Whether it be coordinating travel arrangements for yourself or your loved ones, compiling a menu suitable for feeding dozens of people, or simply preparing yourself to spend a significant amount of time around family, Thanksgiving can be a stressful time of year. In between all the hustle and bustle, it can be easy to forget to grab a couple bottles of booze while out on your grocery run.
But what do you do if you realize you forgot to buy alcohol for Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving Day? Can you even buy alcohol on Thanksgiving? Well, it really depends on what state you live in. And even then, we recommend calling to double check before hopping in the car as some privately owned liquor stores may be closed, even in states where the sale of alcohol is permitted.
Check out the chart below to see if you can buy alcohol in your state this Thanksgiving, and have a wonderful Turkey Day!
Need last minute help? These are our picks for the best wines for Thanksgiving as well as the best cocktails to make.
| State | Alcohol? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Some | You can purchase beer and wine on Thanksgiving, but no liquor. |
| Alaska | Yes | It’s going to be cold. |
| Arizona | Yes | |
| Arkansas | Yes | |
| California | Yes | |
| Colorado | Yes | |
| Connecticut | No | |
| Delaware | No | |
| Florida | Yes | |
| Georgia | Yes | |
| Hawaii | Yes | |
| Idaho | Some | No liquor sales, however a county or city may, by ordinance, allow the sale of liquor on Thanksgiving. |
| Illinois | Yes | |
| Indiana | Yes | |
| Iowa | Yes | |
| Kansas | No | |
| Kentucky | Some | Privately owned retailers may be open. Some counties outlaw the sale of alcohol on Thanksgiving. |
| Louisiana | Some | Some parishes forbid the sale of alcohol on Thanksgiving. |
| Maine | Yes | So long as the retail space is no more than 5,000 square feet. |
| Maryland | Yes | |
| Massachusetts | No | |
| Michigan | Yes | |
| Minnesota | No | |
| Mississippi | Some | Only beer is available for sale. |
| Missouri | Yes | |
| Montana | Some | Beer and wine are available at supermarkets and convenience stores. Liquor sales are outlawed. However, proposed House Bill 867, which has yet to be signed into law, proposes that liquor stores be open on Sundays and Holidays. |
| Nebraska | Yes | |
| Nevada | Yes | |
| New Hampshire | Some | Liquor stores are closed on Thanksgiving. Grocery stores may sell packaged beverage up to 6 percent alcohol. |
| New Jersey | Yes | |
| New Mexico | Yes | |
| New York | Yes | |
| North Carolina | Some | Liquor sales are banned. |
| North Dakota | No | |
| Ohio | Some | Liquor sales are outlawed. |
| Oklahoma | Some | Liquor sales are outlawed, though grocery stores and convenience stores are able to sell pre-packaged beer and wine. |
| Oregon | Yes | Some privately owned, non-state controlled liquor stores may be open on Thanksgiving. |
| Pennsylvania | Some | Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board-owned stores will be closed on Thanksgiving. |
| Rhode Island | No | |
| South Carolina | Yes | |
| South Dakota | Yes | |
| Tennessee | Some | Grocery stores may sell beer on Thanksgiving, but not wine. All retail liquor stores are closed. House Bill 371, proposed in 2021, seeks to open the sale of all alcohol on Thanksgiving, though it has yet to be signed into law. |
| Texas | Some | Retail liquor sales are prohibited. |
| Utah | No | |
| Vermont | Yes | Privately owned liquor stores may choose to open. |
| Virginia | Some | All Virginia State ABC stores will be closed on Thanksgiving. |
| Washington | Yes | State run liquor stores will be closed, though privately-owned businesses are able to open. |
| West Virginia | Yes | |
| Wisconsin | Yes | State controlled liquor stores will be closed. |
| Wyoming | Yes |
