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 So long, alarm clocks and early bedtimes. Hello, popsicles and Capture the Flag. Nothing lets newfound freedom ring like a few well-chosen family outings for the July 4th holiday. We’re turning for inspiration to ParentsConnect Local, whose great events calendar features hundreds of summer happenings in more than 50 cities around the country. Here's a sample of what we found on the Independence Day calendar in the Big Apple:
American Dream Quilt with Faith Ringgold: Acclaimed artist and author Faith Ringgold leads a drop-in intergenerational quilting workshop at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, during which adults and kids can decorate fabric squares that reflect their personal visions of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Selected fabric squares will be sewn together to make a large-scale American Dream quilt, to be displayed at the museum. Free for all ages. (July 3, 5pm-7:30pm; 212/721-1234.)
Annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks: Macy's 33rd annual 4th of July extravaganza takes place on the Hudson River this year, allowing for prime viewing for spectators from 23rd to 59th Streets on the West Side of Manhattan. More than 40,000 shells will be fired from six barges positioned between 24th and 50th Streets. Bring a radio tuned to 1010 WINS for musical accompaniment beginning at 9pm. Free for all ages. (July 4, fireworks at 9:20pm; 212/494-4495.)
Independence Day Celebration: Families are invited to celebrate our country's birthday with some traditional and old-fashioned American festivities at Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island. Free for all ages with paid admission. (July 4, 11am-5pm; 718/351-1617.)
 Known for their stunning beach locations, award-winning kids’ programs, and huge roster of active land and water diversions, Club Med resorts are a popular choice for families (see our reviews of the Cancun Yucatan, Ixtapa Pacific, and Sandpiper properties). Parents love the brand's all-inclusive pricing, which bundles virtually all costs—lodging, meals, snacks, non-alcoholic beverages, plus most activities—into a tidy rate with no surprises. Of course, there's even more to love when that rate gets slashed. During the "Wow Sale," each person pays just $99 per night. Depending on the Club Med property and your travel dates, this can amount to a savings of 60% or more.
The sale ends August 31. To take advantage of these rates, you must book a stay of at least three nights and travel before April 21, 2010.
 We've posted before about The Homestead resort's six-week-long Cool Savings promotion, which offers up a different deal each week. The latest deal, “5 for 3,” went up today: Book three nights at this historic resort, and you’ll get two nights free. With nightly room rates in July starting at $245 for a standard room, this deal brings the per-night rate down to just $147—saving you almost $100 a night.
Nestled in Virginia's
Appalachian Mountains, The Homestead is an historic resort with a
top-notch spa, world-class golf course, nightly movies shown in its own
theater, and an award-winning kids' club. The property is known for its
luxurious, traditional surroundings and an extensive roster of
activities, from carriage rides, bowling, and horseback riding to skeet
shooting and fly-fishing. You need to book by July 6 but you can travel anytime before December 22.
 So long, pencils, books, and teacher's dirty looks. Hello, fireflies and footloose schedules. Nothing lets newfound freedom ring like a few well-chosen family outings for the July 4th holiday. We’re turning for inspiration to ParentsConnect Local, whose great events calendar features hundreds of summer happenings in more than 50 cities around the country. Here's a sample of what we found on the Independence Day calendar in historic Boston:
Boston Pops Concert and Fireworks: Join the Boston Pops Orchestra and conductor Keith Lockhart for its annual July 4th concert under the stars at the Hatch Shell. The world-class fireworks extravaganza is scheduled to begin at 10:30pm. Free for all ages. (July 4, 8pm-11pm, gates open at 9am)
A Sailor's Life for Me?: Kids can show their patriotic colors during a full day of sailor crafts and fun activities throughout the galleries and courtyard at the USS Constitution Museum. Free for ages 4-19. (July 4, 10am-3pm; 617/426-1812 x 146.)
Sea Shanties with The Jolly Rogues: Hop the ferry and head to Georges Island in Boston Harbor, where families can gather 'round the Fort Warren stage for lively music straight from the 1700s and 1800s. Shanty songs and revolutionary classics are sure to inspire a patriotic mood. Concerts are free for all ages; roundtrip ferry is $14/adult, $8/child. (July 4, 12:15pm and 2pm; 617/223-8666.)
 Luxury resorts aren't the only ones chopping prices this summer. Some good-value hotel chains are offering some nice savings, too. Here's what's on the table this summer at these five road trip standbys:
- Country Inns & Suites: Save 15%
off each night of a stay of at least two consecutive nights, plus take advantage of a "buy one entree, get one free" offer at TGIFriday's. Through September 13.
- Hilton Garden Inn: Book a Friday and/or Saturday night and slice 15% off the Bed 'n Breakfast rate when you enter promo code REPEAT. The deal includes a cooked-to-order breakfast for up to four adults in the
same room and all kids 12 and under. Through December 27.
- Homewood Suites: Save 10% off the nightly rate when you book a three-night weekend stay. Through September 7.
- Doubletree Hotels: Get free breakfast for the family plus free kids' meals (one with each adult meal purchased). Through September 7.
- Red Roof Inn: Get your third night free at 14 beach locations in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, and Texas. Use discount code #545474 when booking. Through September 7.
 So long, backpacks and chock-a-block schedules. Hello, barefeet and wide-open summer days. Nothing lets newfound freedom ring like a few well-chosen family outings for the July 4th holiday. We’re turning for inspiration to ParentsConnect Local, whose great events calendar features hundreds of summer happenings in more than 50 cities around the country. Here's a sample of what we found on the Independence Day calendar in historic Philadelphia:
Betsy's Independence Day Bash: Come to the Betsy Ross House where kids can make patriotic crafts, meet Betsy Ross, and enjoy Colonial entertainment. At 1:30pm, visitors can help welcome 13 of America's newest citizens at a children's immigration ceremony, and observe a ceremonial bell-tapping at 2pm. (July 4, 11am-3pm; 215/686-1252. Admission: $3/adult, $2/child 12 and under)
Sweet Freedom, Declaration of Independence Reading: Listen to a reading of the Declaration of Independence, enjoy fife and drum music, and have a taste of an eight-foot cake decorated with quotes from our nation's Founding Fathers at the Independence Visitor Center. Free for all ages. (July 3, noon; 800/537-7676)
Party on the Parkway: An afternoon of food, music, and live entertainment takes places on the Ben Franklin Parkway before the annual concert with fireworks. This year's event features live Australian animals and edutainment, children's activities from the Please Touch Museum, a visit from the Philadelphia Zoo's mobile Zoo on Wheels, a Go 4th & Learn Pavilion, inflatables, face painting, sand art, a mobile children's theater, crafts, and more. Free for all ages. (July 4, noon-6pm; 215/683-2200)
 Drumroll, please! The randomly-selected winner of our L.L.Bean rolling duffle bag giveaway is intrepid traveler Sheila Della Ratta of Campbell, CA.
Sheila wrote that her three-year-old won’t leave home without his harmonica these days. Enjoy your new duffle bags, Sheila, and thanks to all our readers who told us about their kids' must-pack items. Stay tuned for more giveaways!
 Less than an hour from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita is located in a 26-acre private peninsula community surrounded by dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean and gentle bay waters of Bahia de Banderas. Authentic Mexican-style casitas are perched along the Pacific, while the rolling, tropical terrain is dotted with three pool areas (including a lazy river), four restaurants, two golf courses, a spa, and a complimentary full-day kids’ program that infuses a terrific sense of place (think piñata-making and Mexican art lessons).
All this swish comes at a price, of course, but now through December 21 you can get it for a lot less (and we really do mean a lot less), thanks to the resort's One,Two,Three,Four deal. For every four nights you stay, you’ll receive a whopping $1,234 resort credit that can be used toward any charge you incur. Unusually for a deal like this, you can even apply the credit to your room.
Nightly rates for a garden-view casita start at $415 for stays between July 1 and September 30. (The rate increases to $545 from October 1 to December 21.) So while a four-night stay in July would normally start at $1660, you can apply the resort credit and chop your pricetag down to just $426. Wow! It's like getting three nights free and it brings the per-night rate down to just $107 a night! Looking for a longer vacation? Stay four more nights and get another resort credit. The deal is valid every day of the week, but, as usual, there are some blackout dates.
 Hooray for Hollywood—or, at the very least, the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau, which lives up well to our Recession Rule No. 11: tourist boards can help you find a deal in your destination faster than it takes to spot a convertible in Santa Monica traffic.
This summer the Los Angeles CVB is offering LA’s Top 100 Vacation Deals, good through August 31. Our favorite hotel deal just might be the Universal Hollywood Getaway Vacation, good at a variety of Hollywood hotels (such as the Sportsmen's Lodge and Sheraton Universal Hotel), which gets you two seven-day passes to Universal Studios (worth about $130), free breakfast for two (kids under 12 eat free) and free parking. You have to book by August 31 but can travel through December 31. At the Sportsmen's Lodge—located on bustling Ventura Boulevard and featuring an Olympic-sized pool—we priced the package to start at $164 a night.
There are also good deals and links for cool activities, such as getting priority seating in TV studio audiences, or even just an easy $10 off a Starline celebrity bus tour (which saves $40, or one-third, off an otherwise $120 tab for the "Stars Homes" tour).
 Set just south of St. Augustine, FL, Hammock Beach Resort boasts a setting overlooking two miles of pristine Atlantic shoreline and a range of accommodations from boutique hotel-style rooms to multiple-bedroom villas and condos. It’s also got plenty to keep everyone in the family happy, with kayak nature tours, a spa, tennis courts, two golf courses, and a six-acre waterpark complete with a lazy river, twisting waterslide, and a fabulous zero-entry sand-bottom pool that's super-safe for little ones.
Now through September 30, Hammock Beach Resort is running a “Buy One, Get One” promotion, offering one night free for every night you pay at the resort’s rack room rate. The offer is valid for ocean view lodge rooms and suites. With nightly rack rates of $299 for the lodge room and one-bedroom suite and $349 for the three-bedroom suite, getting the second night free brings your average nightly spend to just under $150 and $175, respectively. This offer beats the resort’s “best available” rate by about $100 a night and includes all service fees and taxes. The fine print: Some blackout dates apply.
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