Updated: 11/26/2009 7:16:25 PM
Many Americans traveled far and wide to spend Thanksgiving at home with family and friends.
But some families are creating new traditions away from Grandma's house.
It seems more and more families are choosing to spend Thanksgiving Day in restaurants.
Calhoun's on the River in downtown Knoxville was busy Thursday afternoon, with a Thanksgiving special.
The Sawyer family decided to give the "dinner out" concept a try.
"It's a first for us," said Beverly Sawyer, who now lives in Florida after moving from Oak Ridge. "We usually have a full-blown Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy it, but we just decided to try this this year."
Relatives from Knoxville, Chattanooga, Charlotte, Florida, Texas and Washington, D.C., all came together for a family meal together.
"It's nice for them not to spend all day in the kitchen," said Kevin Sawyer, who drove in from D.C. "Everybody gets more time to visit, so we like that."
Across the restaurant, Beka Noes was settling in for a meal with her family.
She drove in from Knoxville, bringing along the newest family member - her newborn daughter, Abby.
"It's so much easier just to come for lunch and enjoy everything instead of going, 'Oh, I've got to wait for the green beans to come out of the oven,' or, 'There's not enough space in the oven for everybody's stuff,'" Noes said. "It's just easier to show up and have lunch and enjoy family."
The family centered the visit on grandparents who have been married for more than 50 years.
"It's easier and more fun to hang out with people than to have to dishes all day long," said Molly McHenry, who helped organize the gathering.
Of course, whether it was a Thanksgiving spent at home or on the town, everyone seemed to find something for which to be thankful.
"You don't commercialize Thanksgiving," Noes' father, Alan Robertson, said. "There are no presents to buy, there are no decorations to put up, you just get together and be thankful, just be very grateful."
