What’s Your Fourth of July Memory?

I’m sending this out a day early as I’m sure we are all excited for the holiday weekend!

One of my core memories as a kid was going to see fireworks on the Fourth of July with my dad in downtown Chicago. Some years we would drive around in his old Alfa and find an off the beaten path industrial spot with a great view. Other years we would take his boat out on Lake Michigan. We listened to the symphony playing the 1812 Overture and floated around so close to the fireworks it felt like you could taste them. It wasn’t always glamorous as one year the boat became disabled and we spent the evening crashing into other boats and one year the boat sank in the harbor as we set off. The old adage of if you want to go broke buy a boat certainly fit.

And now I’m a dad and I love seeing my kids experience the excitement of the Fourth of July as well. A few years ago, we started a tradition of going to the Rapids game at Dick’s and seeing the state’s largest fireworks show after. I didn’t even watch the fireworks the first time we did this. I watched my kid’s faces. They were so amazed they even stopped fighting one another.

The Denver area has so many different opportunities to celebrate the holiday. Here are a few of my recommendations this year.

• Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – The Rapids aren’t playing this year but there is a USA Rugby game to see. After the game, you can go down onto the field with a blanket and watch the fireworks. It’s a late evening but the fireworks are fantastic.

• Coors Field – I did this for a few years before I had kids and it too is a fantastic experience. There will be fireworks on both the 3^rd and 4^th. If you sit in the Rockpile, they have you sit on the field during the fireworks show. The grass is so plush. This is such a unique experience.

• Downtown Drone Show – I have been to one of these before and they are so much fun and avoid the loud booms of fireworks. This year at Sculpture Park they will be showing the movie National Treasure and have a big drone show after. Super fun and great for those with sensitive ears.

• Red Rocks Amphitheater – While Red Rocks doesn’t and can’t put on a fireworks show, they do usually have a concert event that evening. This year it is Blues Traveler. The fun thing is that because Red Rocks looks into Denver you can usually see a million fireworks shows going on all around you.

• Empower Field – There is an Ed Sheeran show followed by fireworks after. I’ve never been but I’ve heard this is another fun one! It looks like there are still a good number of tickets available and I would bet even the nosebleeds seats would be fun for the concert and great for viewing the fireworks. Actually, the ticket prices are so appealing now that I’m looking at it, I just bought tickets myself!

These are my top picks for this year. Get out there and find some childlike wonderment. It is a great moment to take a break from all the crazy and just experience something incredible with friends and family. Make some memories! Happy 250^th Anniversary America! Let’s hope for at least 5 more!

And Happy 7th Birthday to my Max!