Our Best July Travel Ideas

Make it a jubilant July! Take in July 4th fireworks over NYC, celebrate National Ice Cream month and kick up your boots at Canada’s largest rodeo. July’s travel ideas have just begun.

Related To:

Shop This Look

Photo By: Silver Dollar City

Photo By: REUTERS/Bogdan Criste

Photo By: ANDER GILLENEA/AFP/GettyImages

Photo By: REUTERS/Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau/Handout

Photo By: Getty Images

Photo By: Thinkstock

Photo By: star5112, flickr

Photo By: Getty Images

Photo By: bigbirdz, flickr

Photo By: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Photo By: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

Photo By: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Outlaw Run (Branson, Missouri)

Ready for a 68-mph adrenaline rush? Kick off July on the only wooden coaster to twist upside down with a record-breaking three versions — and a stomach-in-your-mouth 81-degree drop. Take advantage of Outlaw Run’s extended hours this month at Silver Dollar City. Can’t make it to Branson this July? Check out our complete guide to US amusement parks.

Tour de France

Celebrate France’s biggest sporting event this month — the Tour de France — as it marks 115 years this July. The official kick-off takes place on the island of Corsica then crosses onto France’s mainland. Cruise the French countryside as you follow the grand event. Or if you can’t make it abroad, head to one of America’s top bicycling cities.

San Fermin Festival (Pamplona, Spain)

Run for your life! Join hundreds of thousands of locals and tourists who flock to the northern Spanish city of Pamplona for the annual San Fermin Festival. At 8 a.m. on July 7, the celebration unfolds with six bulls and another six steers running down a half-mile stretch of narrow streets. The week-long event culminates in a final, grand fight in a bullring.

Hemingway Days Festival (Key West, Florida)

Can’t make it to Pamplona this month? Head to Key West instead! Now in its 38th year, Hemingway Days Festival honors the late author, who lived and worked on the southern coast of the island. The annual event includes its own "Running of the Bulls" — this one with Ernest Hemingway lookalikes pushing fake bulls on Key West’s famed Duval Street.

California Wine Festival (Santa Barbara, California)

Head to one of the biggest wine festivals under the sun! Celebrate wine harvest season this July with a visit to California wine country. Held this year in Santa Barbara, the 15th annual California Wine Festival showcases vintage wines, along with gourmet appetizers including artisan breads and cheeses. Cheers!

Alaska Cruise Season

Escape the heat, and take in awe-inspiring glacial views, with a cruise to Alaska. Cruise ships dock alongside towns from Seward, along Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, to Ketchikan, in the Alexander Archipelago. Cruise ships also dock near Katmai National Park, where July is prime time to see bears gulp up Atlantic salmon on their run. And if cruise prices prove too high in July, fret not: Alaska’s prime cruise season stretches through September.

Taste of Chicago (Grant Park)

This July, don’t miss the world’s largest food festival — yes, the largest! Held annually in mid-July, Taste of Chicago draws dozens of food vendors and participating restaurants to Chi-Town’s Grant Park. Now 38 years strong, the annual event attracts upwards of 3 million people each year — and with foodie indulgences like the famous deep-dish pizza, we know why!

NYC Restaurant Week

What’s the culinary capital of America? Our vote’s on the Big Apple. Head to N.Y.C. this July to savor the city’s culinary best during NYC Restaurant Week. Held in late July, this twice-annual event sees participating restaurants offer prix-fixe lunches and dinners. Be sure to check out buzz-worthy restaurants, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s ABC Cocina.

National Ice Cream Month

This July we all scream for ice cream. Celebrate National Ice Cream Month — designated a national holiday by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 — with a trip to America’s coolest ice cream shops. And why not head to the granddaddy of them all — Bassetts Ice Cream in Philadelphia — the oldest ice cream company in the U.S., founded in 1861!

Calgary Stampede

Our "Neighbor to the North" marks its birthday this month. Get in on the festivities during the Calgary Stampede! This 10-day event is Canada’s largest annual rodeo, and one of its largest festivals to boot. Billed as the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth," the rodeo draws more than 1 million visitors each year.

Gettysburg’s 155th Anniversary

Retrace one of America’s biggest moments. This July the Battle of Gettysburg marks its 155th anniversary. Tour Gettysburg and its historic town, and take in battle reenactments of events that culminated in more than 51,000 casualties and the setting for President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Macy's 4th of July Fireworks

Pop! Boom! Bang! July spells independence, with glorious fireworks nationwide. Celebrate Independence Day with a visit to the annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks display over the Hudson River. And if N.Y.C.’s not on your itinerary, check out more of America’s best fireworks displays — in St. Louis, Addison, Texas and Chicago’s Navy Pier.

Shows

Hosts

Trending

Top Videos

Digital Exclusives

From Our Shows

Trending

Top Domestic

Top International

Trending

Explore By Region

Trending

Top Interests

By Trip

By Traveler

Travel Tips

Trending

Our Best July Travel Ideas

Related To:

Shop This Look

Outlaw Run (Branson, Missouri)

Tour de France

San Fermin Festival (Pamplona, Spain)

Hemingway Days Festival (Key West, Florida)

California Wine Festival (Santa Barbara, California)

Alaska Cruise Season

Taste of Chicago (Grant Park)

NYC Restaurant Week

National Ice Cream Month

Calgary Stampede

Gettysburg’s 155th Anniversary

Macy's 4th of July Fireworks

We Recommend

Best Gay Beach Destinations 20 Photos

Where to Travel in July

Travel's Best Summer Foods 2014

Travel's Best Summer Foods 2014 10 Photos

5 Last-Minute Labor Day Travel Ideas

Things to Do in August 15 Photos

More From Travel