Today is Independence Day in the United States; it is a national holiday in which people are celebrating when the USA declared its independence as a free country. It is the USA’s birthday!
There is probably no better place to be on a nation’s independence day than in the nation’s capital, which in this case is Washington, DC, where I live. So today I thought I would invite you to take a virtual vacation to Washington, DC and participate in the celebration!
Before taking your virtual vacation you may want to review some highlights from what there is to see in Washington, DC in this older posts: Washington, D.C. America’s Capital City
So, what would you like to do and see? There are a lot of options, but here is what I would suggest:
Watch the 4th of July parade which will travel through downtown, near the White House by the national mall, and include bands and groups from around the country as well as floats and large balloons, all celebrating America. Check out more information about this for your virtual vacation here: http://dc.about.com/od/4thofjuly/a/IndDayParade.htm.
This weekend there is also a big Folklife Festival in Washington, DC, celebrating cultural traditions from around the world. This festival is right downtown by the Smithsonian museums and national monuments so it will be a great place to be to celebrate. Take a look at all you can do and learn: http://www.festival.si.edu/
You may want to also see the oldest copy of the US Declaration of Independence, which is housed at the National Archives. Luckily for you this is a virtual vacation so you won’t have to wait in the long lines at the National Archives. You can just check out the US Declaration of Independence here: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html.
Lastly, you won’t want to miss the spectacular 4th of July fireworks display over the famous Washington Monument. Although there are a lot of fireworks displays around the country on the 4th of July, some say this is the best fireworks display in the whole county. You can learn more about this here: http://dc.about.com/od/specialevents/a/4thofJuly.htm or watch a video from a previous year’s 4th of July fireworks in Washington, DC.
Hi there! I am one of Transparent Language's ESL bloggers. I am a 32-year-old native English speaker who was born and raised in the United States. I am living in Washington, DC now, but I have lived all over the US and also spent many years living and working abroad.
I started teaching English as a second language in 2005 after completing a Master's in Applied Linguists and a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults' (CELTA). Since that time I have taught ESL in the United States at the community college and university level. I have also gone on to pursue my doctorate in psychology and now I also teach courses in psychology.
I like to stay connected to ESL learners around the world through Transparent Languages ESL Blog. Please ask questions and leave comments on the blog and I will be sure to answer them.
