The nation’s most sought-after destination for Thanksgiving is in SC. Here’s where & why
Google Flights says the most searched destination in the United States for Thanksgiving travel this year is in South Carolina and it’s not Greenville or Charleston.
It’s Columbia.
Southern Living said Google Flights’ search engine looked at the biggest percentage increases in searches for trips departing Nov. 23–30 from U.S. airports. The search trend showed people were looking for trips to small to mid-sized cities.
Thanksgiving is Nov. 27.
“While Columbia is known for its historic downtown, outdoor adventure, museums and riverfront area, it’s also the state capital and a lively college town for nearby University of South Carolina,” Southern Living said.
Experience Columbia SC staff could not be reached for comment on why Columbia was ranking so high, but the tourism agency says on its website 15.8 million visitors come to Richland County, Lexington County and the City of Columbia a year.
That “doesn’t happen without lots of hard work and it doesn’t happen overnight,” the agency said.
They use sales, marketing, convention services and visitor information services to lure people to the region.
One reason for people coming for Thanksgiving was hinted at by Southern Living. It is the weekend of a certain football game — the Palmetto Bowl on the Saturday after Thanksgiving — kickoff at noon on Nov. 29.
It is the 122nd meeting between archrivals Clemson and South Carolina and this year it’s at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. The locations trade off each year.
Other destinations with high search results were:
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- Bozeman, Montana
- Spokane, Washington
- Detroit, Michigan
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Panama City, Florida
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 6:00 AM.