Had to change summer vacation plans for a shorter trip now and was thinking about 3-4 days. I know it will be super crowded.
Thanks for any input.

Prob some awesome fireworks display.
Maybe see redsox?

Yeah checked on the Sox and they are on the road that week but we could tour Fenway.

We try to go every year to see a fireworks show for our annual vacation. Boston and D.C. are on our list. A shortened trip like that may make you reconsider a beach trip. I would think you would want more time is those historical cities.

That said if I ever visit Boston during baseball season I would check the schedule of the Red Sox and or do the tour of Fenway like you have thought about

July in DC is like July in Houston - 90* & 90% humidity, fyi. That said, it's a town built for crowds. 4th isn't noticeably more crowded than any other summer week. The only real hassle on the 4th is staking out a spot early enough in the day. There are many locations option, just plan on arriving early and sitting tight most of the day.

Used to live near DC, and the 4th there is awesome.

If you're not staying somewhere in the District, you can take the Metro in. I'd go in earlier in the day because there is usually a ton of activity on the Mall along with some sort of concert near the Capital.

It will be plenty crowded but as beef mentioned, the city is well equipped to handle the crowds.

The best places to watch the fireworks are near the Capital, so you can hear the orchestra and the Army howitzers firing OR watch close to the Washington Monument.

Both places are good views of the show. One other place that should be cool to watch is on a boat on the Potomac. I've never been able to do that but looks cool.

If you take the Metro in, the crowds coming out will be HORRIBLE. My recommendation is to not pick up the train at the Smithsonian station. That one is usually one of the most crowded.

IIRC, the yellow line at the Archives/Navy Yard is a decent one to grab the second the show is over.

Will be there the last half of July. Got tickets to a KC game at Fenway and going to D.C. a few days later. Doing a couple of campus visits and maybe the Freedom Trail. Three nights booked in Boston, the least eventful stop on our trip. Well, maybe the one night and day in Baltimore will be less eventful.

I've done the 4th in both. To me, it's a coin flip as to which is better. We did the Freedom Walk or whatever it's called all day before watching the fireworks in Boston. Probably more memorable bexause of the historical aspect. That said, the DC one was pretty damn awesome, given the scale of the whole thing. Note, both of these experiences were about 10 years ago.

Used to live in DC and agree 100% with NICU. Don't know if they do this anymore, but for the 4th of July show in Boston with the Boston Pops - they do a dress rehearsal on the 3rd with far less crowds.

Done D.C. for the 4th twice, it is awesome. Go sit on the steps of the Archives to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence. The fireworks show is unbelievable, it's like the "big finish" that most shows do, but for the whole time.

I went to the DC show several years ago and it was awesome. I would go again.

If you do the mall in DC, bring lots of iced water. It's hot in DC in July as someone mentioned, and when you pack thousands of people together, it can get hottttt. The fireworks show is top notch.

I did the Boston 4th a few years ago. It was incredible. The Boston Pops is amazing and very enjoyable as was the stunning and massive fireworks display. The only caveat would be the crowds. Getting in took a while as they searched every bag of people going in and so the lines were somewhat atrocious. It was definitely worth it and I would highly recommend it. I'm doing the DC 4th this year.