July starts with a bang, with Independence Day parades and fireworks in all cities and towns across the country. Then the month continues on a slow swelter until August. It's the time for outdoor activities, like food festivals and summer concerts, but also a great time to escape to museum to cool off. Here are a few festivals, events, and exhibits to check out this July.

Independence Day Festivities - July 4

• Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, are the classic destinations for the Fourth of July. NYC also plays host to the annual Nathan's International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island.
• Travel to a National Park for the Fourth. In addition to big city celebrations, Mount Rushmore National Memorial (South Dakota), Minuteman National Historical Park (Massachusetts), and Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (Baltimore) offer Independence Day festivities ranging from readings of the Declaration of Independence to fife and drum music to bombastic fireworks displays.

Arts and Cultural Events

• July 2-6: The Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC, is free. China and Kenya are the countries in this year's festival spotlight.
• July 6 (final day): Don't Miss Kara Walker's "A Subtlety" at the Domino Sugar Factory in Brooklyn.
• Throughout July: Degas/Cassatt will explore the connections between these two well-known Impressionists with 70 works at the National Gallery in Washington, DC. Through October 5, 2014.

• July 31: The Moby-Dick Marathon is a 24-hour reading of the famous book by Herman Melville at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut.
• Throughout July: Kandinsky: A Retrospective will showcase the works of Modern Art pioneer Wassily Kandinsky at the Milwaukee Museum of Art. In Milwaukee through September 1, 2014.
• Throughout July: Modernism from the National Gallery of Art: The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection gives the West Coast a chance to see 50 works by the likes of Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and Frank Stella. On view at San Francisco's de Young Museum through October 12, 2014.
• Throughout July: Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1938. This exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago will be the "first major museum exhibition to focus exclusively on the breakthrough years of René Magritte, creator of some of the 20th century’s most extraordinary images." Through October 13, 2014 in Chicago.
• Throughout July: Jeff Koons: A Retrospective will be the last major show at NYC's Whitney Museum before it moves to a new space in the Meatpacking District. The exhibit runs through October 19, 2014.

Food Fests

• July 4: Nashville serves up its Independence Day with a side of Hot Chicken Fest in East Park.
• July 4: Philadelphia is a great place to be on Independence Day if you love ice cream. The Super Scooper All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival, in its 15th year, raises money for Leukemia Research.
• July 5-12: Traverse City, Michigan, is the site of the National Cherry Festival.
• July 9-13: The Taste of Chicago is one of the oldest and largest food festivals in the nation.
• July 21: NYC Restaurant Week begins on July 21 and runs through August 15. Reservations for participating restaurants open on July 9.
• July 25-27: The long-running Gilroy Garlic Festival is a popular annual event in Gilroy, California, the "Garlic Capital of the World."

Music Festivals

• July 1-6: Summerfest. The second week of the "World's Largest Music Festival" continues in Milwaukee.
• July 3-6: To celebrate its 20th year, the Essence Festival in New Orleans will feature headliner Prince plus Nas, Trey Songz, and other major acts.
• Thursdays beginning July 10: Twilight Concerts. It's the 30th anniversary of this Los Angeles tradition of free concerts at the Santa Monica Pier. Free music Thursdays last through the summer.
• July 18-20: Pitchfork Music Festival. Daily passes are still available for the three-day music festival in Chicago.
• July 25-27: Newport Folk Festival. The Newport, Rhode Island, music festival is in its 55th year.

 

Sporting Events

• July 24-26: Hayward, Wisconsin hosts the Lumberjack World Championships, an event pitting the brawniest timber sport athletes in sawing, chopping, logrolling, and pole climbing.
• July 26: The U.S. Open of Surfing, which is free to watch, gets underway in Huntington Beach, California, and lasts through August 3. The event, sponsored by Vans, also includes food vendors, concerts, skateboarding, and more.
• July 28: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (yet another July sporting event in Wisconsin) is one of the biggest airshows in the country, drawing aviation enthusiasts from around the world every summer since 1953. Through August 3, 2014.