Independence Day
 

We have to be in Seattle on July 3 and Calgary July 6. Inbetween those days, we are trying to work out what we should do and where we should go. One of the questions relates to July 4. This is my birthday and for the first time, I have the opportunity to celebrate it in the USA, us being Aussies. Question is, where? Can anyone give us some idea about what to expect and where between Seattle and Calgary? We are wondering if there are really cute Independence Day celebrations in small towns, or if it be best to have a huge parade in a large city such as Seattle. Please help.

The 4th of July in Seattle is pretty spectacular - two major fireworks displays, one over the bay, the other over Lake Union.

However if you need to be in Calgary by the 6th (morning? evening?) then leaving Seattle on the 5th would require two moderately long days of driving. Doable, but not leisurely.

If you decide to take your time and not stay in Seattle for the 4th, you might look at Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) for the 4th. It's an attractive small town just east of Spokane, but a key attraction is a gorgeous and very large lake, with a popular resort (and many smaller places) on the lakeshore and in town. The resort offers a fireworks cruise on the lake. http://www.cdaresort.com/activities/cruises.php Coeur d'Alene is about a 6 hour drive from Seattle.

From Coeur d'Alene to Calgary is a fairly easy drive; you can also "backtrack" a little to Nelson BC, a lovely small town in the Kootenays (made famous in several films, most notably "Roxanne" with Steve Martin) from which you could do an easy (and spectacular) drive through the Canadian Rockies national parks over to Calgary on the 6th.

Thanks for the info. What happens during the day in the various places mentioned during the day?

Many (most) medium to larger towns have parades or community celebrations during the day - food fairs and such. The big event is fireworks after dark, ranging from funky to enormous displays.

In Seattle the venues for the two evening fireworks shows, Myrtle Edwards Park on the waterfront and Gasworks Park on Lake Union both have activities (kids stuff, food stands) from noon until the fireworks; similar activities are available in Spokane.

Coeur d'Alene happens to have a pretty extensive and traditional list of activities for the 4th. As an overseas visitor I'd be tempted to make a day of it and enjoy some real Americana. Here's last year's menu: http://www.coeurdalene.org/calendard...amp;view=month

Fantastic information. Thanks for the very informative post.