Next weekend we’ll celebrate Independence Day, and the Daddy Weekly will take a week off. Here an overview of the best kid-friendly event centered around the holiday. Most of these are annual fixtures, so choose what you like best and go to the next one in the following years.

The big flagship event is “The Works” downtown on Fayetteville Street and in the Amphitheater; if you remember, the problem last year was the fireworks were not well visible due to all the skyscrapers blocking the view, not a problem we usually have in Raleigh. The City promised to do better this year.

A smaller and more historically inclined event is the July-4th celebration at the Joel Lane House, from 11a-4p.

Finally, if 4th-of-July means “family time at the park” to you, head over to Cary where an Independence Day Old Time Celebration takes place in Bond Park from 8-3. (A similar event is hosted at the State Capitol from 12-4.)

Beyond that, Durham has the Festival for the Eno, and every town from Carrboro to Wake Forest has its own event.