Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Plan Your Trip
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2021

      The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2021

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2021. Read More
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture and Design
  • Plan Your Trip

    Plan Your Trip

    Norwegian Cruise Line Will Require Vaccinations for All Passengers and Crew

    Norwegian Cruise Line Will Require Vaccinations for All Passengers and Crew

    Norwegian Cruise Line hopes to resume sailing out of the U.S. on or around July 4.
    • Travel Deals
    • Attractions
    • BookTandL.com
    • Amusement Parks
    • Festivals and Events
    • Bus and Trains
    • Flight Deals
    • Budget Travel
    • Hotels and Resorts
    • Disney Vacations
    • Airlines and Airports
    • Ground Transportation
    • Travel Guides
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • See All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

LIVE
  1. Home
  2. Hotels and Resorts
  3. Best Hotels for July 4th Fireworks

Best Hotels for July 4th Fireworks

By Katrina Brown Hunt
June 16, 2010
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Courtesy of Hyatt Regency Austin
What began as a lark for the Barbarich family evolved into a 28-year tradition: staying at Pennsylvania’s Hotel Hershey for July 4th and watching fireworks from a suite overlooking the lawn.

“We have the best view ever,” says Pat Barbarich, a New Jersey real estate broker and grandmother of two. The head count for her and husband Dave’s family party in the hotel’s Milton Hershey Suite now stands at 24. The best part? “Sitting where we do, it looks like the fireworks are shooting right at you.”

This year, municipal budget cuts mean that cities around the nation—from Palm Springs, CA, to Jones Beach on NY’s Long Island—are shuttering their shows (the average July 4th show price tag tops $100,000). So folks determined to oooh and aaaah may now have to travel to find their Technicolor dream sky. And if you’re going to book a hotel, why not choose one with an amazing vista?

So Travel + Leisure scoured the country looking for the best hotels to watch fireworks. And we uncovered 11 with a high “boom-boom factor”—that is, properties where the rooms, the rooftop bars, and even the gym may have picture-perfect panoramas.

Some of these hot spots roll their primo seats into packages. The W Hotel in Washington, D.C., for example, offers a Boom with a View package, which includes concert tickets to its own rooftop concert before the big show over the National Mall, for $619 (price tag for a room alone: $249).

But hotels don’t necessarily add on high-cost bells and whistles. In hilly cities like San Francisco, where great views abound, prices across the board are reasonable (always ask for a Bay-facing room). And a few spots across the country even charge less over the holiday weekend—largesse that we attribute to good ol’ patriotic spirit.

Of course, affordable spots with great views are likely to get booked up fast. So we’ve also searched for hotels where you can just snag a stool and order a beer—sometimes, the sky-scraping bar is the best place to be for the big show (and since bars don’t take reservations, the early bird gets the perch).

Plenty of these hotels just have great views, no matter when you visit. In Austin, the pyrotechnic-friendly perches at the Hyatt Regency also offer front-row seats for the legendary nightly ascent of the one-million-plus Mexican bats from the Congress Avenue Bridge. Sure, those bats don’t come in red, white, or blue, but we’ll take any excuse to kick back and enjoy a summer sky.
Start Slideshow

1 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

W Hotel, Washington, D.C.

W Hotel, Washington D.C.
Credit: Courtesy of W Washington D.C.

Ask For: Mall views.

You could embrace that We-the-People spirit and join the hundreds of thousands of spectators on the National Mall, but this is one night when it pays to act like a Beltway insider. The grande dame Hay-Adams Hotel—which competes only with the White House for the best views of the massive fireworks display—is closed this summer for renovations, so check out nearby newcomer W Hotel, whose rooms and 11th-floor rooftop lounge, P.O.V., overlook the Mall. For primo access, the year-old W is offering a Boom with a View package that includes a room and rooftop concert tickets.

Bonus View: On any given day at the W, you’ll likely spot the Marine One helicopter—surrounded by Secret Service choppers—taking off and landing. Come spring, the cherry blossoms explode into a panorama of pinkness.

1 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Royal Sonesta,Boston

Royal Sonesta Boston, Boston
Credit: Rose Martin/Alamy

Ask For: Charles River views.

Boston easily qualifies for the Big Three of July 4th shows, alongside D.C. and New York City, and may rule the day thanks to its trump card: the Boston Pops. But since the pyrotechnics over the Charles River shoot from a barge, the best spots for viewing shift slightly from year to year. The Royal Sonesta Boston can’t guarantee a view from specific rooms, but it does claim a pretty consistent success rate. At the very least, a short walk will lead you to the walkway along the Charles River’s edge.

Bonus Views: A postcard-worthy scene of the city skyline, the landmark Longfellow Bridge, and Beacon Hill neighborhood.

2 of 11

3 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Mandarin Oriental,New York City

Mandarin Oriental, NYC
Credit: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental

Ask For: Hudson River views.

You gotta get up high in the Big Apple if you want to see the annual Macy’s display over Manhattan’s Hudson River. The 54-story Mandarin Oriental, near Columbus Circle, is offering a July 4th Fireworks Package for $765 per night, including breakfast—not a bad deal, relatively speaking, given that its usual breakfast-inclusive rate is $755. Floors above 38 have the best water views.

Affordable Alternative: The new Trump SoHo Hotel, whose southern-facing, deluxe-category rooms have a clear shot of the Hudson, too, and cost only $359.

Bonus Views: In November, guests at the Mandarin Oriental can cheer on runners on their last mile in the NYC Marathon. A few weeks later, the Thanksgiving Parade will roll past the hotel, giant Kermit balloons and all.

3 of 11

Advertisement

4 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Four Seasons Hotel,Philadelphia

The Hyatt Regency Penn's Landing, Philadelphia
Credit: Russell Kord/Alamy

Ask For: Parkway views.

Philly’s July 4th show takes place over the Philadelphia Museum of Art—a place that makes many an American heart swell with pride, remembering Sly Stallone running its steps in Rocky. To get above the fray, check into the Four Seasons Hotel off Logan Square, where a parkway view will give you the best perspective. Or, walk out the front door and grab a spot at Swann Memorial Fountain, just across the street.

Affordable Alternative: The Hyatt Regency Penn’s Landing also offers solid views from its rooms, restaurant, bar, and even from the pool and fitness center.

Bonus Views: From the Four Seasons, the City of Brotherly Love opens up for you, including the Free Library, the Franklin Institute, and those famous Philadelphia Museum steps. Have fun watching tourists do their own version of the Rocky run.

4 of 11

5 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Trump Chicago Hotel,Chicago

Trump Chicago Hotel, Chicago
Credit: William Huber

Ask For: Navy Pier views.

The Windy City used to have just one big show—over Grant Park—but the Navy Pier show is now stealing some pyrotechnic thunder. A great spot to see it: the Trump Chicago Hotel, which sits on the river and so has a straight shot down to the pier. Its 16th-floor restaurant, The Terrace at Trump, guarantees you center-stage seats—but, since it doesn’t take reservations, early-bird patriots will get the best perch.

Bonus Views: Making the most of the festive summer crowds, the Navy Pier amusement park will also light up the sky every Wednesday and Saturday from July 4th through Labor Day.

5 of 11

6 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Silver Cloud Inn—LakeUnion, Seattle

The Silver Cloud Inn-Lake Union, Seattle
Credit: Danita Delimont/Alamy

Ask for: Lake Union views.

The show must go on! When the main corporate sponsor backed out this year, a grassroots effort by local businesses raised enough money to save the July 4th display. The fireworks go off over Lake Union, just north of downtown, meaning that the most popular downtown hotels are out of range. For lakeside accommodations, we like the branch of the small Pacific Northwest boutique chain the Silver Cloud Inn—Lake Union. If you can’t get one of the nearly 100 water-facing rooms, cruise across the street, where a variety of restaurants line the shore.

Bonus View: Seaplanes take off and land from Lake Union every day—most heading out for aerial tours of the San Juan Islands or the Cascade Mountains, or just getting a bird’s-eye view of Bill Gates’s estate.

6 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Westin Canal Place,New Orleans

Westin Canal Place, New Orleans
Credit: Courtesy of the Westin Canal Place

Ask For: Mississippi River view.

Hotels overlooking the Mississippi River—showcase for the Big Easy fireworks—can be tough to book this time of year. Fortunately, at the Westin Canal Place, the 11th-floor lobby (which is open to the public) also has a great view. If the whole place is packed, try the Windsor Court Hotel or the New Orleans Marriott.

Bonus View: Aside from the mighty Mississippi, daytime sightlines include the Crescent City Connection bridge, Jackson Square, and St. Louis Cathedral.

7 of 11

8 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Manchester Grand Hyatt,San Diego

Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego
Credit: Garon Kiesel

Ask For: Bay views.

As the tallest hotel in downtown San Diego (and the city’s third-tallest building), the 40-story Manchester Grand Hyatt has unrivaled vistas of the San Diego Bay, over which the Big Bay Boom takes place—not only from water-facing rooms but also from its pool and the Top of the Hyatt bar (fireworks plus one of its strawberry lemon-drop cocktails equals perfection). A close second-best: the Altitude Sky Lounge, which sits atop the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter.

Bonus View: You probably won’t catch any fly balls, but the Altitude Sky Lounge also has a great view into Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. The Manchester Grand Hyatt is towering enough that you have a decent chance of catching the SeaWorld fireworks, which go off nearly every summer evening.

8 of 11

9 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fairmont HeritagePlace, Ghiradelli Square, San Francisco

Fairmont Heritage Place Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco
Credit: Courtesy of Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square

Ask For: Bay views.

In a city with 40-plus good-size-to-monstrously-steep hills, almost anywhere from Nob Hill to the Mission District can overlook the waterfront. But it’s hard to beat the scene at the Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square, which invites guests to its Mustard Terrace for a private party of food, drink, and pyrotechnics. The terrace is on the Fairmont’s second floor, but since the hotel is on a slope, a hotel spokesperson estimates that the lounge is a good 30 feet above the water level.

Bonus Views: It’s a West Coast real estate agent’s dream come true: the Fairmont looks onto both the Bay and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge (assuming, of course, that pesky fog permits).

9 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Disneyland Hotel,Disneyland, Anaheim, CA

Disneyland Hotel, Orlando
Credit: Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland

Ask For: Rooms facing Disneyland.

Where’s the happiest place on earth? Could be a hotel room balcony inside Disneyland on a holiday weekend. The park’s Independence Day fireworks promise to dwarf—and we don’t mean Doc or Dopey—the nightly Magical Fireworks display that goes on during the rest of the summer. Ask for a park-facing room at the Disneyland Hotel or the Paradise Pier Hotel. (Hint: rooms on the fourth floor and above offer the clearest sightlines.) Some rooms at the plush, Craftsman-style Grand Californian put the fireworks well in sight, too, especially if you stay on the concierge level, which has a view-friendly lounge. For a soundtrack, tune into the hotels’ fireworks-music channel.

Bonus Views: During the day, you can see the iconic, steel-mountain Matterhorn ride—use binoculars and you might see Mickey or Goofy scaling it—but the best visuals transpire on any summer or weekend night, when you get the over-the-top Magical fireworks at 9:20 pm.

10 of 11

11 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Hyatt Regency, Austin

Hyatt Regency Austin, Austin
Credit: Courtesy of Hyatt Regency Austin

Ask For: Ladybird Lake view.

The Austin Symphony Orchestra and the Texas National Guard will perform the “1812 Overture” on the night of the Fourth—replete with cool cannon solo—on the shores of Ladybird Lake, on the southern edge of downtown. Not many hotels overlook the water, but the Hyatt Regency Austin does—at least from most of its north-facing rooms. If you’re oriented to the south, the hotel’s waterfront, patio-level bar still offers a primo perspective (and it’s even better for kicking back and looking skyward).

Bonus View: Located near downtown’s Congress Avenue bridge, the Hyatt lets you catch a sneak-peek at Austin’s signature show in the sky: the breathtaking (or freakish) ascent of about 1.5 million Mexican bats, which flap away from the bridge each dusk from March until November.

11 of 11

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Katrina Brown Hunt

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 11 W Hotel, Washington, D.C.
    2 of 11 Royal Sonesta,Boston
    3 of 11 Mandarin Oriental,New York City
    4 of 11 Four Seasons Hotel,Philadelphia
    5 of 11 Trump Chicago Hotel,Chicago
    6 of 11 Silver Cloud Inn—LakeUnion, Seattle
    7 of 11 Westin Canal Place,New Orleans
    8 of 11 Manchester Grand Hyatt,San Diego
    9 of 11 Fairmont HeritagePlace, Ghiradelli Square, San Francisco
    10 of 11 Disneyland Hotel,Disneyland, Anaheim, CA
    11 of 11 Hyatt Regency, Austin

    Share options

    Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
    Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Sitemap
    • Travel Guide Sitemap

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletters
    Travel + Leisure Group
    Other Meredith Sites

    Other Meredith Sites

    • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
    • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
    • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
    • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
    • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
    • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
    • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
    • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
    • Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
    • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
    • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
    • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
    • More this link opens in a new tab
    • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
    • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
    • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
    • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
    • Parents this link opens in a new tab
    • People this link opens in a new tab
    • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
    • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
    • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
    • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
    • Shape this link opens in a new tab
    • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
    • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
    • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
    MeredithTravel + Leisure is part of the Travel + Leisure Group. Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

    View image

    Best Hotels for July 4th Fireworks
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.