Escape the 4th of July Heat with a Tennessee Mountains Getaway

Celebrating the birth of our great nation, Independence Day, is not only a fundamental right of every American citizen but is practically a civic duty. Cookouts, fireworks and camaraderie are a staple of the July holiday.

Unfortunately, so is heat. As the summer sun is only a couple of weeks past its apogee, July 4th is a pentacle of hot weather. To best facilitate an escape from the sweltering temperatures, head for the cool mountain air of northeastern Tennessee. Waiting for you there will be sparking blue lakes, outdoors activities galore and quintessential small-town Independence Day celebrations.

Come early enough and you can partake of one of the region¡Çs most popular goings on, Historic Jonesborough Days. Running from June 30th through July 1st this year, Jonesborough Days manages to pack the most popular July 4th festivities into two action-packed days (while the official kickoff dinner takes place on Thursday evening, most publicly accessible venues and visible activities begin early Saturday morning).

To get things rolling, Jonesborough Days continues a decades-long tradition by blaring police car and fire truck sirens at the head of the Saturday morning parade. Beginning at 10:00am, this parade ensures that no one in town sleeps too late to enjoy the festival. Of course, the traditional appearances by beauty queens, politicians, clowns and horses follow down the main street of the town.

After the parade, local merchants flood the streets to market their wares. During Jonesborough Days, festival goers can shop freely among goods ranging from homemade soaps and woodworks to exotic European chairs (as the owner of one of these chairs, the quality is peerless). Certainly, the abundance of goods inviting all walks of life are representative of what July 4th is all about (if waterworks are more your style of celebration, be sure not to miss Jonesborough¡Çs world class water adventure, Wetlands Water Park).

Needless to say, no Independence Day celebration is complete without fireworks, and local municipalities spare no expense in creating booms and bright flashes that echo throughout the mountain air:

Jonesborough Days itself offers a signature celebration that retains the quaintness of yesteryear. Still manually launched from a point in town just outside the main street, Jonesborough¡Çs fireworks display takes place Saturday night in an effort to avoid competition from nearby larger displays. This small display is just right for romance among the historic streets of the town.

For larger and far more impressive displays, though, wait until July 4th itself and head east to nearby Johnson City. Since the late 1980s, Johnson City, TN has offered the ¡ÈPepsi Independence Day Fireworks Celebration,¡É a booming report in honor of our nation¡Çs birth. Sponsored by major national brands (such as Pepsi) and myriad local tycoons, this fireworks extravaganza nearly quadruples the town¡Çs population as thirty minutes of choreographed explosions light up the night sky.

Although this display is visible from almost anywhere within the city limits, the main delivery of the display takes place over the aptly named Freedom Hall and the civic center¡Çs grounds welcome nearly 100,000 people in the hours leading up to the display. With free shuttle service from points throughout the city to Freedom Hall, there is no reason to miss out on the evening of excitement and celebration.

For NASCAR fans there is yet another firework option to explore. Just a half hour drive to the east is Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR¡Çs smallest half-mile oval track. Despite its small size, the speedway puts on an incredible display of pyrotechnics to celebrate Independence Day. With seating for nearly 200,000 people and competing against the draw of neighbor Johnson City¡Çs massive display, NASCAR fans and Bristol area residents enjoy plenty of space and seating as America¡Çs birthday is celebrated with red, white and blue displays.

Escaping the heat of summer can make the 4th of July a holiday to remember if one knows where to go and what activities to pursue. By driving up into the mountains, a hot time in cool weather is the ultimate way to celebrate.