Fourth of July is about patriotism and parades, family and fireworks, hotdogs and history. Americans plan for weeks where they’re going to spend the day eating and spend the night watching fireworks shows.
Of course, the Annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks in New York, Philadelphia’s Wawa Welcome America celebration and the National Mall Fourth of July Celebration in D.C. are staples of the holiday both in person and on television.
But if you’re going to travel with the fam for Independence Day, skip the obvious spots this year and discover some of the most unique July 4th celebrations in America. Here are some of the best places to celebrate 4th of July around the nation.
Addison, TX
A half hour north of downtown Dallas, the Metroplex suburb of Addison has only a modest population of 16,000. But come July Fourth, that number balloons to more than half a million for the Addison Kaboom Town! show.
Daytime at Kaboom features a carnival lined with Texas-sized rides, games and food purveyors, as well as a one-of-a-kind airshow hosted by the Cavanaugh Flight Museum featuring aerobatics, pyrotechnics and thrill-seeking skydivers. But come nightfall, gather around for a massive half-hour long fireworks display that shoots off 5,000 pounds of fireworks.
Anaheim, CA
Why not spend the Fourth of July at Disneyland in Anaheim? The West Coast Happiest Place On Earth offers performances throughout the day from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Band based at Miramar, as well as a special Disney’s Celebrate America concert in the sky above Sleeping Beauty’s Castle nightly at 9:25 p.m. from July first through Independence Day.
Bar Harbor, ME
Both National Geographic and The Today Show have named the July Fourth celebration in Bar Harbor one of the best in the nation, so they must know what they’re doing. Maybe it’s all the food.
The day begins with a blueberry pancake breakfast as a craft fair and parade through downtown begin. Then, catch dinner at a large pop-up seafood festival featuring lobsters, shrimp, crabs and mussels, as well as strawberry shortcake.
The celebration also offers live lobster races (it’s exactly what you think it is) sponsored by local businesses and free music at Agamont Park and Bar Harbor Village Green. The night concludes with a fireworks display on the waterfront over Frenchman Bay at dusk.
Bend, OR
The Central Oregon city of Bend puts on a true Pacific Northwest Independence Day celebration. The morning begins with an annual charity pancake breakfast. Daytime brings The Old Fashioned Celebration in Drake Park offering potato sack races, dunk tanks and watermelon-eating contests right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. If you’re feeling the day in nature, take a float down the Deschutes River in White Water Park or a volcano sightseeing tour.
But make sure you’re ready and standing along the route of the Bend July Fourth Pet Parade. The parade, dating back to the 1930s, is a smile-inducing procession of costumed dogs, cats, llamas and even lizards dressed up and marching along with their kid owners or riding in little red wagons. The day ends with fireworks set off from the top of the extinct Pilot Butte volcano.
Bristol, RI
Pilgrims arrived in Bristol, in 1620, making it one of the oldest cities in America. With that history, it’s no surprise the peninsula town is home to the oldest Fourth of July party in the country. The Bristol Fourth of July Celebration is a 230-plus-year-old celebration of patriotism and independence that draws more than 200,000 people.
The original Military, Civic and Firemen’s Parade in Bristol was founded in 1785 by citizens who actually fought in the Revolutionary War. Today, the festivities include a concert series at Independence Park, a performance from the Drum Corps, a Fourth of July Ball, a parade and carnival that concludes with fireworks over Bristol Harbor on Independence Day Eve.
Brooklyn, NY
While the big Annual New York Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks show in Manhattan is a highlight of Independence Day in America’s largest city, there’s nothing more American than the celebration going on one borough to the east at Coney Island, Brooklyn.
On July Fourth morning, gather around with fellow fans of gluttony and gastronomy at the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Held for more than a century, the contest draws fans and competitors from all over the world. In 2018, Joey Chestnut set the event’s record with 74 hot dogs consumed in 10 minutes (and Miki Sudo set the women’s record with 37).
Gatlinburg, TN
While Bristol has the oldest Fourth of July Parade in the country, Gatlinburg, has the earliest. As in the parade in the mountain resort town begins precisely at 12:01 a.m. on the morning of July Fourth. Each year, 80,000 to 100,000 spectators gather after midnight to watch the mile-long parade through downtown.
At a more reasonable hour, a River Raft Regatta of unmanned floatables race down the Little Pigeon River starting at noon on the Fourth, followed by a free concert from the 100th Army Band before kicking off the downtown fireworks display. Got some more time to kill? The Dollywood amusement and water parks in nearby Pigeon Forge are open regular hours on Independence Day.
Hannibal, MO
The Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer takes place in the fictional St. Petersburg, Missouri, which was based on the real-life town of Hannibal, Twain’s hometown. The city celebrates its place of fame with the annual National Tom Sawyer Days from July 1 to July 4.
The highlight of the festival is a fence painting contest for boys from 10 to 13, inspired by Tom’s rouse in the book to convince his friends to paint Aunt Polly’s fence. A parade features Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher actors, bands, dancers and floats that conclude with a fireworks show.
Keystone, SD
What can be more patriotic than celebrating Independence Day in the shadow of the 60-foot heads of Mount Rushmore? The National Memorial in South Dakota hosts musical performances, food trucks and tours along with a Presidential press conference and autograph sessions with reenactors portraying Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln.
While there are no July Fourth fireworks over the mountain, you can take the hour drive past Deadwood and Sturgis from Keystone to Belle Fourche for the annual Black Hills Roundup. Here you’ll find an old West July Fourth carnival, parade and evening rodeo that culminates in a fireworks show in the hills. In 2019, the Black Hill Roundup is celebrating its historic 100th year.
Lake Tahoe, NV
Summer in Lake Tahoe is full of jetskiing, hiking and endless natural beauty of the lake and the mountains. But the resort town’s summer gem is the July Fourth fireworks celebration. Fireworks displays are launched from all over town, but the Lights on the Lake is a local favorite.
The half-hour show casts reflections along the lake’s crystal clear waters in front of the stunning Sierra Nevada Mountains. Join 125,000 of your fellow revelers on the California/Nevada border along the south shore for the best views from El Dorado Beach, Nevada Beach and Timber Cove Marina or hike up to the peak of Mount Tallac for a view of a lifetime.
Moscow, VT
The tiny town of Moscow holds what is perhaps the most unique Independence Day parade in America. The parade features very specific rules for entrants to its procession: Floats cannot be built until the morning of the parade and can’t cost more than 10 bucks to build, resulting in a field of unique participants.
The celebration then moves on down the street to Stowe Village for a more traditional small-town New England party with face painting, music, clowns, street performers and fireworks.
Nashville, TN
The name of the game for July Fourth in Nashville is music. Music festivals and stages are available all day all around the Music City, culminating in the free Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th on Lower Broadway. The Independence Day celebrations regularly attract more than 200,000 attendees to downtown Nashville. But expect a surge for 2019, with the CONCACAF Gold Cup Soccer Semifinal being played the night before at Nissan Stadium.
No matter what brings you to Nashville for the Fourth, the highlight is the gigantic fireworks display along the Cumberland Riverfront synched to a live performance by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. The display is one of the largest in the country, even bigger than New York’s.
Ocean City, NJ
There’s nothing like summer at the Jersey Shore, and the resort city of Ocean City highlights the season with a Fourth of July beach celebration. A morning bike parade kicks off the day before a kite flying competition opens up on the sand. Live music along the beach leads into a large fireworks display over the Atlantic Ocean, best seen from the city’s famous boardwalk.
Seward, AK
If Gatlinburg has the first Independence Day celebration in the East, for the first Fourth kickoff in the West, head up to Seward, on the Gulf of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. Each year, 30,000 people gather in this town of 2,500 at the stroke of 12:01 a.m. for a giant fireworks display. Why midnight? Well in July, the sun doesn’t set here until 11:20 at night, necessitating the dead of night illumination.
Need more to do during the 19 hours of daylight in Seward on Independence Day? A daytime festival comes to downtown featuring customary Fourth of July festivities, such as food and craft vendors and a parade.
But if you’re a bit more adventurous, sign up for the Mount Marathon Race, which runs 3.5 miles over cliffs, rocks and inclines up 3,000 feet over Resurrection Bay.
Venice, CA
Celebrate Independence Day in along the beach in Venice with a big display of guns. Guns as in tanned, taught musclebound biceps. The famous Muscle Beach in Venice is the year-round home to wannabe Arnold Schwarzeneggers and Lisa Marie Varons working out in the sun, lifting weights and pressing benches along the legendary strip.
But the highlight for extreme fitness practitioners and fans comes on July Fourth where both professional and amateur bodybuilders from around the world compete in the annual Mr. and Ms. Muscle Beach Contest.
You too can take your guns out when the sun’s out on July 4th at Muscle Beach for just a $100 entry fee.
Virginia City, NV
Virginia City is a Wild West-themed resort town outside of Reno, so it’s no surprise its July Fourth celebration is full of old west activities. The celebration features a parade of locals dressed in Victorian costumes and gold prospector garb, live saloon music, a gold rush railroad ride, a cowboy shootout staged in the center of town and a barbecue and ice cream social.
But what makes Virginia City a special place for Independence Day is its eye-level fireworks. That’s right. The fireworks display is launched from the canyon floor below the town, putting the display right in front of your eyes upon their colorful explosions.
Williamsburg, VA
If you wish to experience what Independence Day in the 1700s was like, take a trip to the Virginia living-history town of Colonial Williamsburg. The city puts on a four-day commemoration of the birth of the nation, including the Salute to the States in Market Square, featuring a display of flags, a musket and cannon salute and militia reenactors playing in a fife and drum brigade.
Elsewhere around Williamsburg, the Colonial Faire for children features 18th-century fun with tomahawk throws, hobby horse races and cannon firings, the courthouse steps offer a reading of the Declaration of Independence and the film 1776 is screened at the Kimball Theater.
