Many families spend post-Thanksgiving dinner outside

Maybe you spent the day chowing down on great food and watching holiday movies, but for some Thanksgiving was the time to head outside the house to make new memories and new traditions. 

Away from the table, dozens of people had the same goal in mind on Tampa’s Riverwalk.

“We just got down here a half hour ago, really taking it slow because it was a lot to eat. We're pretty stuffed,” said Nathan willard of Tampa as he walked with his two daughters.

A few people rode bicycles, but some thought their time was better spent lounging around the beach and enjoying the weather.

For some families, they our Florida sunshine was a change in scenery.

“I like traveling, so traveling here was nice. We're from Kansas, so we like traveling and getting away from the snow,” said Taira Johnson.

The North and Midwest dealt with snow storms ahead of Thanksgiving, making a trip down to the Tampa Bay area seem like a fair trade.

“We usually go to Boston and the weather is a little bit better here,” joked Jennifer McInerney of New Jersey.

McInerney’s family came to Tampa to cheer on her daughter’s sports team.

“We're here from New Jersey for the big field hockey tournament in Tampa and just enjoying the weather and the day, and it's fantastic,” said grandfather Charles Russo who's also from New Jersey.

Many families said they used the day as an opportunity to make new traditions.

“We were down here last year for the dinner portion. There was a nice Thanksgiving situation down here. We took advantage of that. We thought it was beautiful, so we made sure to come down here again,” said Willard.

Everyone said they are thankful for their family, friends, and Florida’s good weather this Thanksgiving.