Thanksgiving in Atlanta: Races, Meals and Holiday Lights

At a glance

• Where: Across Atlanta, Georgia: Summerhill, Midtown, Morningside, Grant Park and Downtown
• When: Thanksgiving morning through the long weekend; Garden Lights and other light displays start before the holiday
• Cost: Free to volunteer; races, light displays and attractions charge admission; check each official site
• Getting around: MARTA typically runs a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day; check itsmarta.com

Thanksgiving in Atlanta follows a rhythm: a Thursday-morning road race starting outside Center Parc Stadium, a family meal (at home from a take-home order, or at a restaurant that opens its doors), and a long weekend of holiday lights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Zoo Atlanta and Pemberton Place. This guide groups the picks by when they happen, so you can build the day around what you actually want to do.

One honest note first: we could not find an official site for a citywide Thanksgiving parade in Atlanta, so we do not list one. What Atlanta does well is the run, the lights and the volunteer shifts.

How we chose

Every pick below sits inside the City of Atlanta (the food bank warehouse, just past the southern edge near the airport, is the one exception, and we say so) and was checked on its own official site for the November 2026 season. We left out anything we could not confirm there: several restaurants that advertise Thanksgiving menus elsewhere did not state them on their own pages, so they are not here. Evergreen details come first in each entry (what returns every year and its usual timing). Dates for this particular year live in one section near the end.

What happens Thursday morning?

Thursday morning in Atlanta is for running, then for being useful. The Atlanta Track Club race is the main event, and the food banks and charities below are the official ways to give time.

Atlanta Track Club Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, 5K and Mile (Summerhill)

The Invesco QQQ Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, 5K, Mile and Dash is run by the Atlanta Track Club every Thanksgiving Day, with the course starting and finishing outside Center Parc Stadium at 755 Hank Aaron Drive SE in Summerhill. It offers a distance for most people: the half marathon for the serious, the 5K for the casual, and a mile and kids' dashes for families. Register on the Atlanta Track Club site, and expect it to be a morning start, so plan your parking or ride early.

Atlanta Community Food Bank (Hunger Action Center, south of the city near the airport)

The Atlanta Community Food Bank runs volunteer sessions at its Hunger Action Center warehouse at 3400 North Desert Drive, near Hartsfield-Jackson and just outside the city's southern edge, with sign-up through its volunteer calendar; groups of eight or more use a separate request form. Its volunteer page points you to the calendar for special events, and holiday questions go to its volunteer team. It does not post Thanksgiving-specific shifts on that page, so book a slot in the days around the holiday and confirm it on the official volunteer page.

Atlanta Mission (Bolton Road, northwest Atlanta)

Atlanta Mission, at 2353 Bolton Road NW, takes volunteers through its VolunteerHub calendar. Its volunteer page lists evening, Friday and Saturday opportunities, and groups of 5 to 30 can serve together on one campus, which makes it a workable family or office outing the day after Thanksgiving. The page does not mention Thanksgiving, so check the volunteer page or call 404-588-4000 for what is open.

Hands On Atlanta (citywide)

Hands On Atlanta is the clearing house if you want options beyond one charity. Its site says to reach a teammate through the chat box or by email at info@handsonatlanta.org, and the opportunity calendar lives at volunteer.handsonatlanta.org. Start at handsonatlanta.org and look at holiday-week listings.

Where do you eat on Thanksgiving?

The three places below state Thanksgiving dining or take-home holiday dinners on their own sites, which is the safest bet in a city where many kitchens close for the day. Order early: take-home deadlines usually fall about a week before the holiday.

Mary Mac's Tea Room (Midtown, Ponce de Leon Avenue)

Mary Mac's Tea Room, at 224 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE, shows Thanksgiving take-home orders on its homepage, with a link to the holiday menu. It is the classic Southern table: the restaurant calls itself the last of the sixteen tea rooms that once dotted intown Atlanta in the 1940s. Its regular hours are typically daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., but the site does not state Thanksgiving Day dine-in hours, so call or check marymacs.com before counting on a table. If you want the broader Southern list, see Where to Eat in Atlanta.

Alon's Bakery and Market (Morningside)

Alon's Bakery and Market, at 1394 N Highland Avenue NE, offers a take-home holiday dinner that is ready to heat and serve, with a preorder deadline listed on its site. That is a handy route for hosts who want to cook one or two dishes and buy the rest. The store typically opens Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; confirm holiday hours and the current menu at alons.com or on 404-872-6000.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse (Midtown, Spring Street)

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse, at 1331 Spring Street NW, Suite 200, is the sit-down option: its Midtown page lists Thanksgiving Day dining from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with a prix fixe menu, with choices that include filet mignon, bone-in ribeye or roasted turkey breast. The page shows a starting price per guest, but prices change, so check the Midtown location page and reserve ahead. We found no take-home meals there.

What is there to do over the long weekend?

The holiday-lights season in Atlanta opens around Thanksgiving, and the long weekend is when families head out for it. All three below sit inside the city.

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden (Midtown)

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights returns to the Atlanta Botanical Garden at 1345 Piedmont Avenue NE every year, usually starting in mid-November, before Thanksgiving, and running into January. The show typically runs until midnight, with last entry at 11 p.m. Parking is paid and limited in the deck shared with Piedmont Park, and if the Piedmont Avenue entrance backs up, the garden points drivers to its Monroe Drive entrance at 1322 Monroe Drive. Check the official page and book timed tickets ahead. It sits on the edge of Midtown.

IllumiNights at Zoo Atlanta (Grant Park)

IllumiNights is Zoo Atlanta's lantern festival at 800 Cherokee Avenue SE in Grant Park, with more than 100 hand-painted lanterns along a mile-long trail. It runs select nights through the holiday season, from the Saturday before Thanksgiving into January, with evening entry ending around 8 p.m. Because it only runs on select nights, confirm your date on the Zoo Atlanta event page.

Holiday Happenings at the World of Coca-Cola (Downtown)

The World of Coca-Cola, at 121 Baker Street NW at Pemberton Place, runs a seasonal Holiday Happenings program that its site describes with a holiday light dome, a giant ornament and a Coca-Cola Polar Bear photo spot. It usually starts in mid-November and carries through the long weekend. Note that the World of Coca-Cola says it is closed on Thanksgiving Day itself, so plan it for Friday or Saturday and check the holidays page first.

Georgia Aquarium (Downtown)

The Georgia Aquarium, at 225 Baker Street NW, says on its site that it is open 365 days a year, with entry ending half an hour before closing, which makes it the dependable rainy-day or too-many-relatives option. No Thanksgiving-specific hours are posted, so confirm the day's hours at georgiaaquarium.org. For more kid-friendly ideas, see A Family Day in Atlanta.

What is open or closed on Thanksgiving Day?

Transit runs, but on a reduced schedule, and the national park site and the World of Coca-Cola are closed. MARTA's holiday operating schedule lists bus, rail and the Atlanta Streetcar on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day, so build your trip around Sunday frequencies at itsmarta.com. Route and schedule information is available at 404-848-5000.

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Sweet Auburn states on its hours page that all facilities are closed on Thanksgiving Day, so save it for the weekend. The World of Coca-Cola downtown also states on its holidays page that it is closed on Thanksgiving Day. For the High Museum of Art and Fernbank Museum of Natural History, we could not find a Thanksgiving Day statement on their official sites; call before you go.

This year's dates

These come from the official sites in November 2026 and will change next year.

• Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26, 2026.
• Atlanta Track Club race: Thursday, November 26, 2026. The site lists the half marathon at 8:00 a.m., the 5K at 8:30 a.m. and the mile at 8:40 a.m.
• Garden Lights, Holiday Nights: nightly from November 14, 2026 through January 10, 2027, per the garden's page.
• IllumiNights at Zoo Atlanta: select nights from November 21 to January 17, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., last entry 8:00 p.m. The page does not state the year, so confirm.
• MARTA: Sunday schedule on Thursday, November 26, 2026.

Save this: a Thanksgiving week checklist

1. Order a take-home meal from Mary Mac's Tea Room or Alon's Bakery and Market, ahead of the posted deadline.
2. Pick your Thursday-morning move: register for the Atlanta Track Club race or book a volunteer shift.
3. Plan your MARTA trips around a Sunday schedule on Thursday.
4. Book timed tickets for Garden Lights, Holiday Nights.
5. Save the MLK park, the World of Coca-Cola, the High Museum and Fernbank for Friday or Saturday.
6. Keep the Zoo Atlanta lanterns for a second evening.

The local trick: the race ends before most turkeys go in the oven, and the lights start before the leftovers are gone, so the holiday in Atlanta is as much about the weekend as the Thursday.

For the rest of the year, see Annual Events in Atlanta and the events calendar.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Thanksgiving race in Atlanta?

Yes. The Atlanta Track Club holds its Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, 5K and Mile at Center Parc Stadium, 755 Hank Aaron Drive SE, on Thanksgiving morning. Check the Atlanta Track Club site for the current year's registration and start times.

Does MARTA run on Thanksgiving Day?

Yes, on a reduced schedule. MARTA's holiday operating schedule lists bus, rail and the Atlanta Streetcar on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day.

Where can I get a Thanksgiving meal to go in Atlanta?

Mary Mac's Tea Room in Midtown and Alon's Bakery and Market in Morningside both post take-home holiday dinners on their own sites. Order ahead, because deadlines usually come about a week before Thanksgiving.

How can I volunteer in Atlanta at Thanksgiving?

The Atlanta Community Food Bank, Atlanta Mission and Hands On Atlanta all take volunteers through online calendars. None of their volunteer pages lists Thanksgiving-specific shifts, so book early and confirm dates directly.

Is the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park open on Thanksgiving?

No. The National Park Service says all facilities at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta are closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Are the Atlanta Botanical Garden lights on over Thanksgiving weekend?

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights usually starts before Thanksgiving and runs into January. For this year, the garden lists nightly dates from November 14, 2026 through January 10, 2027.