Top 10 places to celebrate July 4

By Editorial Staff

updated 4:05 p.m. ET June 29, 2006

With its day-long beach parties, afternoon parades, nightly concerts, and dazzling fireworks, July 4th isn't your everyday holiday – it's the birthday of the good ol’ US of A, and everyone's invited to the countrywide party. Whether you're into paying tribute to American history or just enjoying traditional American summer pastimes, our list of top places to celebrate July 4 has got you covered. While we were tempted to include London – just to remind them who won! – we opted to stay domestic with our picks. Accordingly, you’ll find the obvious places for saluting the nation – like DC, Boston, and Philadelphia – as well as the unexpected. Look for coastal cities, offshore islands, an inland mountain, and . . . one of the finest ships afloat.

1. Boston
2. Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard
3. Chicago
4. Mount Rushmore
5. Philadelphia
6. Queen Mary 2
7. San Diego
8. San Juan Islands
9. US Virgin Islands
10. Washington, DC

Boston
A city that cradled the American Revolution and once threw wild tea parties, today Boston hosts a party of a different kind, as one of the nation’s premier July 4th destinations. More than 200 events make up a fun-filled week-long calendar during the annual Boston Harborfest, which kicks off in late June and continues through the Independence Day holiday. This patriotic celebration focuses on the city’s strong maritime and colonial heritage, and unfolds, as such, along the waterfront, on the Harbor Islands, and in historic downtown. Expect a slew of events (most of them free), ranging from fireworks, concerts, kids’ days, cruises, tours, and more. Some of the festival’s highlights include the Boston Chowderfest, during which some 12,000 participants chow down to select the best chowder from Boston-area restaurants; the annual turnaround of the USS Constitution; and the reading of the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the Old State House. The other major component of Bean Town’s Independence Day festivities is the free Boston Pops Concert and Fireworks Display; arrive early with beach chairs or blankets to guarantee good seats. Check www.july4th.org for the full line-up of events.

Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard
With their sand dunes and salty air, lighthouses and quaint fishing villages, Cape Cod and its neighboring islands make superb Independence Day retreats, with dozens of parades, picnics, and fairs that will have you humming the “Star Spangled Banner” all holiday long. Three of our favorite events are the barbecue at the Old Whaling Church in Martha's Vineyard (4-8pm; July 4; Edgartown), where you'll get a taste of New England cooking and a dose of nostalgia for the country's old maritime days; the Hyannis Boat Parade in Cape Cod (1pm; Hyannis harbor), a veritable fleet of patriotically decorated boats and yachts (with awards given to the best "dressed"); and Nantucket’s Independence Day Celebration on Jetties Beach, with good family fun like three-legged races and a tug-of-war by day and fireworks come nightfall. A great way to see more than one island and watch the fireworks from a prime Atlantic spot, is by cruising the Vineyard Sound from Woods Hole (call 1-800/376-2326 for reservations and departure times; $40). For more event information on the Cape, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard, see www.capecodeonline.com.

Chicago
Chicagoans get so amped for the city’s annual Independence Day festivities that they actually kick off the revelry days in advance. Spectacular firework displays, fun festivals, rockin’ concerts, and ballgames make the city an obvious choice for a holiday hurrah. No 4th of July would be complete without a colorful fireworks extravaganza – and Chicago hosts three nights of them! The most elaborate display is set to patriotic music and lights up the sky over the Navy Pier, a superb location with sweeping skyline views along Lake Michigan. Be sure to grab a seat at the Navy Pier Beer Garden, before or after the show, to listen to free performances by stellar Chicago-area bands, which jam to the blues, rock, reggae, and rock n’ roll; remarkable free concerts are also held at the Petrillo Music Shell. If you haven’t been to Chicago in a while, you’ll also find some interesting new amusements in the modern Millennium Park, which debuted in July 2004 and borders Grant Park. Check www.choosechicago.org for event listings.

Mount Rushmore
Acclaimed as one of the 10 man-made wonders of the world, Mount Rushmore is as grand a tribute to American history as one can get and, not surprisingly, a prime national monument for Independence Day celebrations. The imperial visages of four of the country’s most venerated leaders – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt – are etched into the Black Hills of South Dakota, and visible from multiple spots in the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. You can follow the Avenue of Flags from the Concession Building to the Presidential Trail – a half-mile path that’ll get you up close to the mountain carvings. You can also head to the Grandview Terrace above the Lincoln Borglum Museum or the memorial’s amphitheater. July 3rd is the day to be there, as a slew of commemorative events are scheduled – including a military flyover by day and a firework display that night (at 9pm). There will even be a modern-day Abe Lincoln on hand to liven up the festivities. For more information on Independence Day events, visit www.nps.gov/moru.

Philadelphia
Where better to celebrate America’s independence than in the city of our nation’s birth – Philadelphia? The old stomping grounds of the Founding Fathers, this history-rich city lays claim to being the place where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were both drafted. More than 200 years later, Philadelphians are still ready to get all riled up in the name of independence, with a superb week-long celebration. Start off your visit to the city of Brotherly Love by visiting its most iconic symbol of freedom, the Liberty Bell; it, and the historic sites in Independence Mall will have extended viewing hours over the holiday. Once you’re done with the history, it’s all about music and fun: expect a free concert at Penn’s Landing followed by fireworks over the Delaware River; a separate gospel concert; and yet more free performances in front of Independence Hall. The culmination of events is July 4 itself, when top bands perform at the Sweet Sounds of Liberty Concert in anticipation of the city's annual, thunderous, fireworks display that sends flashes and booms into the night sky. See www.americasbirthday.com for the city’s full event details.

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