Washington DC for 4th of July?

[Momto6inIN]

Oldest DS is doing an internship at an aerospace company in the DC area this summer, and I thought we'd all go visit him for the 4th. He is likely renting an airbnb in Fairfax with another intern, so we'd want to stay somewhere nearby. Hotel suggestions?

Also, how can we see the fireworks without actually going to the National Mall area? We live in a town in Indiana with a population of about 1000 people (no, that is not a typo lol) and are not familiar at. all. with public transportation and the crowds on the Mall in my imagination are crazy. We figured the Metro out when we went there a few years back but not at rush hour and not over a holiday.

[KungFuPanda]

Fairfax probably has their own fireworks. I’d just find a place to watch those. That will feel insanely crowded to you. I don’t even get on the metro for DC fireworks and I’m local. It’s just too much. My daughter has metroed in and enjoyed it, but it’s just not my idea of a good time anymore. I think I’m old and cranky, but it’s hot and a gajillion people get smelly by nightfall. 😂

[livetoread]

I went to the mall fireworks when I lived there in the early 90s. It was the only time in my life that I got seriously unnerved in a crowd. The crowd on the mall was great, and then we all started filing towards the nearest metro station. The closer we got, the tighter it was. Everyone was still happy and all, but when, at one point I realized I could probably just lift my legs up and still keep moving, (only slight exaggeration) I decided to worm my way to the edge and then find another station. Crowds can go from happy to whatever quickly, and I was not going to risk it.

[Farrar]

You can see the fireworks from a ton of locations around the city. We usually walk a few blocks and watch them from the edge of our neighborhood. You'll be in Virginia, and there are tons of prime viewing spots around Arlington. Just google and you'll find lots of guides with different suggestions.

As for navigating the city on the day of... honestly, it's not that bad until late afternoon. I mean, it's bad, but not worse than the rest of the days surrounding the 4th. In other words, if you're going to come to the city that week, it'll all be like that the whole time. So just... be aware.

If you do come into the city in the evening on the 4th, be aware that it's very loud. It's far and away the wildest urban fireworks shenanigans anywhere. I swear. It's an experience though. My neighborhood gets so inundated that sometimes there's smoke in the air for hours just everywhere.

[Momto6inIN]

 

8 hours ago, livetoread said:

I went to the mall fireworks when I lived there in the early 90s. It was the only time in my life that I got seriously unnerved in a crowd. The crowd on the mall was great, and then we all started filing towards the nearest metro station. The closer we got, the tighter it was. Everyone was still happy and all, but when, at one point I realized I could probably just lift my legs up and still keep moving, (only slight exaggeration) I decided to worm my way to the edge and then find another station. Crowds can go from happy to whatever quickly, and I was not going to risk it.

 

7 hours ago, Farrar said:

You can see the fireworks from a ton of locations around the city. We usually walk a few blocks and watch them from the edge of our neighborhood. You'll be in Virginia, and there are tons of prime viewing spots around Arlington. Just google and you'll find lots of guides with different suggestions.

As for navigating the city on the day of... honestly, it's not that bad until late afternoon. I mean, it's bad, but not worse than the rest of the days surrounding the 4th. In other words, if you're going to come to the city that week, it'll all be like that the whole time. So just... be aware.

If you do come into the city in the evening on the 4th, be aware that it's very loud. It's far and away the wildest urban fireworks shenanigans anywhere. I swear. It's an experience though. My neighborhood gets so inundated that sometimes there's smoke in the air for hours just everywhere.

Ok, yikes, maybe we will rethink this. I can picture that maybe being a cool once in a lifetime experience with my teens, but not with my 12 and 8 and 1 year old to worry about keeping track of.

[Momto6inIN]

Maybe we'll just do stuff in the surrounding area like Manassas and not go into the city itself and then watch fireworks from Arlington. Will that still be as crazy?

[cintinative]

8 hours ago, livetoread said:

I went to the mall fireworks when I lived there in the early 90s. It was the only time in my life that I got seriously unnerved in a crowd. The crowd on the mall was great, and then we all started filing towards the nearest metro station. The closer we got, the tighter it was. Everyone was still happy and all, but when, at one point I realized I could probably just lift my legs up and still keep moving, (only slight exaggeration) I decided to worm my way to the edge and then find another station. Crowds can go from happy to whatever quickly, and I was not going to risk it.

 +1 In the later 90s, I was there with a friend visiting another friend and a big group of us went to the fireworks on the National Mall. I was so scared I would get separated from our friend on the Metro because it was wall to wall people.  There was a repeated announcement on the intercoms as you entered the Metro station to keep track of the people you are with or you might lose them.  We joked it was "self-evident man" announcing this but the reality is I had no kids to keep track of.  

Edited February 26, 2020 by cintinative

[Chris in VA]

We lived in VA for 17 years and went twice. That was enough. Go to local fireworks. 

If you feel like driving, the fireworks at the old Lorton prison, now an arts center, are really nice, with a field to lie in and enough parking. Honestly, tho, I wouldn't go beyond whatever is in your neighborhood because traffic is crazy. 

[1shortmomto4]

Fairfax has fireworks and Manassas has two - and if you go to the one on Signal Hill you experience that one along with the ones going off in Old Town.  I've done the DC one a few times with kids - might be hard with a 1 year old because of the lateness and the crowds.  Two options - going all the way into DC and yes, it is full of lots and lots and lots of people.  Usually there always seems to be a big dangerous rain storm that comes out of nowhere and sends people running - not to scare you but have a plan - know where those museums are so you can shelter quickly.  There will be security check points and it will be hot and humid. That time frame is just really very crowded with people but definitely an experience to remember.  Other option is to find a place to park in Rosslyn (the Virginia side) by the Iwo Jima monument and enjoy the show.  Better yet, see if there is an airbnb in that area because it would allow for much easier access to the city. Many people also finds spots along the side of the Potomac where, if you come super early and bring a picnic, you can find a place to park and be set for the evening but keep in mind -- all those people that came in to the city have to go back out of the city and traffic is BAD but then, so is the metro.  I typically waited over an hour before we started the trek back.  Traffic is probably the biggest challenge in the area along with parking options.

Not sure what you are planning to do in Manassas - I'm having a hard time thinking there's a day's worth of activity and I live there 😉 

[Farrar]

58 minutes ago, Momto6inIN said:

 

 

Ok, yikes, maybe we will rethink this. I can picture that maybe being a cool once in a lifetime experience with my teens, but not with my 12 and 8 and 1 year old to worry about keeping track of.

So, here’s how I would think about this. Crowds at tourist stuff or on the Mall on a scale from random midweek day in early September/late January (lowest=1) to evening of the 4th of July/day of the Women’s March (highest=10).

So if that’s the crowds scale... I’d say that...

The crowds in April and May (except during Cherry Blossoms) = 5

Crowds during the entire summer = 6

Crowds during the week before and after the 4th = 7, maybe an 8 in some places

So, crowded, but not like the night of the 4th. And not so much more crowded than the rest of the summer. We used to always go to the Mall on the 4th to go to Folklife and just head home by 2 or so. One year, my kids were maybe 7 or so and I remember we were hot and tired and needed a break so we went in the Sackler (the mostly Asian art museum) and sat down in the basement with the Silk Road stuff and read a book or something and it was deserted and so air conditioned.
 

I would say pick a day to do the tourist bus thingy and see the monuments. Or do some off the beaten path DC things one day. And yeah, watch the fireworks from Arlington or go see a different show - many of them around here are nearly as good.

[AFwife Claire]

We watched the Mall fireworks several times from the Iwo Jima Memorial/Carillion area, like 1shortmomto4 mentioned. The last time was before our 10th child was born, and she's 5 now, so we always had lots of kids there. We always went with several other families, parked in Rosslyn in a parking garage, and brought picnic blankets, food, etc. and made an evening out of it.  We always told our kids once it got dark, they had to stay in our little area of picnic chairs/blankets, and no one could use the porta potties after dark. We never had any issues at all, but I won't lie--I was always very glad when the evening was done, lol.  We all casually strolled back to our cars and planned that the drive back to Loudoun County would take over an hour.  At least we were on this side of the bridge though!

Some years, if the cloud cover is really low, then all the smoke will not dissipate, and you can really only see the first fireworks clearly.  After those, it looks like a war zone.  Then it is totally not worth it to be downtown!

I think the summer I was pregnant with #10, it was a rainy day, and that's why we stayed home.  We watched them at our friends' house and had a nice little party.  And we continued doing that every year since, because it was just so much less of a hassle, lol.  Plus the view from the TV is unobstructed!

So my advice is to probably find more local ones to watch.  It is truly a sea of humanity in DC on July 4. Crazy!!

[Momto6inIN]

4 hours ago, 1shortmomto4 said:

Not sure what you are planning to do in Manassas - I'm having a hard time thinking there's a day's worth of activity and I live there 😉 

Lol - probably not all day 😉

DH and I spent several hours touring the battlefield a couple years ago, so I thought we could do that on the afternoon of the 4th, then have a picnic supper in the Arlington area and hang out til the fireworks were over. 

4 hours ago, Farrar said:

I would say pick a day to do the tourist bus thingy and see the monuments. Or do some off the beaten path DC things one day. And yeah, watch the fireworks from Arlington or go see a different show - many of them around here are nearly as good.

So maybe the 3rd would be crowded but not crazy crowded to see some museums and monuments?

[Farrar]

1 minute ago, Momto6inIN said:

Lol - probably not all day 😉

DH and I spent several hours touring the battlefield a couple years ago, so I thought we could do that on the afternoon of the 4th, then have a picnic supper in the Arlington area and hang out til the fireworks were over. 

So maybe the 3rd would be crowded but not crazy crowded to see some museums and monuments?

Yeah, absolutely. Or the 5th. Or the 2nd or 6th. Like, it'll be more crowded than other days in summer, but not so much more.

[Hadley]

Not for all the tea in China would I get near the metro on the Fourth of July...and I love DC!

Just another option to consider.  Old Town Alexandria is very historic, and one of my favorite places around the area.  The area is near George Washington’s Mt. Vernon and dates back to the gentleman Washington himself.  I believe that it is usually the weekend after the fourth that Old Town has a great fireworks show over the Potomac to celebrate the city’s birthday.  I find this event much more enjoyable than fireworks in DC, and every bit as historic and patriotic!  The flights into DC might be cheaper, also, if that’s a consideration.

Congrats to your son on his internship.  I hope he has a ball and learns a ton!

[katilac]

8 hours ago, Momto6inIN said:

 

 

Ok, yikes, maybe we will rethink this. I can picture that maybe being a cool once in a lifetime experience with my teens, but not with my 12 and 8 and 1 year old to worry about keeping track of.

The baby would need noise-cancelling headphones for sure!

[Momto6inIN]

45 minutes ago, Hadley said:

Not for all the tea in China would I get near the metro on the Fourth of July...and I love DC!

Just another option to consider.  Old Town Alexandria is very historic, and one of my favorite places around the area.  The area is near George Washington’s Mt. Vernon and dates back to the gentleman Washington himself.  I believe that it is usually the weekend after the fourth that Old Town has a great fireworks show over the Potomac to celebrate the city’s birthday.  I find this event much more enjoyable than fireworks in DC, and every bit as historic and patriotic!  The flights into DC might be cheaper, also, if that’s a consideration.

Congrats to your son on his internship.  I hope he has a ball and learns a ton!

Well, with the 4th being on a Saturday this year, DS and DH will both have the 3rd off, so DH would only need to take 2 vacation days (to travel there on Th and back on M) and then we would have all 3 weekend days to spend with DS, who as an intern obviously doesn't get any vacation days. But we did really enjoy Mt. Vernon when we were there a few years ago! Maybe I'll look to see what else we could do those days in the area.

D'S is super excited about this internship and I am really excited for him too! It's a great opportunity for him and I'm so proud, but I hate that this one weekend might be the only time we see him from May til August 😞

39 minutes ago, katilac said:

The baby would need noise-cancelling headphones for sure!

Even if we watch in Arlington, or just if we're in DC?

[katilac]

24 minutes ago, Momto6inIN said:

 

Even if we watch in Arlington, or just if we're in DC?

I meant in DC, but Arlington does have some fireworks of its own, so I guess it depends on exactly where you would be and if someone would be able to take the baby inside a house or car if it's too much. 

[WendyLady]

I really love the 4th of July.  When we lived near DC we went downtown for fireworks all 3 years we lived there. (we moved away 3years ago, so my info may be a bit dated)  The Mall itself was not crazy for the 4th.  We brought a blanket and there was plenty of space to spread out. There were lots of other families sitting on blankets just like at any other city celebration. We generally sat somewhere near the Washington Monument. We didn't go too early, but there was still seating.  There was live music near the washington momument, we bought bad hotdogs, etc.  We did have to go through security to get in, and there was a line, but it moved fast.  I can't remember if we weren't allowed to bring food of if I just did a bad job bringing dinner.  

The fireworks really were amazing and it was awesome to be right downtown in the capital of the nation to experience it.  I loved it!!

The first year we went, we rode in on the metro.  And then got back on the metro at the very closest metro station to where we were sitting - the Smithsonian Station. OMG - worst and scariest experience of my life.  So many people.  Squished like sardines. Afraid I would lose my children. But we got through and it was a crazy story to tell!  We went in with my BIL who grew up in Centreville, he was our tour guide and he loved it.  Yikes!

The next year we rode the metro in, but walked a few blocks to a metro stop further away after the fireworks - I think the Archives Station.  It was better but still very busy.  Not as scary...

The last year we went, we parked near the Pentagon (hubby worked there) and we walked over the Arlington Memorial bridge to the Mall.  It was a long walk, and the drive home was very slow, but it was much less stressful than taking the metro.  

I'm hoping to go in 2026 to celebrate my 50th birthday and the 250th birthday of the USA.  

I'd say it's worth the work to go.  It really is an awesome experience.  

[Momto6inIN]

I did some googling today and made a reservation for the night of the 4th for the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington. Google maps says it's only 0.4 miles from the Air Force memorial and it looks like we could easily walk back to the hotel after watching the fireworks there. But it's hard to tell from the map how practical of a plan that is?

So is there any reason this wouldn't work? I can cancel up til the beginning of July with no fee if I need to.

The first 2 nights I think we're going to stay closer to Shenandoah National Park, but on the 4th we're going to go to Manassas in the morning and Udvar Hazy in the afternoon and I'd like to not have to drive very far after the fireworks.

[May]

On 2/26/2020 at 5:55 PM, WendyLady said:

I really love the 4th of July.  When we lived near DC we went downtown for fireworks all 3 years we lived there. (we moved away 3years ago, so my info may be a bit dated)  The Mall itself was not crazy for the 4th.  We brought a blanket and there was plenty of space to spread out. There were lots of other families sitting on blankets just like at any other city celebration. We generally sat somewhere near the Washington Monument. We didn't go too early, but there was still seating.  There was live music near the washington momument, we bought bad hotdogs, etc.  We did have to go through security to get in, and there was a line, but it moved fast.  I can't remember if we weren't allowed to bring food of if I just did a bad job bringing dinner.  

The fireworks really were amazing and it was awesome to be right downtown in the capital of the nation to experience it.  I loved it!!

The first year we went, we rode in on the metro.  And then got back on the metro at the very closest metro station to where we were sitting - the Smithsonian Station. OMG - worst and scariest experience of my life.  So many people.  Squished like sardines. Afraid I would lose my children. But we got through and it was a crazy story to tell!  We went in with my BIL who grew up in Centreville, he was our tour guide and he loved it.  Yikes!

The next year we rode the metro in, but walked a few blocks to a metro stop further away after the fireworks - I think the Archives Station.  It was better but still very busy.  Not as scary...

The last year we went, we parked near the Pentagon (hubby worked there) and we walked over the Arlington Memorial bridge to the Mall.  It was a long walk, and the drive home was very slow, but it was much less stressful than taking the metro.  

I'm hoping to go in 2026 to celebrate my 50th birthday and the 250th birthday of the USA.  

I'd say it's worth the work to go.  It really is an awesome experience.  

Agree🇺🇸Everyone has to do it at least once. We also enjoy going to the rehearsal on the 3nd.

[Lucy the Valiant]

You're also not THAT far from Annapolis, and if the Naval Academy still lets people come on to watch fireworks, they also have a marvelous live concert, and you're right on the water (we used to dangle our feet IN the river while watching the fireworks and listening to the Navy band). Some of the best fireworks of my whole life, and (IMO) a much better experience than DC's! (This was prior to 9-11-2001, so I am sure things have changed in both locations, and I'm not up to date.)