Ah, the Fourth of July. This quintessential American holiday is a time to celebrate everything that makes the U.S. such a special place to live and travel.
When the days are long and the weather is (typically) reliably pleasant, cities and towns nationwide plan spectacular fireworks displays, parades, music festivals, food celebrations and more. As an added bonus, data from a recent press release from Priceline shows that round-trip domestic airfares for the holiday weekend are as much as 17% lower than last year.
These rates make the Fourth of July a fine time to check out some of the summer’s hottest hotels, rolling out packages, special offers and events with plenty of perks for the holiday. In many cases, travelers can use and accrue points in the process.
Whether you prefer a water-focused getaway with a classic New England lobster bake or a sophisticated city stay with rooftop views of the country’s most epic displays of pyrotechnics, we have an idea for you.
Related: 12 underrated summer travel destinations for 2024
The return of fireworks to the Hudson River: Equinox Hotel New York
Macy’s grand fireworks display, a tradition in New York since 1976, is heading back to the Hudson River for the first time in over a decade. The Equinox Hotel in Hudson Yards has a front-row seat to the display of thousands of shells and patriotic colors alongside an array of effects from barges along the river.
To celebrate, the hotel, known for its sleek design and world-renowned wellness and fitness programs, is offering a special Fourth of July package. Guests can book a River View room or suite and enjoy beautiful views of the show either from their room (where they can celebrate with complimentary Champagne) or the Electric Lemon terrace, a vast rooftop on the 24th floor with Jaume Plensa sculptures and panoramic views of the Hudson.
Package guests get a $150 food-and-beverage credit for light bites like fluke tartare and chilled oysters, plus refreshing cocktails. The Fourth of July festivities kick off at Electric Lemon from 6 p.m. onward, with beats from DJ Darling Chuck. The fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. and last a full 25 minutes.
The Equinox Hotel New York‘s Fourth of July package starts at $1,195 per night.
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Dinner and a show: Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection
Every year, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, a storied Hawaii property at Mauna Kea Resort founded by businessman and conservationist Laurance Rockefeller, hosts an island-style Fourth of July celebration.
On the hotel’s manicured Beachfront Lawn, guests enjoy fireworks over the Pacific Ocean and a mouthwatering feast of Hawaiian specialties, such as prime rib, Hawaiian-style pulled pork, smoked barbecue ribs and a raw bar with crab and oysters.
Purists will also be pleased to discover classic Fourth of July favorites, such as hot dogs, hamburgers, corn dogs and fried chicken. Overnight guests can enjoy an activity-filled day of snorkeling and swimming in turquoise water at the hotel’s beach club, which overlooks one of the only white sand beaches on the Kohala Coast. The accommodations are contemporary and luxurious — an ideal place to rest one’s head after the sun-filled festivities.
Rooms at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel start at $800 per night, with the Fourth of July celebration costing at least $145 per adult and $70 per child (ages 5 to 12). To reserve the package, call 808-882-5707.
America’s favorite pastime: The Curtis Hotel
The Fourth of July and baseball go together like pie and ice cream. The Curtis Hotel in downtown Denver, known for its pop culture-themed guest rooms, is offering a package for die-hard Rockies fans and baseball-loving visitors. It includes a stay at the hotel, a $50 credit to the on-site restaurant (The Corner Office) and a stocked game-day clear pack with refreshing beers and ballpark snacks.
An “anything but baseball” postcard offers top ways to spend time in Denver, so guests can still have a good time in the Mile High City even if the Rockies lose against the Brewers on July 4. As an added bonus, the hotel is within walking distance of Coors Field, and there will be a fireworks show after the game.
The Rockies Strikeout Stay package at The Curtis Hotel starts at $229 per night for a queen room and is bookable throughout July.
A quintessential small-town celebration: Hotel Healdsburg
The wine town of Healdsburg, California — with a leafy town square and walkable downtown featuring historic buildings filled with shops, restaurants and tasting rooms — is as cute as they come. The boutique Hotel Healdsburg, just across the street from the square, is offering a Small Town 4th package that includes 20% off the room rate and a festive Fourth of July celebration kit that provides party favors for the town’s annual Fourth of July Kids Parade with music and activities.
When the evening’s fireworks display kicks off, package guests can choose local craft beers or cans of award-winning Sonoma, California, wine paired with sweet treats from Dry Creek Kitchen to enjoy while participating in the spectacle.
The 50-room Hotel Healdsburg also has a 3,000-square-foot spa and an outdoor pool. On July 6 from 2 to 5 p.m., the property will host a pop-up with Hog Island Oysters called Stars, Stripes, Oysters & Whites, with plenty of wine.
The Small Town 4th package at Hotel Healdsburg starts at $659 per night and is available from July 1 to 8. Keep in mind that there’s a two-night minimum for the package.
An over-the-top viewing party: Conrad Washington, DC
Conrad Washington, DC, located near the National Mall, exudes elegance with its pastel-hued rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, exclusive Sakura Club with dedicated ambassadors and mid-Atlantic restaurant Estuary. This Fourth of July, the Conrad is hosting an elevated Fourth of July Fireworks Reception at its Summit Rooftop Bar.
On one of the city’s best roofs, guests can take in the views of Washington, D.C.’s skyline while celebrating Independence Day with an open bar and American-themed bites. From 4 to 7 p.m., there will also be face painting and balloon animal stations at the third-floor atrium and terrace for younger guests.
Rates at the Conrad Washington, DC start at $432 or 85,000 Hilton Honors points per night. Tickets for the viewing party start at $159 per person.
A musical celebration in Music City: Holston House Nashville
Holston House Nashville, an Unbound by Hyatt Collection property within walking distance of the city’s live music venues on Lower Broadway and the famed Ryman Auditorium, is entwined with the city’s musical fabric. It’s also offering a July 4th Exclusive Fireworks Viewing Experience for Nashville’s musical-themed Fourth of July bash called Let Freedom Sing.
Country singer Chris Young is headlining this year’s downtown event, which will include crescendos with fireworks accompanied by music from the Nashville Symphony. The event is free to attend, but for a prime fireworks view, visitors can purchase a lodging package through participating hotels, such as Holston House, that includes a minimum one-night stay and admission to the Exclusive Fireworks Viewing Area, where snacks, a cash bar and yard games are available. Holton House overnight guests can either select a package that includes general admission tickets or reserve seats in a VIP box.
Located in the 1920s James Robertson building, one of Nashville’s first hotels, Holston House has historic charm and a serene rooftop pool with panoramic city views.
Rates at Holston House Nashville start at $256 or 32,000 World of Hyatt points per night. Rates for the July 4th Exclusive Fireworks Viewing Experience package start at $692.
A classic New England Fourth: White Barn Inn, Auberge Resorts Collection
A historic landmark in Kennebunkport, Maine, White Barn Inn is known for offering a quintessential New England experience. The hotel is the elegant reincarnation of a 150-year-old farmhouse near the Kennebunk River.
White Barn Inn is hosting various festive and fun activities this Fourth of July that showcase why July in Maine is something special. Expect sailing lessons, a farm-to-cocktail class and a good old-fashioned lobster bake, among other activities. Next to the outdoor pool, guests can enjoy lobster dishes, beer and cocktails, followed by s’mores by the fire pit.
This summer, kids 10 and under get complimentary meals from the kids menu. (This offer runs through Oct. 31.)
Rates at White Barn Inn, Auberge Resorts Collection start at $1,000 per night. The lobster bake starts at $95 per person.
On the waterfront: The Bidwell Marriott Portland
In Portland, Oregon, locals have long celebrated Independence Day with the soulful tunes of the country’s best blues musicians. The celebration always takes place on the closest weekend to the Fourth, with this year’s event occurring from July 4 to 7. Internationally acclaimed acts like Mavis Staples and locally loved legends like Curtis Salgado perform on multiple stages during the festival.
Some of this year’s lineup includes acts like Ben Harper and Lucinda Williams. Birmingham, Alabama-based soul band St. Paul and The Broken Bones will headline the event on the Fourth. A fireworks display will also illuminate the Willamette River.
The Bidwell Marriott Portland, in the heart of downtown less than a mile from the venue, is a premium partner for the event, and rooms are still available for the Blues Festival on the Fourth of July. Stays come with a multitude of included perks like a daily $30 food-and-beverage credit, tickets to the Portland Japanese Garden and a daily cocktail of the day for two guests.
Equipment rentals like motor scooters, hiking gear, skateboards and portable art supplies are also complimentary for two guests. Daily bike rentals are available as well, making it easy for visitors to get around Portland.
Rates at The Bidwell Marriott Portland start at $191 or 47,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
Savoring summer: Thompson Houston
Thompson Houston’s 1-acre pool deck feels like a private park in the sky with palm trees, grassy areas and unobstructed views of downtown. It’s also famously one of the best places to see the annual Houston fireworks show. Guests are invited to a Fourth of July “dive-in” fireworks experience by cooling off on playful pool floats and sipping refreshing cocktails as the show unfolds across the Houston skyline.
The brand’s recently launched Savour the Summer offer rewards guests who stay longer with hotel credits to use toward food and drinks: Stay two nights and get a $50 credit; stay three nights and receive a $75 credit; and stay four nights and get a $100 credit. That can go a long way toward a top-notch meal at the buzzy Sol 7 restaurant or the Mexican-style steakhouse Toca Madera.
The hotel’s urban spa, with six grand treatment suites and cutting-edge wellness experiences and treatments, such as a facial offering three different massages and technologies, is on par with the best spas in the world.
Rates at the Thompson Houston start at $349 or 20,000 World of Hyatt points per night. The Savour the Summer offer is valid at participating Thompson hotels for qualifying reservations made between June 1 and Sept. 1 for stays completed by Sept. 2.
Related: Earn double Hyatt night credits at Thompson and Dream hotels
A West Coast fireworks display: VEA Newport Beach, A Marriott Resort & Spa
A luxurious escape on a hilltop in Newport Beach, California, VEA has views of the Pacific Ocean and the Newport Beach Country Club below. On the Fourth of July, the hotel’s guest rooms — serene sanctuaries with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and coastal color schemes — offer front-row seats to Newport Beach’s dazzling Fourth of July fireworks spectacle. The city goes all-out for the holiday with the Peninsula Bike Parade and Festival, a Newport Harbor boat parade and a Condor Squadron World War II-era North American AT-6 coastal flyover at 5:35 p.m.
To entice travelers, VEA offers an Independence Day Celebration Package with a two-night minimum stay that includes a $50 food-and-drink credit per day and a luxurious room with fireworks views. Guests are also treated to an arrival cocktail in the lobby from 2 to 4 p.m.; a poolside Fourth of July barbecue with hot dogs, hamburgers and desserts for sale; and a pool party with a DJ from 6 to 9:30 p.m. The city’s fireworks show starts promptly at 9 p.m.
VEA also has a summer concert series where musicians perform on the property’s Sunset Lawn. Guests must buy tickets in advance.
VEA Newport Beach’s Independence Day Celebration Package starts at $464 per night.
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