Dinner doesn’t last all day, so what do you do with the rest of your Thanksgiving? Many folks spend the day outdoors. Here’s a look at a few things to do outside on Thanksgiving Day!

Growing up in New Orleans, Thanksgiving Day was, of course, delicious. I mean, doesn’t everyone have Uncle Ron’s lasagna and crawfish bisque on their menus? While the table brought fond memories with family, I recall spending a lot of my day outside playing with my cousins. Due to the mild temperatures, seasons are not as well defined in New Orleans as in other cities. It’s subtle but the leaves do change colors and eventually fall to the ground. Raking, piling, stacking, crunching, rustling, throwing and jumping in the leaves is so much fun at grandma’s house with all your cousins about. We’d spend hours playing with those leaves. As we got older the novelty wore off but we still went outside for most of the day and played football. I know that’s a surprise, a southern SEC loving family to play football. It couldn’t get any better, eating delicious food, hanging with family and knowing you have an entire day to play outside.

Duck hunting at the camp (that’s a cabin for everyone who’s not from LA) is also an activity my friends did in Louisiana. I enjoyed all the tales of their adventures but mostly the yummy leftover gumbo. On the east coast they play their fair share of football but other families partake in skeet shooting before the big meal.

Now that I live in the west I’ve learned Thanksgiving day outdoor fun involves snow. Some families skip the turkey all together and hit the mountains. Late October and November bring the first snowfalls and most ski areas opening day is Thanksgiving. Other families rise early for a relaxing hike in the foothills where they work up an appetite for dinner.

This Thanksgiving Day I’ll once again be thankful for family, friends and food but more importantly for an entire day to play outside. So what will you be doing outdoors? Share your story below and if you enjoyed this story share it, pin it, love it, hug it!