go.
- Jim Thorpe: the historic downtown is a good Friday or Saturday outing for shopping and lunch. The Mauch Chunk Opera House has a Harvest Jam on Wednesday, November 25 and a concert on Saturday, November 28. Route 209 between Jim Thorpe and Nesquehoning was closed after the rockslide, so check road conditions before you drive.
- Indoor waterparks: Kalahari, Great Wolf Lodge and Camelback's Aquatopia are all a short drive from our homes. Day passes are limited, so buy ahead for a holiday weekend. Great Wolf's Snowland holiday season starts in late November (its site lists November 23 to January 5).
- Black Friday: Pocono Premium Outlets in Tannersville (about 100 stores, off I-80 Exit 299) usually opens early the day after Thanksgiving. Stores set their own holiday hours, so check the center's website for 2026 times.
- Skiing: usually not yet. OnTheSnow's projected 2026-27 openings start with Jack Frost around December 4, then Blue Mountain (December 10), Camelback (December 11) and Big Boulder (December 12). These are estimates, not announcements.
Sources: Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway: holiday trains · Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau: Jim Thorpe Christmas & winter (Nesquehoning boarding note) · American-Rails: Lehigh Gorge rockslide report (Nov 1, 2026) · Mauch Chunk Opera House schedule · Great Wolf Lodge Poconos: Snowland · OnTheSnow: projected openings
Cooking Thanksgiving dinner in a rental
- Shop before you arrive or by Wednesday. Many stores cut their hours or close on Thanksgiving Day, and the day before is the busiest shopping day of the week.
- There's no big supermarket in Lake Harmony, Blakeslee, Albrightsville, Pocono Lake or Pocono Pines. Route 940 in Mount Pocono has ShopRite, Weis Markets (3236 Route 940) and a Walmart Supercenter, the closest stops for Emerald Lakes, Long Pond, Pocono Summit and Pocono Pines.
- GIANT has stores at 65 Route 611 in Bartonsville, 1241 Blakeslee Boulevard in Lehighton (often handiest for Albrightsville and Indian Mountain Lake) and 300 Lincoln Avenue in East Stroudsburg (closest for Penn Estates).
- Want a fresh turkey or a fully cooked holiday meal? Ask the store about pre-orders a week or two ahead. A big frozen turkey takes days to thaw in a refrigerator, so thaw it at home and bring it up in a cooler.
- Ask your host before you pack: how big the oven is, whether there's a roasting pan, a carving knife and a meat thermometer, and how many plates, glasses and chairs the house has.
- Many Pocono homes are on septic systems. Keep grease, bones and peelings out of the sink and disposal, and ask your host how they want trash handled over a holiday weekend.
Sources: GIANT store locations (Pennsylvania) · Weis Markets, Mount Pocono store (3236 Route 940)
Bringing the whole family
Holiday gatherings still have to fit the home's occupancy limit, which the township sets. In Tobyhanna Township (Pocono Pines, Pocono Lake, Pocono Summit, Blakeslee and part of Emerald Lakes), the limit is 2 people per bedroom plus 2, and everyone counts, including babies. Tunkhannock Township (Long Pond and part of Emerald Lakes) allows 2 per bedroom plus 4 overnight. If extra family is coming just for dinner, ask your host first: day guests are capped too.
Sources: Tobyhanna Township Chapter 114, Short-Term Rentals · Tunkhannock Township Ordinance 2019-01
