Columbia South Carolina Tops 2025 Thanksgiving Travel Searches

Google Flights data — reported by Southern Living, Greenville Online and Yahoo — names Columbia, South Carolina the top trending domestic Thanksgiving destination for 2025, with interest driven by its historic downtown, riverfront, outdoor attractions and lively college‑town energy around the University of South Carolina (including the Nov. 29 Palmetto Bowl). Experience Columbia SC reports the city set a visitation record in 2024 with 17.3 million visitors (6.2 million overnight stays), up from 16.4 million in 2023. Separately, Spirit Airlines published its most‑searched Thanksgiving cities, with Orlando and Fort Lauderdale topping the list even as the carrier confronts major financial challenges, including two bankruptcies this year. Despite cutting service to some airports and suspending seasonal routes, Spirit plans to operate more than 3,200 flights during the peak Thanksgiving travel period. More broadly, travel roundups highlight a range of Southern towns and small cities as attractive, often less‑congested holiday alternatives for travelers seeking festive or low‑key winter getaways.