Top 5 Destinations for July 4th
June 29, 2021
There’s a deeper appreciation for travel and the stats show Americans are taking full advantage to celebrate their long-standing traditions and a new sense of freedom with family and friends this Independence Day. More Americans are expected to travel this 4th of July with the AAA predicting the biggest travel weekend since the start of the pandemic, second-highest Independence Day travel volume on record, and a 40% boost from last year! July 4th is the most searched weekend of Summer 2021 with a predicted 43.6 million Americans taking to the road and 3.5 million planning to fly.
Independence Day is one of the most celebrated holidays in the US and the perfect time to hit the road, take a family vacation and celebrate our nation’s birthday with cookouts, festivals, fireworks displays and holiday-themed events. There’s more reason to celebrate this year and our top trending July 4th destinations have festivities, activities, adventures and star spangled celebrations for the whole family.
Ocean City, Maryland
Ocean City is Maryland’s only coastal community and one of the most popular vacation destinations on the East Coast. The top attractions are ten miles of beautiful beaches and the nearly three-mile Ocean City boardwalk, voted one of the “Best Boardwalks in America”. Spend your day between the boardwalk and the beach! Watch a beach sunrise, build sandcastles, surf or paddleboard the waves and enjoy the summer sun on the beach. Rent a bike to explore the boardwalk, ride the Ferris wheel and carousel, visit the museum and aquarium and immerse yourself in good, old-fashioned family fun (and lots of it!).
Take a spin on the ferris wheel!
Enjoy a patriotic display of fireworks in Ocean City
Ocean City’s calendar of events is filled with fun things to do throughout the summer months. Enjoy free movie nights, beach dance parties, sunset party nights, live music at Sundaes in the Park, and the spectacular OC drone show. Ocean City celebrates the nation’s birthday with two patriotic celebrations with music and fireworks, downtown on the beach and uptown at Northside Park. For an all-day and late-night party, the award-winning Seacrets on the bay has multiple stages, live music, DJs, and independence Day Fireworks you can watch from the bar, beach, or from your boat!
Gulf Shores, Alabama
Plenty of dolphins to be seen in Gulf Shores!
The Gulf Shores offers the perfect blend of outdoor activities and exciting attractions for the whole family on the scenic Alabama shoreline. Miles of white sugar beaches and turquoise waters, endless water activities in the Gulf of Mexico, Little Lagoon and Shelby Lakes, nature trails, horse-riding and ziplining at Gulf State Park, dolphin tours, pirate cruises, and romantic sunset sails. Spend the day in the great outdoors or discover the exciting attractions at Waterville USA.
America’s birthday celebrations include a stunning free fireworks display from the fishing pier, fireworks and pie-eating contest at The Lodge at Gulf State Park, and an Independence Day Street Party at the Wharf with family fun festivities, face painting, a petting zoo, music, and dancing leading to the grand finale display of fireworks. The OWA in nearby Foley has free celebrations throughout the weekend with a patriotic walking parade, marching bands, and a spectacular fireworks show, and the famous Flora Bama is holding its 1st Annual Freedom Run (or walk!) on Sunday 4th, come rain or shine. If you’re in town for longer, be sure to catch the Blue Angels at the Pensacola Beach Air Show on July 10th.
Plenty of fun to be had at a parade!
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
We’re ready to celebrate our freedom more than ever before and there is no better place to gather with friends and family than in Myrtle Beach, the top-rated beach on the South Carolina coastline. This family-friend beach destination offers endless adventures from watersports in the ocean, eco-adventures in the salt-water marshes, trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, and endless family-oriented attractions and activities. Apart from happy hours spent on the beach, kids are easily entertained with adventure golf, go-cart racing, waterparks, Wonderworks, and Ripley’s famous attractions. Savor seafood at a beachfront restaurant, enjoy live music at the Carolina Opry or Alabama Theater, sip sundowners in a rooftop bar and enjoy family-friendly music and movies under the stars.
Family fun on the beach
Fourth of July festivities!
The Fourth of July celebrations run up and down the Grand Strand. Daytime festivities begin with the Red, White, and Blue 5K at Barefoot Landing and include the Surfside Beach Celebrations and Golf Cart Parade, Murrells Inlet Boat Parade, Pawleys Island Parade, and the Salute from the Shore Flyover that flies over every beach in South Carolina from Cherry Grove to Bluffton. As the sun sets the Grand Strand puts on a spectacular display with fireworks displays on Myrtle Beach Boardwalk. Broadway on the Beach over Lake Broadway, Cherry Grove Pier, Barefoot Landing, and Murrells Inlet Marshwalk.
Destin, Florida
Make a splash at Big Kahuna’s!
If you’re thinking crystal clear turquoise waters, powder white sands, fresh seafood in a waterfront restaurant, family-friendly attractions, and festive celebrations for your Fourth of July getaway, Destin tops the charts! Laze on the award-winning beaches, play in the gulf, fish or snorkel the world-class waters, catch a round of golf and stroll the fresh seafood markets. Destin is full of fun attractions for your Fourth of July celebrations! From Big Kahuna’s Water Park to the festivities at HarborWalk Village and the Village of Baytown Wharf. The best is still to come …
The fireworks over Destin Harbor are well-attended and worth every moment! Spectacular displays fill the skies over the gulf and bay waters and Destin simply comes alive. There are patriotic fireworks all along the shoreline from Fort Walton Beach Landing over Santa Rosa Harbor and Destin Harbor Fireworks to the spectacular, musical, Baytown Wharf Fireworks, beach fireworks at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort, and Seaside fireworks from a barge in the Gulf of Mexico. Other ideas for great views of Destin’s Fourth of July fireworks displays are to rent a pontoon or take a boat tour to Crab Island, book a Red, White & Blue Fireworks Cruise, or find a spot on Norriego Point or Okaloosa Island Boardwalk for views along the shoreline.
A beautiful display of fireworks over the water in Destin, Florida
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Cape Cod is a hook-shaped peninsula off mainland Massachusetts with 15 quaint villages along Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Each village is unique with its own display of natural beauty, sandy beaches, uncrowded spaces, spectacular summer gardens, breweries and vineyards, historic attractions, and family-friendly things to do. Tee off on “The Golf Coast“, take a coastal excursion on the Cape Cod Central Railroad, immerse yourself in nature at the Cape Cod National Seashore, go whale watching or take a day trip to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket.
Play a round at Chequessett Golf Course
All smiles!
From Plymouth to Provincetown, the quaint villages of Cape Cod come alive with patriotic parades, fantastic firework displays, live music, county fairs and beach BBQs. This years confirmed parades are in Osterville, Chatham and Barnstable with fireworks displays in Chatham, Hyannis, Mashpee and the Sandwich July 4th Celebration with the historic boat parade, a favorite Cape Cod event since the 1800s.
If you’re looking for a last-minute getaway for a warm, coastal 4th of July celebration, Xplorie partners with professional property managers in Ocean City, Gulf Shores, Myrtle Beach, Destin , and Cape Cod with a diverse selection of beach houses and condos for a fantastic Fourth of July getaway. You’ll not only find a safe place to vacation this Independence Day, you get free Xplorie activities for each day of your stay!
