Creative Ways to Celebrate the 4th of July in the Cradle of Liberty

Summer is here and everyone at HHSL is looking forward to the 4th of July. There are so many options for celebrating in Boston that it can be overwhelming, so we asked some staff members for their recommendations:

Boston (Dylan Pech)/ CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

My friends like to rent a kayak or canoe and watch the fireworks from the river!  

-Becky Philio, Library Assistant

You can reserve a boat ahead of time, if you’re feeling nautical.

4th of July 2012 in Boston (Sayamindu Dasgupta)/ CC BY SA 2.0

I like to watch the fireworks just standing on Memorial Drive. They pipe the music from the Pops along the Cambridge side of the River, so you can enjoy the spectacle without having to camp out all day for a spot on the Esplanade. 

-Katherine Morley, Administrative Coordinator

If you do decide to enjoy the Pops on the Esplanade, this handy guide has all the info you need.

USS Constitution fires a 21-gun salute toward Fort Independence during the ship’s July 4th underway (US Navy) / CC BY 2.0

Go check out the Old Ironsides turnaround cruise. You can book a ticket on a boat that follows her around the harbor or just watch from shore as the world’s oldest commissioned warship takes her annual voyage to Castle Island. This is the year to do it, though–she’ll be undergoing restoration until 2018. 

-Becky Morin, Head of Research & Instruction.

More information here. Interested in other historical events? Here’s a big list of tours, talks, and tastings happening throughout the city this week.

Ready to Eat (David Remsen) /CC BY NC 2.0

I’m not a native New Englander, so I was really excited last year when I was invited to a community clam bake for the 4^th of July. Even though it was deathly hot (near 100 degrees F), it was really fun to celebrate with the whole neighborhood out on the rocky beach, eating all of the food everyone made. It was also really interesting to watch the evolution of the fire pit throughout the day. I’m not a big seafood eater, so I didn’t partake of the steamers and lobster, but everything looked and smelled amazing!

Katie Houk, Research & Instruction Librarian

Don’t know anyone with beach access? You can attend a clambake on Spectacle Island on the July 3rd, or any Thursday throughout the summer.

What’s your favorite thing to do on the 4th? Let us know!