If you have the option of bringing a cooler on your trip, you could make the pumpkin pies a day or 2 ahead of time and just refrigerate them, which would avoid the problem of them getting watery. Just make sure to protect them from any ice melt in the cooler!

I vote for pumpkin cheesecake. My sister makes one every year and it has now officially replaced pumpkin pie as Thanksgiving dessert.

Last year, I made two batches of the finicky, time-sensitive pumpkin pie recipe from Cooks Illustrated: one I baked immediately to take to a family Thanksgiving gathering, and the other I chilled, wrapped tightly, and froze unbaked. I expected the frozen pie to suffer in the freezer, but when we had our own smaller Thanksgiving at home a few days later, I took it out, baked it (still fully frozen) for a bit longer than the recipe instructed, and we found it absolutely fantastic. The surface was perhaps a little moister than the immediately-baked unfrozen pie, but the texture was smooth and creamy, and the flavor was perfect.

I suspect the quantity of cream in that CI recipe helped to buffer it from the effects of the freezer. It was so completely delicious and utterly satisfactory that I am unhesitatingly doing the same thing this year: making it, chilling it, and freezing it, tightly wrapped and unfrozen, so we can have fresh-baked pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving without the hassle of making it in an already full kitchen.

I've had similar success freezing pecan pie unbaked. You need to chill it thoroughly, then wrap it airtight, then freeze it. You can even bake it while everyone's eating dinner, when the oven is empty and hot. Mmm, warm, freshly baked pie!

I freese pecan pie all the time and it holds up beautifully. It's great to have a dessert ready at all times to pull out for a party or a gift. Here's my favorite recipe for Southern Pecan Pie. http://therunawayspoon.com/blog/2009/10/southern-pecan-pie/

All good suggestions. Cheesecake is my specialty since it HAS to be made a day or two ahead, feeds lots of people and is very popular.

If I HAD to take pumpkin & pecan pies, I'd make the crusts ahead, roll them out, put them in the pans, wrap them well and freeze them. Then the day before I left I'd mix the fillings and put them in a cooler in leakproof containers. Once I got to my destination, I'd put the fillings in the pies and bake them.

My mother makes a batch of pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving every year and freezes a couple of them for Christmas (baked) and then defrosts them and heats them up in the oven briefly. They are always delicious and it cuts down on preparation for Christmas.

I'm making a ginger pie that's a custard pie. Any word on freezing that? I'd be nice to check that off the to do list this weekend.

If you're using fresh pumpkin, freeze the pumpkin first to remove some of the water. If you're using canned, why not just make the filling ahead of time, store it in the fridge and bring with you? Then you pour it into the pie crust the day of, and it's fresh baked.

I buy Whole Foods bakery made Sweet Potato the first week of December and freeze until Christmas day. I thaw while cooking everything else and I've NEVER had any complaints.

I'm sure those who posted the "bake when you get there" solutions already know this, but just as a reminder in case you haven't ever hosted your own Thanksgiving dinner. Please, please check with your hostess first before assuming you will be able to bake anything in her already busy oven when you get there! The reason some of us even let people bring dishes to our dinners is to take some relief off the kitchen - not add to the activity already occuring. Keep in mind that her fridge is probably really full to the limit also, so be kind and bring an iced cooler to keep you cold foods cold or use an empty cooler to keep warm foods insulated and warm. Plus, we love to try what wonderful thing you cooked up in your own kitchen!

we froze pumpkin pie recently and it was absolutely fine when we ate it.