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Thanksgiving at home is a nice tradition. In theory. But there are other ways you can spend time with your family. Ways where you don’t have to spend hours preparing a turkey. Or spending hours cleaning your home enough to impress the in-laws (and still not succeeding).
What if you spend Thanksgiving at a place where everyone in your family, no matter what their generation, would have? And a place where you would be waited on rather than the other way around? And a place where the weather’s nice enough you could go swimming in the ocean?
Well, that place is the one and only Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. This is a wonderful place to visit any time of the year, truthfully.
After all, they have an onsite waterpark with slides connected to the resort’s iconic Mayan Temple and a slide through a clear tunnel submerged in a shark-filled lagoon. They are home to a lot of wonderful sealife and you get great opportunities to get up close and personal with great creatures like dolphins and stingrays.
There are multiple clubs and activities for kids. They have tons of restaurants and entertainment. You can enjoy lots of activities sports such as golf, tennis, and snorkeling. You can relax on the clear white sand and swim in the turquoise ocean. And this is just beginning to scratch the surface of what Atlantis Paradise Island has to offer.
But it really makes so much sense to visit there during Thanksgiving. So many of us are off from work. The weather is so much nicer there than most of the United States. And the resort has so many great festivities and fun things going on around then. Let me tell you about them.
Battle 4 The Ball
One of the unique things going on at Atlantis during the Thanksgiving holidays is a college basketball tournament! Atlantis’ Conference and Events Center will be transformed into a basketball arena of sorts. There is both a men’s tournament and a women’s tournament.
This tournament is in its thirteenth year of existence. These games can serve as a great preview for the March Madness Tournament. For example, in 2021, the women’s tournament championship game was between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the UConn Huskies – and that’s who played in the March Madness tournament championship game, with South Carolina winning both contests!
Speaking of women’s basketball, the women’s basketball tournament takes place first. It takes place between November 23, 2024, and November 25, 2024. The participating teams are:
- Indiana
- Texas A&M
- Baylor
- Columbia
- North Carolina
- Villanova
- Southern Miss
- Ball State
The men’s tournament takes place between November 27, 2024, and November 28, 2024. The participating teams are:
- Indiana
- Louisville
- Gonzaga
- Oklahoma
- Arizona
- West Virginia
- Providence
- Davidson
So this is a really neat experience if you are a big fan of any of the teams. Or if you just love college basketball.
There are multiple ways you can buy tickets for this. You can buy a fan ticket package. With this package, you pick your team, and then you get tickets to all of your team’s games. With the Full Tournament Package, you get access to all twelve games. You can purchase either of those packages here.
Tailgate Party
So you’ll get to see college sports during your trip. So there should be a tailgate party, too, right?
The tailgate party takes place on Wednesday, November 27, 2024. It’s an all-you-can-eat-and-drink affair. They have a beer garden and a live DJ. You can find a live streaming of all tournament games if you don’t have tickets to the game. It takes place on the Outdoor Patio of the Imperial Arena from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. You can book a ticket to the party here.
Thanksgiving Feast
But Thanksgiving isn’t just about sports. The most iconic aspect of Thanksgiving has always been the feast. And that feast can be a lot more fun if you don’t have to prepare it, don’t you think?
Well, over at Poseidon’s Tabe, you can get a gourmet Thanksgiving buffet at 4:00 PM on Thanksgiving. It features traditional American Thanksgiving dishes as well as Bahamian specialties.
Thanksgiving Palooza
Want to enjoy some alone adult time after your Thanksgiving meal? Well, kids ages 3 to 12 can head to Atlantis Kids Adventure for a night of fun from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM (an activity fee does apply). They can enjoy carnival games and sweet treats like snow cones. It’s a great chance for them to have fun, make new friends – and for you to get some time off from taking care of the kids.
Battle 4 The Ball
The kids aren’t the only ones who can have fun There’s a fun, basketball-themed event at CRUSH. The tween session is from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM and the teen session is from 9:30 PM to 12:00 AM. This event features themed games and shooting competitions.
Painting & Pies
Have an artistic child? Well, kids from ages six to twelve are invited to come to Atlantis Kids Adventure from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Wednesday, November 22, 2023. They’ll be able to enjoy painting and a fun pumpkin pie creating experience! Please note an activity fee does apply.
Turkey Day Football
Come watch the Thanksgiving Day NFL games for free at Atlantis Theater! The games this year, by the way, and the Detroit Lions versus the Chicago Bears at 12:30 PM, the New York Giants versus the Dallas Cowboys at 4:30 PM, and the Miami Dolphins versus the Green Bay Packers at 8:20 PM.
Atlantis Resort Deals
So after reading this, I know you’ll want to stay there. And luckily, they have some great deals going here that can help you save money on your stay.
For example, if you bundle your hotel stay with your flight, you could save up to 40%!
This is also where you’ll find exclusive room & ticket packages for Battle 4 Atlantis.
Again, you can find these discounts and packages here.