Come celebrate the country's Independence Day while visiting downtown Cleveland. The city commences its 4th of July celebration with a grand display of fireworks at the intersection of Lake Erie and the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. The best places to view fireworks are from the Nautica Pavilion and Boardwalk on the west bank of the Cuyahoga River Flats, Shooters Bistro, Settlers Landing on the east bank, and the Whiskey Island Marina on Lake Erie in downtown.
The Nautical Pavilion is located on the banks of the Cuyahoga River. The open air concert hall offers spectacular waterfront views of the fireworks lighting up the downtown Cleveland skyline.
Shooters Bistro is not only a restaurant, but also an ideal entertainment center to enjoy the 4th of July fireworks display. Shooters is a casual dining bistro surrounded by windows that oversee the Cuyahoga River and the Flats city lights.
Settlers Landing Station is part of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority light rail Waterfront Line. The station has a big esplanade beside the water that allows visitors a nice view of the fireworks.
Whiskey Island Marina is located directly in downtown Cleveland where the Cuyahoga River meets Lake Erie. The Marina offers lakefront views of the 4th of July fireworks.
To kill two birds with one stone you can spend the day at the Great Lakes Science Center and complete the evening watching the Cleveland fireworks on board the deck of the historic Steamship William G. Mather museum. In 2010, members pay $10 and non-members $12 to watch from the steamship deck.
Since 1990 the Cleveland Orchestra offers a free concert every year at the Public Square in Downtown and includes patriotic and classical theme songs. This popular event gathers as many as 80,000 people. It's scheduled days prior to the 4th of July and it ends with a display of fireworks. Since 2003 this event also includes a pre-concert festival with performances from local Cleveland based groups.
The best place to watch the fireworks in Downtown Cleveland is Shooters Bistro. Enjoy a reasonably priced meal, order one of the house's famous ice-cream drinks and sit back as you wait for the fireworks to begin. Afterwards stick around for the live music and dancing.
