2016’s Best Cities for Fourth of July Celebrations

Janeen Christoff
by Janeen Christoff
Last updated: 2:00 AM ET, Mon July 4, 2016

Americans are going all out this Fourth of July according to WalletHub, which says that American households will spend an average of $370.75 on Fourth of July 2016 festivities this year. That figure is up 7 percent from 2015 and it includes more than $1 billion in beer purchases that will be washing down the 150 million hot dogs consumed as well as the 700 million pounds of chicken and 190 million pounds of beef that reverlers will be grilling as the nation celebrates its independence.

WalletHub has also nailed down the top cities for Fourth of July celebrations. It compared the 100 largest U.S. cities based on how well they balance holiday cost and fun, using 16 different metrics such as the duration of fireworks shows, average gas prices, weather forecasts and more.

Source: WalletHub

Here are the top 10 destinations that deliver on cost-savings and fun:
Seattle, WA
Minneapolis, MN
New Orleans, LA
Washington, DC
Portland, OR
St. Louis, MO
San Diego, CA
Milwaukee, WI
San Francisco, CA
Orlando, FL

Key findings in the survey revealed that Virginia Beach, Va., has the highest price for a three-star hotel room at $172. That is four times higher than Oklahoma City, where visitors will find the city with the lowest price, $40.

[READMORE]READ MORE: 43 Million Americans Will Travel During Fourth of July Weekend [/READMORE]

Not surprisingly, Las Vegas has the highest average price of a Fourth of July party ticket, $124, which is 8 times higher than in Atlanta, where visitors can get the cheapest part tickets at just $15.

St. Petersburg, Fla., has the longest fireworks show with a 60-minute display. That's four times higher than in Atlanta, which, in addition to offering the lowest Fourth of July party prices, is also skimping on the fireworks - displaying 15 minutes of explosions in the sky.

[READMORE]READ MORE: American Express Travel Says To Plan for Busy Summer Ahead [/READMORE]

Putting cost-savings aside, the top five most popular Fourth of July destinations in the country are Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington, Orlando and San Diego.


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