A Hamptons Holiday: Canoe Place Inn Sets the Scene for a Festive Season of Food, Fireside Cocktails and Community

From Thanksgiving feasts and hands-on pie making to a holiday market, tree lighting and cocktails by the fire, the historic Hampton Bays inn has plenty planned for the season.

There’s something irresistible about the holidays in the Hamptons. The usual surge of summer tourists fades away, and suddenly everything feels slower, softer. Nights get cozier, dinners last a little longer, and honestly, the scent of something sweet wafting out of the oven simply hits differently when a chill’s in the air.

At Canoe Place Inn & Cottages in Hampton Bays, they’re leaning into all of it. The historic waterfront spot pulls out the stops—Thanksgiving feasts at Good Ground Tavern, their first-ever holiday market, and the return of those fireside cocktails in The Study. It’s a pretty convincing invitation for locals and guests to make a reservation.

Let’s talk pie for a minute — if you’ve always wanted to roll up your sleeves and get flour everywhere, Chef Mathew Woolf opens his kitchen for the Pie & Pinot Thanksgiving Pie Making Class. Sunday, November 22, from 11 a.m. to early afternoon, you’ll learn pie magic right there in Good Ground Tavern. Afterwards, sit down for lunch and sip wine picked by Hugo, Canoe Place’s very French wine expert. You’ll leave with a pie (still warm), an apron, and a recipe card. At $165, it feels more like an experience than just buying a box of brownies on your way to dinner.

Of course, plenty of folks would rather someone else tackle Thanksgiving. Good Ground Tavern has it covered Thursday, November 26, noon to 8 p.m. They’re serving up a three-course menu loaded with seasonal flavors and holiday classics. Think wood-roasted honeynut squash glazed with maple and miso, Beef Wellington soaking in mushroom and truffle jus, and a seriously dramatic gingerbread Baked Alaska, mulled fruits and blackberry sorbet tagging along. Book with Resy.

It’s $115 for adults, $75 for kids, and you get a holiday meal with none of the post-feast dish scrubbing.

Looking for a British touch? The Wellington Supper hits the spot. Chef Woolf taps into his roots and centers the whole meal on an old-school Beef Wellington. They’re doing it November 25 and December 23, whixh includes three courses, relaxed vibes, and at $65 per person, you really can’t complain.

Once Thanksgiving weekend rolls around, The Study flips into full holiday mode. Thursday to Saturday, 5–9 p.m., this intimate nook transforms into a hideaway for fireside cocktails and a perfect excuse to linger over conversation. Saturday nights, singer-songwriter Jeff LeBlanc strums live acoustic sets for Fireside Sessions. The scene makes you feel like you stumbled into the secret spot everyone wishes were theirs.

Get the scoop: Holidays in The Study.

December 4 brings something brand new, where Canoe Place teams up with Hampton Bays Chamber of Commerce for their first Festive Market and the annual Holiday Tree Lighting. The market sprawls with local vendors, treats, donuts, cider, and steaming hot chocolates. Santa shows up for family photos, which honestly pulls off a little Hamptons magic.

Tree lighting: 4 to 6 p.m. Market: 4 to 9 p.m. Santa: 6 to 8 p.m. It’s just the sort of hometown holiday kickoff everyone needs: shop local, sip something warm, let the kids drag you to see Santa.

Christmas Day, Good Ground Tavern once again comes to the rescue. Lunch and dinner, noon to 8 p.m., they’re popping popovers and sausage rolls onto tables and then serving slow-braised beef short rib, poached halibut, plus gingerbread Baked Alaska or a chocolate-chestnut yule log for dessert. $115 per adult, $75 per child, no dishes waiting for you at home.

So whether you’re learning to make a pie, lingering over Thanksgiving dinner, huddling by the fire for cocktails, or wandering through a holiday market, Canoe Place turns “the holidays” into something you’ll actually remember. It’s making a strong case for sticking around the East End this winter.

Everything you need—events, reservations, details—is at canoeplace.com.