Experience the Bad Boys of the Revolution on July 4th

Get out of the backyard this Independence Day and see some real history!

Tired of backyard barbeques, jaunts down to the local quarry and parties at your in-laws’ house where your father-in-law serves cheap beer and tells bad jokes? This Independence Day it’s time for exploring a little further away from home.

The US may not have castles dating to the Middle Ages, but we do have a rich history, and there’s no better time to look back to the American Revolution than on the 4th of July. Bigger adventures await those bold adventurers who want more than sparklers and hot dogs. Those bad boys of the American Revolution – the founding fathers – have stories to tell, and it goes deeper than what they told you in school. They were radicals. Outlaws. Destroyers of property. If they were alive today, they would probably be called hippies. Let’s look at some of the most fascinating 4th of July destinations for those vacationers who, like the founding fathers, aren’t satisfied with the status quo.

See the Star Spangled Banner in Washington, DC

What better place to celebrate the Fourth of July than the nation’s capitol? The fireworks show on the National Mall is worth the trip, and there’s nowhere else where you can see so many artifacts from the revolution, including the Star Spangled Banner – the 200 year old flag which inspired Francis Scott Key – on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence at the National Archives, and the new African American History Museum.

Though it wasn’t around in 1776, the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel offers a historic look at more recent history, and it’s a perfect time to mix history with culture and poetry. Langston Hughes was “discovered” by American poet Vachel Lindsay at the Wardman Park Hotel in 1925, where he worked as a busboy. If you stay in the hotel’s historic Wardman Tower, you can book the Langston Hughes Suite Experience package, which includes a weekend stay in the Langston Hughes Suite, a copy of Hughes “The Weary Blues,” his and her fedoras, a bottle of champagne, and two $21 gift certificates to Busboys and Poets, a popular DC restaurant and cultural establishment.

Open Rebellion in Boston

Boston’s history is forever tied to the history of the country, and iconic American figures Sam Adams, John Hancock, John Adams and Paul Revere were all Bostonians, who led the city – and the fledgling country – into open rebellion with historic events like the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party. The Long Wharf, an historic pier built in 1710, is a great place to start your look back through the centuries, but while you’re enjoying the history, take time to enjoy a few new things too, like State Street Provisions, a restaurant on the wharf just opened in 2015, where you’ll have to try their inspired cocktail called The Eleanor, named after one of the ships from the Boston Tea Party.

The Boston Marriott Long Wharf’s Freedom Trail Package takes you on a tour by a costumed guide along the historic freedom trail and the 16 historic landmarks there. The Freedom Trail is one of the greatest historic treasures the country has to offer, and all along the way you’ll hear stories about high treason, fights and the bold risks that the founding fathers took to accomplish their mission. Starting July 1, Boston hosts a multi-day celebration with two nights of fireworks, a street festival, and back-to-back concerts.

Philadelphia Freedom

Museum Of The American Revolution

The Declaration of Independence may reside in Washington DC now, but it was originally signed in Philadelphia, city of cobblestone streets, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. You’ll find free concerts on the Parkway on the 4th featuring Mary J. Blige and Boyz II Men, and of course the newly opened Museum of the American Revolution is the only place that tells the whole story. The museum tells a richer and deeper story about the founding of America than most people have ever experienced, delving into what the promise of equality really meant for all people, including women, enslaved people, native people, and laboring men.

July 4 is also your last chance to see Revolutionary: A Pop-Up Street Art Exhibition, a wonderful exhibit that shows the true spirit of revolution at 13 different locations in Philadelphia’s historic district. July 4 is the final day for the exhibit, which opened on May 25. Philly’s six-day Wawa Welcome America festival also includes free museum days with free entry to some of the greatest museums in the country, including the National Constitution Center, the National Liberty Museum and the Philadelphia History Museum.

Monticello / Charlottesville / Williamsburg, Virginia

The state of Virginia has so many opportunities to get a close-up view of American history, we can’t limit it to a single city. In Williamsburg, the spectacular fireworks at Busch Gardens takes place on July 3 and 4. You can also see a special militia muster, a salute to the 13 original states, music with fife and drum, and the firing of muskets and cannons.

Not too far away at Yorktown, you can see the new American Revolution Museum, and hear about the stories of ordinary citizens and soldiers caught up in the American Revolution. Don’t miss the museum’s award-winning “Liberty Fever” film, expansive galleries and outdoor re-creation of a Continental Army encampment.

Charlottesville is of course, the site of Thomas Jefferson’s home at Monticello, where every year, a special speaker addresses our newest citizens on the annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony.

Celebrate Independence Day in New York City’s Chinatown

Museum of Chinese in America at the Hotel 50 Bowery

Chinatown may seem a strange place to celebrate Independence Day, but New York’s Chinatown is rich in history. At the newly opened Hotel 50 Bowery, Joie de Vivre Hotels offers an impressive collection of curated design elements and experiences. The hotel is located on Manhattan’s oldest street, and offers a permanent exhibit from the Museum of Chinese in America on the hotel’s second floor. The 1,500 square foot exhibit looks at the history of Chinatown’s streets, and showcases some artifacts that were found at the hotel’s construction site. In 1783, the site was the Bulls Head Tavern, where George Washington established his temporary headquarters; in the early 1900s it also served as a Vaudeville theater.