Virtual - various times
Virtual - various times
Virtual - various times
Virtual - various times
Virtual - various times
Virtual - various times
Virtual - various times
Virtual
Celebrating Independence Day in a Small Town: 4th of July in Kinderhook, NY:
While the Macy's fireworks are the envy of many Fourth of July celebrations around the country, small towns across America have something that big cities like New York just can't duplicate—good old fashioned Norman Rockwellian charm. We shared a past Fourth of July with some friends in Kinderhook in New York's Hudson Valley and were smitten by how celebrating America's birthday in a small town brings out the Yankee Doodle in everyone.
Small town celebrations tend to be old fashioned fetes where you'll find parades, ponies, brass bands, games, and, of course, lots of red, white and blue bunting. Kinderhook, NY celebrates July 4th with a picture perfect "People's Parade", but you can find similarly perfectly patriotic celebrations in other small towns too.
In addition to this photo slideshow of July 4th in Kinderhook, check out our round-ups of small towns with charming Fourth of July Celebrations in NJ.
Do you know of a great small town July 4th Celebration? Share it with us in the comments.
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Kinderhook, NY is in Columbia County about two hours north of NYC in the Hudson Valley. It is a picturesque village with historic homes and a tiny town center including just a few shops.
Fourth of July is celebrated in Kinderhook with a People's Parade. All are invited to join with a decorated car, stroller, wagon, tractor or bike. Anything that can be pushed or ridden, as long as it is decked out in American Pride. The parade reminded me of small town charm I hadn't seen since a 4th of July Parade in a small town in Western Iowa and didn't think existed so close to New York City. After the parade there's a gathering on the village green.
Kinderhook doesn't have fireworks, but you can head to nearby Albany where there will be fireworks at dusk. Or see what other July 4th events are happening in the area.
While you're in Kinderhook, you might want to tour the historic home of 8th President of the United States, Martin Van Buren who made his home there. Lindenwald, is fully furnished and hourly tours share an important part of early American history. You can also enjoy the beautiful grounds.
If you need a bite to eat try Bean's Cafe in the center of town for good sandwiches.Chatham is the next larger town with a good selection of restaurants (you'll recognize the name Chatham from some of the locally farmed food you see in NYC farmer's markets). If you are heading south, Hudson and Rhinebeck will have many more options as well as walkable towns with additional diversions.
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