Happy Thanksgiving! The holidays are here again. Maybe you’ve decorated your house and have already started playing the Christmas music. You’re getting in the spirit!
Perhaps even this year, you offered to host Thanksgiving dinner. The whole family is coming over, traveling from far and wide for a warm, home-cooked meal. And you’re ready – you found the best recipes, you prepared some incredible side dishes, you cleaned the house and brought out the fancy dishware. You’re guests will be blown away; Thursday will be a dinner to remember.
But wait – that’s just Thursday. You might have family coming in and staying the whole weekend. What on earth are you going to do the rest of the time?
While you wow your family with dinner, why not make this whole weekend an unforgettable vacation for everyone? Here we have an itinerary for a jam-packed holiday weekend in Carson City, fun for the whole family to enjoy. Since you’ve got Thursday covered, let’s start with Friday morning.
We all know what an event Black Friday can be – all of Topsy Lane, Target and Walmart will be packed with deal-hungry customers getting into the gift-giving spirit in a much more intense way. If you’re out gift hunting Friday morning, I wish you luck! For everyone else just waking up from a food coma, and for everyone who worked up an appetite shopping, spend your Friday morning with a quiet breakfast at Bleu Cafe.
The family-owned, French-inspired cafe has a menu full of delicious Benedicts, quiches, French toast and sweet, powdered sugar-smothered beignets made from scratch. It’s the perfect chance to sip some coffee and decompress from all the shopping or meal preparation from the day before.
Friday’s a great day to simply relax. Rest up in the afternoon, then catch a movie at Galaxy Theaters at the Casino Fandango. Thanksgiving is always a big weekend for movies, and this year is sure to be no different. See something the whole family can agree on, sit back in the theater’s newly remodeled reclining seats and have a super chilled-out evening with your loved ones.
Show your support for small businesses on Saturday AND take your family on a tour of Downtown Carson City’s eclectic shops. Make sure you check out Artsy Fartsy, which will have a bunch of discounts on its paintings, pottery and handmade scarves. Show your family some of the jaw-dropping artistic talent of Northern Nevada, and they might have to take some of it home with them. 
After a day of laid-back shopping as well as recovering fully from a Thanksgiving feast, the last thing you want to eat is stuffing and turkey. Have an early dinner at The Basil downtown. Your family will marvel at the restaurant’s authentic Thai flavors, and a little pad Thai or spicy basil chicken might balance out your appetite.
Then – and be sure to get your tickets in advanc – is Pinkerton’s Ballet Theater’s Nutcracker Ballet at the community center. For 29 years this ballet has put on great performance after great performance, featuring some of the area’s best dancers. Everyone in the family may end up being mesmerized by the show, which is a truly perfect kickoff for the holiday season. Click here for tickets.
Before you bid farewell to everyone on Sunday, take them by the new and improved LA Bakery for some pastries and coffee for the road. The bakery has expanded in recent months to occupy a much larger dining area – a delicious and casual place to grab some quick snacks or even a breakfast sandwich for brunch. Plus it’ll give everyone a chance to formally thank you for making their Thanksgiving weekend the most fun weekend they’ve had in ages. The only problem, then, is topping it next year.
For all other events this holiday weekend, visit our Daytime, Nightlife and Community pages.
About the Author Bryan Akerley
Bryan was born and raised in Northern Nevada and is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno. When he’s not writing, he’s keeping up with pop culture as a lover of movies, TV, music and books or out exploring the area through its restaurants, bars and nightlife. Then he’ll unwind by playing the drums or piano or spending time with his corgi, Teddy. 
