Best place to spend the 4th of july

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These 10 destinations do a bang-up job of celebrating Independence Day.

• By Donna Heiderstadt

July 4th festivities come in all shapes, sizes and spectacles, so if you’re looking to change up your routine this Independence Day, here are 10 destinations that do a bang-up job of celebrating. All are located on islands or along the coast and each delivers a red, white and blue lineup of nostalgic Americana: fun traditions, famous annual contests and, of course, fantastic fireworks. Read on for the best places to celebrate the 4th of July this summer.

The best-known island in the Florida Keys is the spot to celebrate the 4th if you want to see how the annual Key Lime Festival — five days of culinary fun that includes scavenger hunts, cooking classes, tastings and cocktail strolls — ends with a bang. But first there’s a 10am Key Lime Pie-Eating Contest (of course there is!) before it’s time to find a viewing spot for the Rotary Club of Key West fireworks show at the White Street Pier.

From before noon until after midnight, the city that never sleeps serves up a Big Apple-sized helping of July 4th fun. For fresh air, sunshine and the insanity of the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, head to the Coney Island boardwalk. After watching 10-time champ Joey Chestnut devour more than 70 franks in 10 minutes, grab one of your own to go and enjoy the amusements — from the landmark Cyclone roller coaster to Brooklyn Cyclones baseball. Later, find a spot along the East River in Brooklyn or Manhattan to watch the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks: 30 minutes of sky-high sparkles featuring as many as 40,000 shells.

If you had to choose between gallery hopping to find the perfect new painting for your home, sailing on a historic schooner and enjoying fireworks overhead or biting into one of the best lobster rolls you’ve ever tasted, which would it be? Well, in neighboring Camden and Rockland on the beautiful Maine coast there’s no need to decide. Art, food and water-based fun are all on tap for July 4th, along with live music, children’s games and face painting.

The San Francisco waterfront, especially around Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf, buzzes with activity all day — including live rock music from some of the bay area’s top cover and tribute bands from 1:30pm on — and the annual City & County of San Francisco Fireworks Show lights up the sky at 9:30pm. Sightseeing boats also offer fireworks-viewing cruises or if you want to try something new, consider a Waterfront or Golden Gate tour on a Segway.

Is star-spangled historic charm your thing? Then travel back to the 1880s at Independence Day at the Fort festivities or join in the annual W.T. Rabe Stone-Skipping Tournament at Windermere Point on this carless Michigan island, where the main modes of transport are horse-drawn buggies and bikes. Fort Mackinac ushers in the afternoon with a bang: 38-gun salutes that honor the number of states in the late 19th century, as well as children’s games on the lawn. The legendary Grand Hotel keeps festivities at Fort Mackinac going with its annual An American Picnic all-you-can-eat buffet from 6:30pm until dusk when fireworks light up the sky.

This Pacific Northwest city known as the birthplace of grunge, Starbucks and Costco hosts a free Seafair Summer 4th celebration at Gas Works Park that features food vendors, live music, sack races, pie-eating contests and a beer garden — and offers views of the fireworks choreographed to music over Lake Union at 9:30pm. Neighboring cities Bellevue, Newcastle and Kirkland also celebrate with local parades, food vendors and live music.

For an old-school parade that borders on hokey, head to Jekyll Island, the Georgia summer enclave where residents take great pride in parading through the Historic District on decorated golf carts, bikes and strollers (pets get in on the action, too). Other fun activities include a swim-in movie (The Little Mermaid) at the Summer Waves Water Park (on July 1), fireworks (on July 3) and Red, White & Bounce (a street fair on the Village Green with water slides, bounce houses and live music).

This charming South Carolina city celebrates the 4th with plenty of southern hospitality. There’s Mount Pleasant’s Uncle Sam Jam (featuring live music) and Fourth of July Firework Bash, North Charleston’s Fourth of July Festival in Riverfront Park (known for its food trucks and the low country’s largest fireworks display) and Sea Stars and Stripes at the South Carolina Aquarium downtown. You can even watch the fireworks over the the harbor at Patriot’s Point from the deck of the historic warship USS Yorktown.

With a fireworks display called the Big Bay Boom and multiple military bases in the region, San Diego celebrates our nation’s independence with might and precision. The city puts on Southern California‘s largest fireworks show, launched from four barges in San Diego Bay and viewable from a half dozen locations, from the Embarcadero to the Coronado ferry landing (and the deck of the USS Midway if you book ahead). Beforehand, enjoy retro nostalgia (including a cherry-pit spitting contest) in Old Town San Diego, all-American picnic games such as burlap races and water balloon tosses at LEGOLAND or the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar.

The vibe is casual and laidback as this charming city located 10 miles from where the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic Ocean celebrates the 4th with baseball games, music on the beach and riverfront fireworks. Arrive early in historic downtown for local food vendors and live entertainment (from 6pm-10pm, with pyrotechnics at 9:05pm). If you love the water, you can book a Firecracker Cruise on the river or spend the entire day at Carolina Beach Boardwalk for the Fireworks by the Sea celebration.

• More California, Florida Keys, U.S. Islands

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