The Fourth of July in the Nation’s Capital

by McLean Robbins on




What better place to celebrate the Fourth of July than in our nation’s capital? Washington, DC offers a number of patriotic activities to celebrate Independence Day.

In addition to the slew of predictable sightseeing activities along the National Mall, the new President’s gallery at Madame Tussauds wax museum, visits to the White House, Capitol building and strolls along the Georgetown waterfront, there are a number of patriotic activities happening just for the holiday.

Don’t miss:

A Capitol Fourth
It’s not just any fireworks display – it’s A Capitol Fourth, DC’s biggest annual fireworks show and PBS spectacular. This free event features performances by the National Symphony Orchestra, plus a star-studded lineup including Steve Martin, Matthew Morrison, Jordin Sparks, Josh Groban and Little Richard. Our tip? For a less crowded experience, check out the trial run (minus the fireworks) on July 3.

[Flickr via JoshuaDavisPhotography]

The Uncle Sam Jam
Party with your fellow patriots and kick off the holiday weekend at the second annual Uncle Sam Jam July 2, featuring bands including Blind Melon and Pat McGee along the National Harbor waterfront. The popular party will include DC’s most popular food trucks, a lumberjack log roll and National Harbor’s own fireworks show. Tickets start at $40.

National Freedom Fest
Love music? Love freedom? That’s all it will take to attend the two-day National Freedom Fest at Yards Park. More than 40 bands and DJs of all varieties will take the stage during the two-day event. Tickets are $35 for a two-day pass.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival
The annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall, kicking off June 30, running through July 4 and again July 7-11. The 45th annual fest this year celebrates different themes each year. This year, expect exhibits dedicated to Colombia, Rhythm and Blues and the Peace Corps.

Boom With a View
It will cost you a pretty penny, but the W Hotel’s annual “Boom with a View” July 4th party lives up to expectations. The private rooftop overlooks the White House lawn. A $200 ticket (or $899 for an overnight and two tix) includes appetizers, an open bar from 6-9 PM, and a live DJ.

Spend Independence Day in a national park

by Kraig Becker on

The Fourth of July holiday has always been a popular one in the U.S. This coming weekend, millions of people across the country will gather with friends and family to celebrate the day our country won its independence with food, music, and fireworks. It is a tradition like no other, and one that is made all the better when combined with another great American tradition – the national parks.

With the three-day holiday weekend nearly upon us, the National Park Service has a number of activities planned across the entire park system. For instance, Valley Forge National Park will play host to the annual community picnic, which features plenty of hamburgers and hotdogs, arts and crafts for the kids, Revolutionary War reenactors, and a reading of the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson himself. Festivities get underway at 11 AM and run throughout the afternoon.

Similarly, Adams National Historical Park in Massachusetts has a full schedule of events planned for July 4th as well. Things will get underway at 1 PM with storyteller William Hogeland sharing the tale of how the Declaration of Independence was drafted and eventually signed. Later in the afternoon, visitors will have the opportunity to join the second Continental Congress itself and take part in the drafting of that document themselves. Finally, the evening will wrap up with a dramatic re-telling of the friendship of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. A friendship that not only withstood the test of time, but would also help forge a nation.Visitors to Mt. Rushmore will have two days to take in that park’s annual celebration, which is always amongst the best in the entire park system. Starting on Sunday, July 3rd and running through the 4th, there will be a variety of live music, and presidential reenactors wandering the park. On Sunday evening the U.S. Air Force will also conduct several dramatic flyovers, including a B-1 bomber. Other events include a flag folding ceremony, a salute to veterans, a military swearing in ceremony, and more.

Those looking for the ultimate in fireworks displays, should plan on dropping by the National Mall in Washington DC. Those that beat the rush, and get there early in the day, can claim one of the better viewing spots near the reflecting pool, and where the fireworks are launched on the evening of the 4th. Starting just after 9 PM, the night sky will explode in spectacular colors, illuminating the Lincoln and Washington Memorials, as well as the Capitol Building itself. It is truly a patriotic sight to behold.

There are, of course, plenty of other parks that are holding their own celebrations as well. Checkout the National Park Service website for more details on what is happening in your area, and start making plans to celebrate Independence Day 2011 in your favorite national park.

[Photo credit: UpstateNYer via WikiMedia Commons]

Best Independence Day travel movies of all time

by Chris Owen on

America’s Independence Day is a time of celebration with friends, family and maybe a few thousand other people at a festival or event. Over the holiday weekend there might also be time to watch a movie or two and there is no shortage of patriotic films to view.

Kaboose.com has a top ten list and Kaboose movie expert Jane Louise Boursaw and associate producer, Bethany Porter, have chosen their picks for the top ten patriotic movies of all time. Take a look at this list of the best Independence Day travel movies of all time.

On the Town
Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin are three sailors on shore leave in New York City. They’ve got 24 hours to fill up with fun and romance before they’re due back on the ship. When those guys get off the boat and burst into song-wow!

They’re jazzed about being on shore leave, even more so in “New York, New York,” one of the greatest cities in the world, complete with the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building. Brings to mind that famous Life Magazine photo of the sailor who grabbed and kissed the first girl he could find after WWII. Those were the days!

Rocky
Sylvester Stallone plays Rocky Balboa, a struggling boxer working in a meat factory in Philadelphia. Heavyweight champ Apollo Creed is supposed to win their exhibition fight, but someone forgot to tell Rocky, who makes the best of his shot at the big time.

Rocky has a one-in-a-million shot at winning the fight on the 4th of July, but he goes for it anyway. Go for your dreams – especially in America where opportunities lurk around every corner-or, in Rocky’s case, up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Independence Day
The aliens are coming! The aliens are coming! Don’t worry, though. With Bill Pullman and Will Smith on the job, humanity will prevail!

Things look bleak, but the Pres bolsters the troops with his “fight the aliens” speech: “We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!”

The Music Man
A con man comes to a Midwestern town with a scam using a boy’s marching band program, but things don’t go according to plan. Especially not with Marion the Librarian in the neighborhood.

A snappy parade, a marching band with 76 trombones, and a town united – don’t you love happy endings?

Miracle
It was the moment that stopped the 1980 Olympics. Lead by coach Herb Brooks, a group of formerly slacker college kids caused one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history, winning the gold medal over the Soviets.

Because nothing stirs patriotism like a good Olympics movie-especially when you’ve got Kurt Russell watching your back.

Apollo 13
It’s 1971, and astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert are en-route to the moon in Apollo 13-but when an explosion shuts down the craft’s electrical power, their chances of getting home are slim to none as the nation holds its collective breath.

This dramatization of real-life events has you believing in the power of the human spirit. Sure, “Houston, we have a problem,” but thanks to the ingenuity of NASA and the perseverance of the Apollo 13 crew, this story is nothing short of miraculous. Their suspenseful re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere is the longest four minutes ever!

Forrest Gump
In this Oscar-award winning film the main character, Forrest Gump, tells the story of his life as he waits at a bus stop. Although he is of below average intelligence, the lovable Forrest Gump has an extraordinary tale to tell and you’ll fall in love with his unique personality in this comedy-laced drama.

As the film progresses Forrest meets famous historical figures and fights for America on the battlefields of Vietnam. You’ll also recognize several uniquely American pop-culture phenomenons and historical events that Forrest takes part in.

American Legends
In this animated feature, viewers learn about real American heroes and legends through classic Disney storytelling.

From Johnny Appleseed to Paul Bunyan and John Henry, kids will love this adventure-filled glimpse of American history.

Schoolhouse Rock: America
This fun-filled, animated feature is the perfect way to teach younger children about milestones and big events in American history.

With its memorable patriotic songs and lively storytelling this film teaches kids all about America while keeping them engaged and entertained.

Top Gun
This piece of 80s pop-culture quickly became a classic with all-American super-star Tom Cruise as the rebel pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. We follow Maverick as he trains at the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School and attempts to play by all his own rules.

This is the perfect mix of American rebel attitude and kitsch. We get a glimpse of the lives of daring American pilots (fictitious though they may be) and we get to watch Tom Cruise sing “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin'” who could complain?

Flickr photo by Qfamily

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Wine lovers can win ski trip to Chile this summer with “Sips & Slopes” contest

by Laurel Miller on

If wine and schussing are your thang, unleash your inner poet and enter the Wines of Chile “Sips & Slopes” contest. The rules are simple: compose and tweet an original haiku about Chile, using the hashtag #SipsSlopes. The lucky winner and a guest will win a five–night stay at Chile’s largest ski resort, Valle Nevado, including two round-trip tickets on LAN airlines. As you might expect, being wined and dined is included.

Chile is well-known for its stellar skiing and other outdoor recreational pursuits (both winter and summer), as well as for being “un pais de poetas,” a country of poets. Literary greats such as Pablo Neruda and Isabel Allende are the inspiration behind the “Sips & Slopes” contest, which is to showcase Chile’s reputation as a rising star of South American wine production.

The country’s diverse landscapes and topography provide ideal microclimates for the production of a wide range of varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Carmenere, Chardonnay, and Viognier. Where Chile was once merely a mass producer of low- to mid-range wines, today it’s a serious contender against the high-end wines of Argentina’s famed Mendoza Valley across the border.

Chilean wine regions such as the Maipo, Aconcagua, and Colchagua Valleys are drawing visitors from all over the world, who come for the Mediterranean climate, rural pastimes such as biking, horseback riding, and hiking, and excellent (and affordable) dining, wine tasting, and accommodation options.

Applicants to “Sips & Slopes” will be judged on “creativity, originality, and adherence to haiku format.” Entries will be accepted until June 30th (only one per person and Twitter account, please); the winner will be announced on or around July 7th. Buena suerte!

[Photo credit: Flickr user wharman]

Spend a month at the museum – literally!

by Kraig Becker on

Have you ever walked the halls of a particularly great museum and wished that you could just stay there forever, soaking in the art, historical displays, or scientific demonstrations? Then we have just the thing for you, as the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is hosting its second Month at the Museum contest. The winner gets to live at the museum 24/7 for a full month.

Applications are now being accepted for Month at the Museum 2, with the winner living, breathing, and eating science every day for 30 days straight. While taking up residence at MSI, the person selected will be blogging, tweeting, and posting videos of their experiences at the 14-acre facility. And once the museum closes for the night, they’ll have the run of the place to explore to their heart’s content.

If you’re interested in becoming this year’s temporary tenant, you’ll need to be available to move in from October 19th to November 17th. You’ll also be outfitted with a number of tech gadgets to help you serve as the museum’s ambassador for the month, and you’ll receive $10,000 cash for your trouble as well.

Last year, Kate McGroarty won the job and her experiences are still archived online here. It seems she had a great time and enjoyed her stay at the museum. Perhaps it’s your turn this year?