The busiest public stretch of the year at Boar's Head Resort runs from mid-November to the first days of January. Its largest single event is held on the streets of Ednam Forest. The 45th annual Boar's Head Turkey Trot starts at 9 a.m. on Thursday, November 26, 2026, at 200 Ednam Drive. The resort describes the 5K as a course "through beautiful Ednam Forest," and the race's posted map uses neighborhood street names as its landmarks.
For most of the year the resort is a neighbor. This season it's closer to a shared calendar. In the seven weeks after Winter Wander opens on November 13, the resort has lights, dog nights, a drone show, two Thanksgiving meals, gingerbread Sundays and fireworks on the schedule, and a new public restaurant is due at the Birdwood clubhouse sometime this fall. Here are the dates.
| Date | What | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 11 and Oct. 25 | Watercolor Workshops at the resort | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Nov. 13 to 15 | Winter Wander opens with SPCA dog nights | Evening |
| Nov. 17 | Turkey Trot packet pickup, Three Notch'd Brewing Company | Per race page |
| Nov. 18 | Last day for the current $45 5K price, through 11:59 p.m. | |
| Nov. 21, 24, 25 | Packet pickup, McArthur Squash Center | Per race page |
| Nov. 26 | Tiny Turkeys dash, then the 5K | 8:15 a.m. and 9 a.m. |
| Nov. 26 | Thanksgiving Feast in The Pavilion | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Nov. 26 | Thanksgiving in the Mill Room | 3 to 9 p.m. |
| Dec. 6, 13, 20 | Gingerbread Workshops | 1 to 3 p.m. |
| Dec. 21 | Winter Wander drone show | Evening |
| Dec. 31 | Winter Wander fireworks | Evening |
| Jan. 1 to 2 | Final Winter Wander dog nights | Evening |
The streets on the map
The race page describes a hilly route that starts and finishes at Boar's Head and loops through the surrounding neighborhoods. The posted course map marks the start on Berwick Road and the finish on Ednam Drive. These are the other streets it labels:
- Ednam Drive, in several places
- Rookwood Drive
- Fox Hill Road
- Deer Run Road
- Rowledge Road
- Stuart Road
- Bedford Place
- Ednam Place
- Wellington Drive and Wellington Place
- US Route 250 along the edge
The map also places the Spa, The Pavilion, the Sports Club and Ednam Village, so it doubles as a guide to where the resort's grounds meet the neighborhood's driveways. The race page hasn't published a road-closure schedule for 2026. It says the event wraps up at 11 a.m., that resort parking is limited, and that organizers strongly encourage carpooling. If you'll be driving out of the neighborhood on Thanksgiving morning, that two-hour window starting with the 8:15 kids' dash is the one to plan around.
A race that keeps outgrowing its old numbers
The race is a lot bigger than it once was. A UVA Health release from January 2011, written around the 29th annual race, expected about 1,300 participants. By November 2023, NBC29 reported a record of more than 1,700 runners and walkers at the 42nd annual race. In its 2025 coverage of the 44th race, the station said thousands came to Boar's Head, and it interviewed Jason Lineen, interim chief of UVA Health Children's, and Kate Leslie, a director at the resort.
The money has grown along with the crowd. The resort says the Turkey Trot has raised more than $1.2 million for UVA Children's. It also recruits volunteers each year, and signups run through the race's RunSignup page.
The 2026 race page has the details:
- The 5K costs $45 until November 18 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, and the price goes up after that.
- Tiny Turkeys is a free quarter-mile dash for children 8 and under. It starts at 8:15 a.m.
- 5K registrants get a long-sleeve unisex T-shirt.
- Packet pickup is at Three Notch'd Brewing Company on November 17 and at the McArthur Squash Center on November 21, 24 and 25.
The rest of Thanksgiving, a short walk from the finish
The resort has events running for most of the holiday. By the time the race event wraps up at 11 a.m., the Thanksgiving Feast is already underway in The Pavilion, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with action stations, a shellfish station and a dessert table. The Mill Room serves Thanksgiving dinner from 3 to 9 p.m. at $105 per adult and $45 for children under 12. Between 8:15 a.m. and 9 p.m. on November 26, something is scheduled at the resort for about thirteen straight hours, and it all starts at an address in Ednam Forest.
Two dining rooms the neighborhood didn't have a year ago
The holiday season is also the first one for two restaurants that weren't open last winter.
Birdwood Mansion opened on April 22, 2026, as a restored boutique hotel with seven rooms: four in the house and three in guest cottages on the Boar's Head grounds. Its 42-seat Dining Room is open to the public as well as to hotel guests. It serves breakfast daily and dinner Wednesday through Sunday, plus weekend brunch and afternoon tea.
Over at Birdwood Golf, the clubhouse and Birdwood Bar & Grill are closed for renovation, and the Pro Shop stays open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Turn & Table Grill and Bar will move into the clubhouse at 410 Golf Course Drive. The resort calls it a golf-optional restaurant, open to the public, serving elevated American classics. Every guest also gets free access to the Ridges putting course. The posted sample menu includes charred octopus and roasted shrimp cocktail at $12 each, fried artichokes at $10, and wood-fired 12-inch pizzas from $15 to $17, along with smashburgers, chicken sandwiches and hot dogs. As of early October, the resort lists the opening only as "Fall of 2026." It hasn't given a date or named a chef, so the resort's hours page is the place to watch.
The championship course stays open for community play the whole time. Tee times can be booked by phone.
Winter Wander bookends the season
Winter Wander covers the whole holiday stretch. It runs on select nights from November 13, 2026, to January 2, 2027. New this year are a light-wrapped tree at Lattice Lane, two new songs in Glistening Grove, two new live dance shows in the Enchantment District called The Greatest Glow and Jingle Jam, and Elevation Illumination, a 200-drone show on Monday, December 21. The first and last nights of the run, November 13 to 15 and January 1 to 2, are SPCA nights where dogs are welcome, and New Year's Eve gets fireworks.
So the first Winter Wander dog night comes 13 days before the Turkey Trot, and the last one falls on January 2, the season's closing night. In between, the resort also runs Gingerbread Workshops on December 6, 13 and 20, from 1 to 3 p.m. They cost $175 for four small houses and up to four people, plus $60 for each additional person. For anyone who wants something calmer before the holidays start, the October 11 and October 25 Watercolor Workshops run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
If you live in Ednam Forest, keep these dates in mind when you plan anything at home this season, whether it's a family gathering or a holiday open house. For sellers thinking about showing a home around Thanksgiving week or Winter Wander nights, the Bobby and Alex Schwartz Team can help you plan your timing and prep around the resort's calendar. Contact Us when you're ready to talk it through.
