What's Open and Closed on July Fourth
Here's what is open and closed this year on the Fourth of July: Government buildings, government offices, post offices, courts, and schools are closed. Banks and the US stock markets are closed Friday. Most FedEx and UPS pickup and delivery services will also not be available.
Retailers: Warehouse membership club Costco is closed on July Fourth. Most other major national retailers, such as Target and Walmart, will be open, with some offering promotional sales to lure customers. Most grocery stores are also open. Hours may vary by location, so check your local store.
Travel: Millions of Americans are expected to hit the road, taking advantage of the Fourth of July falling on a Friday this year. Spokeswoman Adrienne Woodland said AAA is forecasting that a record 72.2 million Americans will travel domestically between June 28 and July 6 – an increase of 1.7 million over last year and 7 million more than in 2019. AAA estimates 61.6 million Americans will drive and 5.8 million travelers will fly. Woodland recommended that anyone traveling over the holiday should consider taking precautions, including a pre-trip inspection of their vehicle to avoid issues such as dead batteries, flat tires, and empty gas tanks.
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Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Al Arabiya
What's Open and Closed on July Fourth
The Fourth of July holiday, also known as Independence Day, celebrates the Second Continental Congress's unanimous adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. A year later, according to the Library of Congress, a spontaneous celebration in Philadelphia marked the anniversary of American independence. But observations weren't commonplace until after the War of 1812, when they quickly took off. Congress was late to the party, finally passing a law making Independence Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1870. Here's what is open and closed this year on the Fourth of July: Government buildings, government offices, post offices, courts, and schools are closed. Banks and the US stock markets are closed Friday. Most FedEx and UPS pickup and delivery services will also not be available. Retailers: Warehouse membership club Costco is closed on July Fourth. Most other major national retailers, such as Target and Walmart, will be open, with some offering promotional sales to lure customers. Most grocery stores are also open. Hours may vary by location, so check your local store. Travel: Millions of Americans are expected to hit the road, taking advantage of the Fourth of July falling on a Friday this year. Spokeswoman Adrienne Woodland said AAA is forecasting that a record 72.2 million Americans will travel domestically between June 28 and July 6 – an increase of 1.7 million over last year and 7 million more than in 2019. AAA estimates 61.6 million Americans will drive and 5.8 million travelers will fly. Woodland recommended that anyone traveling over the holiday should consider taking precautions, including a pre-trip inspection of their vehicle to avoid issues such as dead batteries, flat tires, and empty gas tanks.
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump to raise national park fees for foreign visitors
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to increase entrance fees at US national parks for visitors from other countries, even as his administration seeks to cut national park spending by more than a third. The additional revenue generated by higher fees from foreign tourists will raise hundreds of millions of dollars for conservation and deferred maintenance projects to improve national parks, the White House said in a statement. The executive order directs the Interior Department, parent agency of the Park Service, to increase entrance fees paid by park visitors from abroad, but does not say by how much or when the new rates would go into effect. It was also unclear how many of the agency's 433 park units would be affected. Only about 100 sites managed by the Park Service currently charge for admission and fees vary. The order also directs the Park Service to ensure that US residents receive priority access over foreign visitors in any of its permitting or reservation systems. Currently, US citizens in effect pay more than foreign tourists to visit the nation's scenic natural wonders and historic landmarks because their admission fees as well as a portion of their US tax dollars support the cost of national parks, the statement said. 'Charging higher entrance fees to foreign tourists is a common policy at national parks throughout the world,' the statement added. The executive order comes as the Trump administration has proposed cutting more than $1 billion from the Park Service budget in fiscal 2026, which would represent a reduction of more than a third of the agency's budget from the prior year. The administration's cuts to the federal workforce have already aggravated a staff shortage in national parks across the country. Permanent staffing at the Park Service since Trump took office in January has dropped 24 percent, while just 4,500 of the 8,000 seasonal workers his administration pledged for this summer have been hired, according to an analysis on Wednesday from the National Parks Conservation Association, a watchdog-advocacy group. Reduced personnel levels at some national parks, including Yosemite in California and Big Bend in Texas, have forced closures, reduced programming and impeded emergency response operations, the NCPA said. Visitors have continued to flock to national parks in record numbers in recent years, with admissions soaring to a new high of 331 million last year, up 6 million from 2023.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
Trump orders national park entry fees hike for foreign tourists
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday said national parks would hike entry fees for foreign tourists to 'improve affordability' for Americans, as he launched the country's year-long 250th birthday celebrations. 'For this anniversary, I've just signed an executive order to raise entrance fees for foreign tourists while keeping prices low for Americans,' Trump told a cheering crowd at a rally in Iowa. 'The national parks will be about America First,' the Republican leader said, after issuing an executive order. In it, Trump also instructed the interior and state departments to 'encourage international tourism to America's national parks.' The order outlined that revenue raised was to be used to improve the infrastructure and 'enhance enjoyment' of the country's vast national park system. It is a rare move by the climate skeptic president to promote the environment and green spaces. In the executive order, Trump also revoked a 2017 directive by former president Barack Obama on 'promoting diversity and inclusion in our national parks,' in his latest attack on DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives. Some conservation groups have however voiced concerns about hundreds of National Park Service permanent staff members being laid off since Trump took office in January, ahead of peak tourist season in summer.
