SPONSORED BY

With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I’ve got turkey on the brain (i.e., will my grandmother cook the turkey this year, or will my uncle try his hand and—once again—botch the job?). Either way, I’m delighted to present you with some fascinating tales of fowl play.

-Holyn Thigpen, AO Community Editor

A farmer drives his flock of turkeys down a Norfolk road to market, c. 1931.

Turkeys Once Walked Hundreds of Miles to Market

In the 17th century, before the introduction of trucks and refrigerated railway cars, a “turkey drive” was the only way to get poultry from farm to market. Such drives were no trivial matter, either: thousands of birds paraded hundreds of miles over several days, with foxes and other predators thinning the herd along the way. These treks often included “shooers” who herded the turkeys, covered wagons filled with grain, and children who scattered feed in the path to guide the birds. In some parts of the world, such drives lasted until as late as the 1930s.

GOBBLE AND WOBBLE →

Turkeys Once Walked Hundreds of Miles to Market

Let’s Talk Turkey

Learn this chef’s secret to a perfectly-cooked turkey — How to brine a bird

Pray for poultry at this turkey chapel in England — And look through the stained-glass turkey window

Meet the artist giving turkey dinner the fabric treatment — Stitching up supper

Ready. Set. Ford.

The only limits are the ones you set for yourself. See what happens when you leave them behind. Ready. Set. Ford.

Celebrate America 250 in the Poconos

Hollow Earth Monument

Yuengling Brewery

Experience a true historic icon on a tour of Yuengling Brewery, the nation’s oldest. Yuengling has been producing beer at this location since 1829, with a brief turn to “near beer” and dairy during Prohibition. Don’t miss the hand-dug caves used to keep the beer cold before refrigeration.

This Sweet Shop Is the Cream of the Crop

Built in an abandoned, 190-year-old mill, Mifflinburg, PA’s Old Mill Creamery churns out delicious, fresh ice cream every day. How fresh? Just look down the road, where its herd of 50 or so cows resides.

Feast on These Recipes From America’s National Parks

Beyond postcard-perfect views and fresh air, national parks lend themselves to some delicious dishes. From Shenandoah National Park’s signature ice-cream pie to the Grand Canyon’s famous salmon tostada, explore these recipes inspired by America’s most stunning landscapes.

Turkeys Once Walked Hundreds of Miles to Market

Let’s Talk Turkey

Learn this chef’s secret to a perfectly-cooked turkey — How to brine a bird Pray for poultry at this turkey chapel in England — And look through the stained-glass turkey window Meet the artist giving turkey dinner the fabric treatment — Stitching up supper

Ready. Set. Ford.

The only limits are the ones you set for yourself. See what happens when you leave them behind. Ready. Set. Ford.

Celebrate America 250 in the Poconos

Hollow Earth Monument

Yuengling Brewery

Experience a true historic icon on a tour of Yuengling Brewery, the nation’s oldest. Yuengling has been producing beer at this location since 1829, with a brief turn to “near beer” and dairy during Prohibition. Don’t miss the hand-dug caves used to keep the beer cold before refrigeration.

This Sweet Shop Is the Cream of the Crop

Built in an abandoned, 190-year-old mill, Mifflinburg, PA’s Old Mill Creamery churns out delicious, fresh ice cream every day. How fresh? Just look down the road, where its herd of 50 or so cows resides.

Feast on These Recipes From America’s National Parks

Beyond postcard-perfect views and fresh air, national parks lend themselves to some delicious dishes. From Shenandoah National Park’s signature ice-cream pie to the Grand Canyon’s famous salmon tostada, explore these recipes inspired by America’s most stunning landscapes.

Learn this chef’s secret to a perfectly-cooked turkey — How to brine a bird

Pray for poultry at this turkey chapel in England — And look through the stained-glass turkey window

Meet the artist giving turkey dinner the fabric treatment — Stitching up supper