The 5 hottest destinations to celebrate America’s 250th birthday

Searches for hotels in Clearwater Beach, Florida, were up 20% year-over-year, Priceline data showed.

Located west of Tampa on the Gulf of Mexico, Clearwater Beach attracts visitors for its white sand beaches and calm, warm waters.

The city of Clearwater’s “Clearwater Celebrates America” event is being expanded into a two-day festival over July 3 and 4 to commemorate America’s 250th birthday.

Searches for New Orleans hotels for the first five days of July were up 28% compared to last year, according to Priceline.

The city already draws Fourth of July visitors annually with its riverfront fireworks and the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, which runs July 3 to 5 this year.

For America250, the city is promoting a fireworks show called “Go 4th on the River,” and several museums are hosting special events.

Nashville, Tennessee, saw a 30% surge in hotel searches for the Fourth of July week, Priceline said.

Nashville’s annual “Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th” is being expanded for America’s 250th into a two-day downtown event on July 3 and 4, with live music, five stages, and what’s been promoted as “the largest fireworks and drone show in the city’s history.”

The July 4th line-up includes The All-American Rejects, Boyz II Men, Nick Jonas, and Sublime.

Hotel searches for Virginia Beach, Virginia, were up 68% year-over-year, according to Priceline data.

Virginia Beach, a major July 4 tourism destination in a regular year, is hosting its annual Stars & Stripes Celebration with free concerts, fireworks, and additional events for America250.

The state of Virginia, one of the original 13 colonies and the site of the first English settlement in North America, has its own VA250 events and programming lined up to celebrate its role in the American Revolution.

America’s capital was the most-searched destination overall for celebrating America’s birthday, with hotel searches for the July Fourth week increasing by a whopping 79% compared to last year.

America250 celebrations are well underway in DC. The White House hosted a $60 million fight night on its front lawn on Sunday, dubbed “UFC Freedom 250,” to commemorate the anniversary on what was also President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

The line-up for the July Fourth week includes more massive celebrations. Freedom 250, the Trump-aligned group created after an executive order established a White House task force for the event, has promised a “historic patriotic display” on the National Mall.

The event, headlined by Trump, plans to tell the story of 250 years of American history with special guest speakers and will feature military tributes, live bands and orchestras, and the “largest fireworks display in history,” according to the group’s website.