Taking the Kids: 19+ places for unique Independence Day celebrations

How many ways can you celebrate a birthday? If you are talking about America’s birthday, there are too many to count. Start with parades and barbecues. Move on to festivals, campground and resort parties, concerts and, of course, fireworks. You can even time travel back to the days when our country was founded.

Wherever you go, you will have plenty of company. AAA projects 70.9 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Independence Day holiday travel period.

“With summer vacations in full swing and the flexibility of remote work, more Americans are taking extended trips around Independence Day,” explained Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “We anticipate this July Fourth week will be the busiest ever with an additional 5.7 million people traveling compared to 2019.”

July Fourth, of course, marks the day the Declaration of Independence was adopted (July 4, 1776) and the United States officially became its own nation.

Head to Philadelphia to see Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and later, the US Constitution, were debated and signed. ( Timed tickets to tour Independence Hall must be reserved in advance online at Recreation.gov, or by phone at 1-877-444-6777. Tickets are free, but there is a non-refundable processing fee of $1 per ticket.)

Come to Philadelphia July 2 for the inaugural Red, White, & Blue To-Do. Twenty cultural institutions and historic attractions, along with Old City restaurants, will be celebrating what John Adams declared should be a day of “pomp and parade” with a parade, music, and special events across Historic Philadelphia.

Stop at Once Upon a Nation Storytelling benches in Philadelphia’s Historic District where uniformed storytellers offer short stories about America’s start.

In Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, Virginia, you can time travel back to Revolutionary times, whether attending a ball, visiting a battlefield or chatting with ordinary citizens, including those who were enslaved. In Yorktown, head to the American Revolution Museum for their Liberty Celebration where you can visit a Continental Army encampment and Revolution-era farm.

Celebrate in Washington, at A Capitol Fourth that always precedes the fireworks show on the National Mall. Join the one-of-a-kind July 4th celebration at the National Archives where you may be greeted by George and Martha Washington re-enactors and even “sign” the Declaration of Independence. The Washington Nationals annually play at Nationals Park on Independence Day, this year against the NY Mets. Many hotels in DC offer special discounts and packages.

Pose for selfies July 3 and 4 with re-enactors of Presidents Geoge Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt, the presidents carved in stone at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. Though there won’t be fireworks this year, the evening Lighting Ceremony is a must-see. (Kids can download the Junior Ranger Quest at the Apple Store and Google Play.)

Boston boasts that its Harborfest (July 1-July4) is one of the country’s largest celebrations with hundreds of activities at Boston’s historic landmarks. Don’t miss the free samples at Chowderfest and the Boston Pops concert!

On the West Coast, Huntington Beach, SoCal’s surf capital, also celebrates f or four days, complete with a 5K city-to-surf race, a kids’ fun run, parade, music, carnival rides and, of course, fireworks.

If you’ve always wanted to see The Big Apple’s fireworks from the water, City Cruises promises spectacular views of Lady Liberty with dinner and front-row seats to the iconic Macy's firework display over the New York skyline. Earlier, you can also take in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island.

Chicago is also known for its spectacular fireworks display at Navy Pier, with several river cruise operators offering cruises. The Independence Day Salute is part of the Grant Park Music Festival. Join locals for the 4th on 53rd Parade and Festival in the Hyde Park neighborhood, celebrating its 30 th year.

If your idea of July Fourth fun is getting away from the city, C ampspot offers the Top 4th of July Camping Spots for 2024 for barbecues, parades and games. Jellystone Park campgrounds are also celebrating big time. Jellystone Camp-Resort in Madison, Maine, for example, has red, white, and blue crafts, get-wet water games and rides and a red, white and blue golf cart parade. At Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Caledonia, Wisconsin, Yogi Bear himself will host a hot dog lunch.

Got runners in the bunch? The annual Firecracker4 Road Race in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is the longest and largest Independence Day race in the Northeast while the 96 th annual grueling Mount Marathon Race up and back down the mountain will be held in Seward, Alaska.

Look for special resort packages. The 1, 700-acre Mountain View Grand in New Hampshire, for example, has a family package, which comes with a $200 resort credit that can be used for a host of activities whether your gang wants to hike, mountain bike or Meet the Farmer. Don’t miss the animal parade on July 6! Book three nights over the Fourth of July at the Limelight Hotel Snowmass near Aspen a nd get daily breakfast for the family, a $75 credit for dining and a welcome gift.

I’m partial to mountain town celebrations, including Aspen. (Kids can decorate and ride their bikes in the Old-Fashioned Parade before the town barbecue, complete with bounce castles and a dunk tank followed by free concerts.) Taos Ski Valley will celebrate Independence Day all weekend long. Starting on Thursday, July 4 through Sunday, July 7 there will be photo scavenger hunts, family crafts, a rubber ducky race, flyfishing demos, daily live music, free yoga, pickleball lessons, pick-up soccer games and a cornhole tournament.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, kicks off the festivities with a community pancake breakfast in the iconic Town Square followed by a parade with horses, clowns, free concerts, a rodeo at the Teton County Fairgrounds and two nights of fireworks.

Just be prepared if the littlest ones (and your pooches) don’t appreciate the fireworks. It happens!

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The fourth edition of The Kid’s Guide to New York City and the third edition of The Kid’s Guide to Washington D.C. are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)