The big one for little kids is America's Thanksgiving Parade (Thu Steps off at Kirby and Woodward at 8:45 a.m.). In all we found five Thanksgiving-weekend outings in and around Detroit: one parade, one turkey trot with a kids’ race and three Black Friday weekend picks, and one is free. We also list three places and whether they’re open on Thanksgiving Day.
Thursday to Sunday
Everything below, laid out by day. Tap any outing to jump to its details.
Thursday morning
Start time, route and what to know with a stroller, from the organizer’s page.
Woodward Avenue, from Kirby to Congress · Midtown to Downtown
With littles: The 100th parade, three miles down Woodward to the Celebration Zone. Parking along the route is paid.
Run it off
Kids’ races, family walks and stroller rules, from each race’s own page.
Huntington Place · Downtown
For kids: Mashed Potato Mile: a family mile; kids run with an adult
With littles: Run before the parade, then grab a curb spot.
Thanksgiving Day
Holiday hours from each place’s own page. Worth a quick check that morning.
Friday to Sunday
Tree lightings, light-display openings, farm days and other easy outings Friday through Sunday.
Ford House, St. Clair Room · 1100 Lake Shore Rd, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI
With littles: Santa visits opening this weekend. Private timed sessions; public sale Oct 23, 10 a.m.
Fairlane Town Center · 18900 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI 48126
With littles: Santa visits opening this weekend. Walk-ups welcome; booking a 15-minute slot online is encouraged (a few families share each slot).
Westland Shopping Center · 35000 W Warren Road, Westland, MI 48185
With littles: Santa visits opening this weekend. Walk-ups welcome; booking a 15-minute slot online is encouraged (a few families share each slot).
More to come.Tree lightings and holiday openings often post closer to the holiday. We add them every Thursday.Get the Friday emailKeep planning
Good questions
America's Thanksgiving Parade: Thu, Nov 26, 2026, Steps off at Kirby and Woodward at 8:45 a.m.; about 90 minutes, Midtown to Downtown. Times come from each organizer’s own page.
Detroit Turkey Trot and Mashed Potato Mile: Thu, Nov 26, 2026. Mashed Potato Mile: a family mile; kids run with an adult.
Closed on Thanksgiving: Detroit Zoo, Detroit Institute of Arts and Ward Church Playscape. Check the venue page the morning of, since holiday hours can change.
Photos with Santa at Ford House, Santa Photos at Fairlane Town Center and Santa Photos at Westland Shopping Center. Dates and times are on each card.
America's Thanksgiving Parade is free to watch or attend. More free ideas are on free things to do in Detroit.
Each listing comes from the venue’s or organizer’s own page and links to it. We only list a date, time or price when that page shows it, and anything we can’t confirm stays off. These were last checked Oct 18, 2026, and we recheck them every Thursday through Thanksgiving week. How we choose and check.
Littles Weekly
One short email every Friday morning: the best things to do with little kids in Detroit that weekend, Thanksgiving week included.
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