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The Best Places to Travel On July 4th

Posted on by Lauren Shepard

The Fourth of July is not too far away from now and that means it’s time to start planning out your celebration for this special day. There are many ways in which people choose to spend this day including a family BBQ at home, parties, community events, etc.  Each state celebrates the Fourth of July in different and unique ways. If you are looking to travel for this special occasion, grab your American flags and start packing because we put together a list of the best places to travel for the Fourth of July!

 

1.Traverse City, Michigan

Traverse City is known for having a more traditional celebration for July 4th. They not only throw a party for the holiday, but they also have a long festival to go with it! From June 30th-July 7th, the city hosts the National Cherry Festival. During the festival you can view the U.S. Navy Blue Angels air show over the West Grand Traverse Bay, enter a cherry pie eating contest and cherry pit spit contest, and many more traditional city events. On July 4th, they hold a large fireworks show hosted by the TC Boom Boom Club. If you are looking for a low key July 4th celebration, this is the place to go.

 

2. Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is known to be called ‘Music City’. The city holds up its reputation on July 4th by throwing day long concerts. This year they have Lady Antebellum, Chris Janson, Lucie Silvas, and Shannon Sanders performing. As the grand finale, the Nashville Symphony will perform in synchronization with the fireworks show. If you’re a music lover, this is the place to celebrate July 4th.

 

3. New York City, New York

It’s no surprise that New York City makes the list of best places to visit on July 4th. After all, this is the city that never sleeps. During the day, people love to visit some of New York City’s Revolutionary War locations to get in the groove of this patriotic day. In the evening, people attend the water boat show, go to the Midsummer Night Swing dance party, and then finally Macy’s large fireworks show. You can view the show from many areas in the city including roof top bars, boats, hotels, and more. If you love large celebrations, New York City is known to hold one of the best in the United States.

 

4. Brooklyn, New York

Speaking of New York, another place that holds great July 4th celebrations is Coney Island in Brooklyn. Every year on July 4th, Coney Island hosts an annual Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Many gather around the famous boardwalk to view the event while sporting Nathan’s Famous hats. After that, you can visit the Coney Island Circus Sideshow. You’ll see Wendy Blades the blade swallower, Nola Star the fire dancer/fire eater, and a lot more. At night, Coney Island will have their fireworks show which can be viewed from the boardwalks.

 

5. Lake Tahoe, California

The fireworks display at South Lake Tahoe has been listed as one of the top five displays in the nation according to the American Pyrotechnics Association. If you are looking for a beautiful fireworks show, you can get the best vantage points from riding one of Lake Tahoe’s boats. The Safari Rose is an 80-foot long yacht known for their fireworks cruise. You’ll have access to unlimited beer, wine, champagne as well as a nice dinner. The M.S. Dixie is another excellent option for viewing the fireworks on the lake. If you are one for beautiful scenery, South Lake Tahoe is the place to go.

 

6. Keystone, South Dakota

The Mount Rushmore Fourth of July event takes two days to celebrate. On July 3rd, you’ll see performances from local musicians and dance troupes, the National Guard, local Navajo culture groups, and more. Mount Rushmore’s fireworks display takes place on the 3rd instead of the 4th. The fireworks are shot off right over the stone heads. On July 4th, you’ll have a full day of brass bands, military aircraft shows, presentations from American-Indian groups, and see performances from more local musicians and dancers.

 

7. Bristol, Rhode Island

The celebration of July 4th in Bristol is a great place for people who live in New England and others who want to visit Rhode Island. On July 3rd, you can view the local downtown concert series and watch the fireworks display over Bristol Harbor. On July 4th, the celebration includes a parade, Fourth of July ball, drum and bugle competition, a Miss and Little Miss pageant, and more.

 

8. Boston, Massachusetts

Boston has a plethora of Revolutionary War history, making it the ideal area for celebrating the Fourth of July. Every year the city holds a Boston Harborfest. This year it starts on June 28th and last until July 4th. During the festival you’ll witness Revolutionary War reenactments, go on boat tours/walking tours, and hear live entertainment. On July 4th, the Boston POP has a concert followed by a 23-minute fireworks show over Charles River.

 

9. Key West, Florida

Key West’s Fourth of July celebration always lands on the week of their annual Key Lime Festival, making it the best of both worlds for a party. Even though Key West is a small island, there’s still a lot to do on this day. You can enter a key lime pie eating contest, go snorkeling, go on bike rides, and hop on board the Fury for a fireworks cruise. It’s said that if you want the best view of the fireworks show, then the Fury boat is the way to go.

 

10. Boulder, Colorado

For those who enjoy the great outdoors, fresh air, beer trails, and celebrations, Boulder is the place for you. For the past two years, Travel + Leisure has named Boulder, Colorado one of the five best towns in America for July 4th, and it’s easy to see why. There’s a wide array of events to attend during the Fourth of July including a fireworks show at the University of Colorado’s football stadium, Folsom Field. Over at the Boulder Reservoir, they hold a 5/10K Craig Towler  Freedom Run at 8am, have their beer garden open, invite families to picnic at their location, and more.

After the Election Ideas

Posted on by Julia Aldrich

election

This year is likely to go down in history as one of the most memorable year in politics. It was memorable to many due to the two main party candidates and their antics but also memorable due to how annoying everything became. The Facebook rants came often, the debates were hard to watch, and it was impossible to have a conversation with someone without them mentioning (or forcing upon you) their political views. I can only be thankful this Thanksgiving for the gift of voting day coming before the holiday. I’m sure many of us can agree that houses would fall apart over who was fit for president. But now that election season is coming to a close, we can start opening up space in our lives for something other than Clinton or Trump centered. Here are my suggestions.

Train for a Marathon

Were you constantly feeling fired up? Did some of Trump’s comments make you want to flip a table? Did Lester Holt start a flame deep within you? Just because the ballots are closing doesn’t mean you need to calm down. Start training for a marathon! Manifest that deep anger and use it to up your mileage. If your candidate didn’t win, then avenge them in the ultimate feat of strength by shouting their name as you cross the finish line. Nobody will judge you, trust me.

Start a Punk Band

Nothing is as great for channeling angst like a garage punk band. Having to endure months of bickering about email scandals can lead anyone to feel like they want to dye their hair black and jam out on an electric guitar. Also, this gives you an opportunity to write some emotionally charged songs about how the election affected you. Keep angry and jam on! Aleppo Moment? Dibs on the band name.

Throw a Political Party

Invite all of the republicans and democrats you know for America’s next best political party! Stage fake debates, make musical parodies of such debates and share them on your timeline! Go down in history with your candidates and dance the night away in the name of America. Make sure everyone dresses in red, white and blue!

Meditate

Meditate for both the wellbeing of yourself as well as your country. American is exhausted. Take the time you’d normally spend protesting at Trump rallies to unwind and reflect. Understand that everything happens for a reason. The world could always use more zen. Light some candles and set and intention for our next president’s wellbeing, as well as your own. Everything is going to be just fine…I hope.

Make Some Change!

If your party lost the presidency, then you might be feeling like your vote didn’t count. However, my best option is to get motivated, take some political science courses, attend law school, and become president! Actually, you don’t have to have much of a political background at all to be the most powerful person in the United States. In that case, I recommend majoring in some sort of music. Therefore, if you lose in the election, you can always start an angst-y punk band!

How are you dealing with the election being over? Drop us some comments below! 

Who to Watch in the 2012 Olympic Games

Posted on by Kristin Rogers

Track and Field
Sanya Richards-Ross is a force to be reckoned with on the track this year. She currently is America’s record holder for the female 400 meter run. Not only is Sanya leading team USA, but on Saturday June 2nd, she raced to the top spot leading the world! She broke 50 seconds in the 400, an amazing time for a female. Sanya will be representing the United States in the 400 meter run during this summer’s Olympic Games. This definitely should be a fun race to watch.

On the field side of things, keep your eyes open for Reese Hoffa. Reese is One of America’s throwers. Also on Saturday June 2nd, Hoffa earned the top 3 furthest throws for the United States, also placing him top in the world! The U.S track and field team is looking very strong this year. Outside of Sanya and Hoffa, there are many more talented Americans ready to compete for the gold. It should be a very exciting summer games on the track.

Gymnastics
As many of you have probably heard, gold medalist Shawn Johnson is retiring leaving a place for a new American gymnast to chase their gold medal dream. Jordyn Wieber might be just that girl. On June 10th Wieber claimed her second USA all-around title. Gymnastics is always one of the most popular events on TV during the summer Olympics. I’m sure this will be a name we will all know very well by the time the Olympic Games end.

Diving
Olympic trials are still going on and in some cases have yet to start in some of the sports. Because of this we aren’t 100% sure who will qualify for this summer’s games. One diver I am confident in is Katie Bell. Katie is on the USA national team and is an extremely hard worker training twice a day. I think our diving team will be fun to watch. It’s always cool for me to watch someone do something that I can’t do, or am too afraid to do. Diving is one of the things I am way to afraid to do. It should be very exciting to watch Katie in the trails and surely in the 2012 Olympic games.

Basketball
Basketball is something that has been a common topic on many American’s minds lately because of the NBA playoffs. I recently have been getting really into it. There are so many talented basketball players for the United States. Some recognizable names include Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin, and Dwyane Wade. I am so excited for the basketball portion of the Olympics and I know many of you are too.

There are many sports in the Summer Olympic Games. The Olympics are something that most Americans follow and enjoy when the time comes. I am so excited that there is a 2012 Olympics and I honestly cannot wait for them to get started. I know I only chose to talk about a few of the sports but there are just so many, I simply chose the ones I personally am most excited to watch. I hope you all enjoy cheering on team USA in this summer’s Olympic Games!

– Speedy G.