If you're looking for the best place for a big birthday bash this summer, look no further.
America's birthday, that is.
As the United States celebrates two and a half centuries of existence, "America250" celebrations are planned throughout the country, from the lawn of the White House to historic old hotels on Route 66.
Hotels, airlines, and other travel groups have been pushing America250 — the bipartisan initiative created by Congress a decade ago to commemorate the occasion — in their marketing strategies this year, and for some destinations, it looks like it's paying off.
"The interest around America250 appears to be translating into real travel planning," Christina Bennett, a consumer travel trends expert at Priceline, told Business Insider in an email. She said there's been a surge in cities connected to America's founding story, with flight searches to cities like Boston and Philadelphia increasing 22% and 16% year-over-year, respectively.
Some destinations are feeling the tourism boost more than others, according to hotel search data from Priceline. Five destinations in particular have seen a notable surge in interest for the July Fourth holiday this year.
Priceline compared domestic hotel searches for the week of July 1 to July 5 from 2025 to 2026 and found the biggest year-over-year increases in these five cities, listed below from least to most trending.
Clearwater Beach, Florida
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.
New Orleans
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
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.
Virginia Beach, Virginia
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.
Washington, DC
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.
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Kelsey is a senior reporter for Business Insider, where she covers business and tech news as well as stories about travel, luxury, and consulting.Her feature story "Disaster at 18,200 feet" received awards from the New York Press Club and the North American Travel Journalists Association, as well as honorable mention from the Society of American Travel Writers. It was also included on Longreads' and Pocket's best of 2022 lists. She has also received an American Journalism Online Award for her coverage on missing and murdered Indigenous people in Wyoming.She's appeared on CBS, NPR, NBC, and other outlets to discuss her work. She previously worked on the world news desk at the BBC in London and received a master's in journalism from Northwestern University.She can be reached by email at [email protected] or via the encrypted-messaging app Signal @kelseyv.21.Popular storiesDisaster on Denali: Inside a 1,000-foot fall on America's highest peakThrifting is more popular than ever. It's also never been worse.Rolex wouldn't service the vintage watch my mom inherited. Watchmakers say it happens all the time.A tiny, invasive bug and the climate crisis are changing how guitars are made, and shifting the course of music historyThe tourism free-for-all is overGovernment-run boarding schools were founded to 'civilize' Native Americans. Hundreds of dead children remain buried in the schoolyard graves.Meet the Texas minister who helps fly dozens of women to New Mexico every month to get abortionsPeople are flocking to Colorado for the great outdoors, but the air pollution is so bad, it's forcing many to stay insideInside Kabul: An aid worker reveals the devastating chaos that erupted during the US exit from Afghanistan
