Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and we can already predict exactly the hustle and bustle happening in the festivity. There’s so much to be excited about celebrating Thanksgiving in San Jose with a lineup of things to do with kids, from getting to eat classic dishes and spending time with family and friends. To make it even more memorable this year, why not consider trying to shake up your usual Thanksgiving plans. Explore the unique ways to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with kids in San Jose. If you’re worried about getting that holiday spirit, we have found creative ways for the whole family to enjoy!
Thanksgiving is all about family, friends, and serious food preparations. Though turkey dinner, variations of tasty pumpkin pie, and mashed potatoes are already part of the old family traditions, doing something non-traditional would not make your Thanksgiving holiday any less memorable. Why not take your kids on a trip to the beautiful parks and attractions in San Jose and add a few of these fun things to do on Thanksgiving to your celebration?
Or perhaps take them to a Thanksgiving event and treat them for dinner afterward instead of roasting over the stove. San Jose’s beautiful attractions, fine dining restaurants with authentic cuisines, and exciting holiday events will surely make the Thanksgiving celebration extra unique and memorable to your kids. So, break that usual family routine, unplug and go outside your home come November 25th!
And who knows? You might have just discovered a new Thanksgiving tradition that sticks. Scroll down below and check out our top 12 Things to do on Thanksgiving Day in San Jose with Kids!
CEFCU Stadium
1218 South 7th St., San Jose, CA 95112
Phone number: (408) 924-1200
Nov. 25, 2021 | Thursday | 12:30 PM
One of the best things to do with kids this Thanksgiving Day is to watch the San Jose State Spartans vs. Fresno State Bulldogs games and witness the two rival teams compete live and in-person at CEFCU Stadium. The match is the battle for the Valley trophy of your hometown’s favorite college football San Jose State Spartans, against the rival Fresno State Bulldogs.
They will face yet another contest as Mountain West Conference (West Division) opponents. Fans can find college football tickets for the upcoming game at CEFCU Stadium for prices as low as $25 to $85. For more information, please visit their website.
200 O’Connor Dr., San Jose, CA 95128
Phone Number: (408) 294-8953
Nov. 25, 2021 | Thursday | 9 AM – 12 PM
One of the best things to do on Thanksgiving Day with kids in San Jose is to give to those in need. Join the St. Martin of Tours Parish for a Thanksgiving mass and bring your canned, packaged, or boxed food and offerings. The food will be donated to the Parish Food Pantry for the Thanksgiving Food Drive.
For 29 years, the St. Martin of Tours Food Pantry has served residents of La Mesa. The pantry is open Tuesday through Thursday between 10 AM and noon. For more information, please visit their website.
Circle of Palms
127 S Market St., San Jose, CA 95113
Phone Number: (408) 535-3500
Nov. 25, 2021 | Thursday | 10 AM – 9:30 PM
There are plenty of things to do in San Jose during Thanksgiving Day and one of them is bringing your kids to Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice, where skaters and spectators alike come to celebrate the holidays and make lasting memories. Now in its 25th year, the holiday downtown San Jose ice rink has been one of the finest seasonal displays in California surrounded by 32 palm trees – affectionately known as the Circle of Palms.
Skates will swoosh, people will glide, and lights will twinkle again. Whether you visit for the ice skating, to attend special outdoor activities, or partake of San Jose events for the holidays, this year’s Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice in San Jose will deliver the entertainment and holiday cheer. For more information, please visit their website.
976 Blossom Hills Rd., San Jose, CA 95123
Phone Number: (408) 225-1533
Nov. 25, 2021 | Thursday | 10 AM – 10 PM
Experience a whole new level of fun things to do at Emerald Hills Golfland and spend a memorable Thanksgiving with your kids in San Jose! Play your way through one of its challenging miniature golf courses. You have not played mini-golf until you’ve played at Emerald Hills. Two beautiful courses in a lush setting offer a challenge and a wacky good time!
The park also features a huge video game arcade with some of the newest and most exciting games in the area. Join the fun and play to win great prizes at their redemption counter. To make reservations, please visit their website.
1830B Hillsdale Ave., San Jose, CA, CA 95124
Phone Number: (408) 279-6000
Nov. 25, 2021 | Thursday | 10:30 AM – 11:40 AM
Thanksgiving Day is a great reason to bring your bubble of kids to Pump It Up San Jose for an Open Jump session with lots of fun things to do and celebrate the holiday in bouncy style with incredible themed jumps. Kids will jump, slide and play at Pump It Up in 100% private and secure play areas. And since it’s Thanksgiving, you’re in session with inflatable fun where kids can bounce until they drop!
With so much excitement packed into their larger-than-life inflatables, your child will enjoy climbing through its obstacle courses, racing up to rush down slides, making new friends, and exploring their creative mind with fun and games. To make reservations, please visit their website.
748 Story Rd., San Jose, CA 95112
Phone number: (408) 794-6400
Nov. 25, 2021 | Thursday | 10 AM – 4 PM
Take a trip to the Happy Hollow Park & Zoo and celebrate Thanksgiving with your kids and family in San Jose! With over 150 animals, 7 rides, a Puppet Theater, numerous play areas, a restaurant, and hours of fun, it will be a new holiday tradition every Thanksgiving Day. This 16- acre park and zoo, located on the north end of Kelley Park, has themed play areas and interactives that help guests of all ages develop physical fitness, muscle coordination, balance, and confidence.
There is no greater joy for those with small children than watching your child run, jump, and climb as they develop these essential motor skills. Happy Hollow Park & Zoo exists to provide an affordable, sustainable, conservation-centered outdoor adventure for families with children. Adventurous kids can climb to the treetops, enjoy the view from the lookout towers, then whiz down the tallest slides in the park.
There are so many fun things to do at Happy Hollow with your kids, and it is also home to one of the longest-running puppet theaters in San Jose. For more information, please visit their website.
1500 South 10th St., San Jose, CA CA 95112
Phone Number: (408) 279-6000
Nov. 25, 2021 | Thursday | 12:15 PM – 9:30 PM
Looking for affordable family fun? Look no further than Solar4America Ice at San Jose, where lots of fun things to do await kids and the whole family on Thanksgiving Day! Bring everyone aboard to experience the Bay Area’s premier ice skating and hockey facilities. The nearly 170,000 square-feet facility accommodates ice hockey, figure skating, broomball, curling, speed skating, ice dancing, as well as public skating.
Solar4America Ice is the largest rink facility west of the Mississippi and is one of only seven rink facilities in the United States that currently operates at least four NHL-sized ice rinks. It is the official practice facility of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. For more information, please visit their website.
1580 Hamilton Ave., San Jose, CA 95125
Phone number: (408) 264-2011
Nov. 25, 202 1 | Thursday | 2 PM – 8:30 PM
This year, celebrate Thanksgiving with your kids and family at Dry Creek Grill in San Jose. Its Three-Course special menu has something for everyone for only $82 per person and $26 for kids 10 years and under. Children’s menu includes kid-size soup or salad, choice of turkey dinner or penne pasta with butter and parmesan, and vanilla ice cream with warm chocolate chip cookie dessert. All prices are exclusive of beverage, tax, and gratuity.
Dry Creek Grill is the latest creation of residents John and Holly Smith. Here, you can have the best of both worlds, the fun, lip-smacking barbecue food combined with an upscale ambiance that doesn’t require snobby, irksome ties, impersonally spaced-out chairs, and hushed conversations. To make reservations, please visit their website.
377 Santana Row, #1090, San Jose, CA 95128
Phone number: (408) 244-7001
Nov. 25, 2021 | Thursday | 11:30 AM – 9 PM
Enjoy a special menu including all the traditional favorites available only on Thanksgiving with Full Churrasco Experience. The restaurant showcases a beautiful dining room with seating for 250 guests, several private and semi-private dining areas, outdoor seating, and a lively bar. The restaurant’s interior reflects a mixture of Northern California and modern Brazilian design.
Fogo de Chão® is an internationally-renowned steakhouse from Brazil that allows guests to discover what’s next at every turn. Fogo® elevates the centuries-old culinary art of churrasco – roasting high-quality cuts of meat over an open flame – into a cultural dining experience of discovery. To make reservations, please visit their website.
377 Santana Row, #1100, San Jose, CA 95128
Phone number: (408) 984-3500
Nov. 25, 2021 | Thursday | 12 PM – 8 PM
Let Left Bank Brasserie do the cooking this year! Join your friends and family at their warm, vibrant location in San Jose for a home-cooked turkey dinner to celebrate Thanksgiving with kids. They will be serving a 4-course Prix Fixe Thanksgiving meal for $59.00 per person exclusive of beverage, tax, and gratuity. Items on the prix fixe menu will also be available à la carte. A $12 2-Course Prix Fix kids menu is open to those 12 years and under.
Left Bank Brasseries is known for simple, seasonally changing French-inspired cuisine from Chef Roland Passot. To make reservations, please visit their website.
3060 Olsen Dr., Ste 50, San Jose, CA 95128
Phone number: (408) 800-0048
Nov. 25, 2021 | Thursday | 12 PM – 8 PM
Start a new Thanksgiving tradition this year to celebrate with your kids and the whole family at the Santa Row in San Jose! Meso serves the below Mediterranean-inspired holiday menu prix fixe, in addition to a reduced regular menu. Their menu draws from the most iconic flavors and ingredients of the Mediterranean Basin.
Relax and enjoy the beauty of family as they attend to every detail to make your holiday dining extra special. At Meso, life is centered around the table, and meals bring people together from near and far to reinvigorate connection, conversation, and community.
Meso features a dynamic and seasonal menu created by Chef/Partner Roland Passot, inventive cocktails, and an extensive wine program. To make reservations, please visit their website.
200 S. First St., Suite 10, San Jose, CA 95113
Phone number: (408) 971-1700
Nov. 25, 2021 | Thursday | 2 PM – 6 PM
Join Scott’s Seafood for Thanksgiving and bring your family for a home-cooked turkey dinner. A San Jose seafood staple, Scott’s is well-known for not only the freshness and quality of its seafood but its emphasis on sustainable, healthy food options. They will be serving a 3-course Prix Fixe Thanksgiving meal for $53.00 per person and $18 per child under 12, exclusive of tax or gratuity. A limited a la carte menu will also be available.
Since 1976, Scott’s Seafood has been one of the most widely acclaimed dinner destinations in the Bay Area. You can find its location in downtown San Jose where you can have the best venue to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with your kids and the whole family. To make reservations, please visit their website.
Thanksgiving holiday is a perfect occasion to build a stronger connection with your loved ones and extended family over a shared activity. There’s no shortage of entertaining things to do with kids as we kick off the holiday season with Thanksgiving Day in San Jose. Make this holiday an opportunity to explore the hidden gems of San Jose and celebrate Thanksgiving as you create beautiful memories with your kids and everyone in the family!
So, take your family to some of the most beautiful attractions or any kid-friendly events from our list, and then treat them to a fancy restaurant for a Thanksgiving dinner.
San Jose offers so many opportunities for kids to enjoy and have fun all year round! Check out our list of resources, or browse through our things to do in San Jose with kids. Still looking for more activities for kids in San Francisco? No problem! Check out our comprehensive listing of places to go in the region and our highly recommended seasonal blog posts.
Activities to do with Kids during Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Tradition Makeover
15 Things to do on Thanksgiving Day in San Francisco with Kids
Things to Do in San Jose with Kids – 10 Ideas to Keep Your Kids Entertained
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