4th of July in Provo

Celebrating 4th of July for many people means to go out of town and celebrate big. For starving college students like my husband and me, spending money in gas or airfare wasn't an option. Luckily we live in Provo, UT.

Our long weekend started by visiting the Freedom Festival down in Center Street. It looks like a street market where you can find everything from great clothes, fun joke items, crafts brought from South American and Asian countries, and great food.

You don't need a fortune to have a good time in the Freedom Festival, they have bands playing for free, multiple shows where you can learn about American Heritage by seeing people dance or sing songs like our ancestors did. Taste free samples of food prepare by locals, and if you want to buy food the prices are not bad, since many restaurants have smaller portions in order to promote their business by letting people taste how good their food is.

For the little ones they have many bouncy houses for free at the Village and other little activities they can enjoy.

The next day we went to the parade which was surprisingly entertaining. I think besides the people participating on it, it is great to feel the enthusiasm from everybody. I walked a couple blocks so I can find a good spot for my babies to be able to see it easily, and I got in this great cheery mood just by looking at all the people having fun and cheering. I felt part of the community and proud to live in Provo. It is a little town but it has everything someone may need and more.

After seeing my three year old with his eyes wide open and saying "Mommy look" every minute, I was happy we took the time to go.

If that wasn't enough fun we went to BYU and watched the fireworks for free just by setting up or blankets in the grounds near the Stadium of Fire.

Provo showed us how much fun it can be and how much variety it has. I really liked that thanks to the fact that Provo is a college town I get to be exposed to a community that is very eclectic, and that is home of many international cultures as well as Americans from all over the country. At the end, even though we stay at home to celebrate, we got to absorb so many cultures during the festival and celebrations that we ended up celebrating BIG without spending any money.