The 4th of July is always a big to-do celebration in the U.S. and it’s typical for people to celebrate with BBQ’s, family, friends, and maybe even a little music. Of course, you can’t forget fireworks, provided they’re allowed within your own personal city limits, and it’s certainly not uncommon for large groups of people to travel to the beach and spend the day there. While a great 4th of July can be a breeze if everything is prepared or if you’re just taking things a little easy, it can be a lot smoother with help from some great apps to make the most of your day, so here’s a list of some of top picks for the best apps for the occasion.
Fireworks Arcade
For many people the 4th is all about the bang of the fireworks, so we’re kicking off this list with an app called Fireworks Arcade which is a collective of Fireworks-based games that are perfect for the occasion. There are three games total plus you can simulate the physics of different fireworks types, and if you just want to wow the kids and keep their attention you can just slide your finger around the screen in Show Mode to display fireworks of all types and colors.
Fireworks Live Wallpaper
Keeping the fireworks theme going, maybe you just enjoy looking at fireworks and what better way to celebrate the 4th than with a set of live wallpapers that are all about fireworks. The colorful displays are seamlessly placed over the tops of 12 different cityscapes and the app even includes sound effects to make things more festive and fun. Plus, you can simply leave these on your phone for the rest of the month if you prefer.
Food Network In The Kitchen
If you’re looking to host a celebration at your home and you’ve got a lot of meals to prepare for, you can’t go wrong with the official app from the Food Network as it contains plenty of recipes from top celebrity chefs and more. Plus you’ll find recipes for all types of food including BBQ recipes. If you’re not sure what to make, this is a good place to start, even if you’re just a guest looking to bring something for the group.
Barbecue Grill Recipes
Of course, if you’d rather have something that’s more oriented towards BBQ recipes and grilling in general, then this app might be of some use as it’s tailored to recipes for backyard grilling. It’s got everything from the ability to create a shopping list for all the items you’ll need and the instructions for cooking up some great BBQ.
GasBuddy: Find Cheap Gas
If you’re on your way to the beach or if you’re traveling across the country to be with family and friends during the holiday, then you’ll most certainly need to make a stop for some gas at some point, and if you’ve gotta stop for some gas there’s no reason to overpay if you can avoid it. GasBuddy has been around for quite a long time and does its job well, listing not only the prices of gas on the map but also the distance to the gas station you’re trying to get to. Plus it even offers chances to win $100 in free gas.
Maps
Maps can be an invaluable application to have for more than one reason. Not only can it help you with directions and navigation to wherever you’re spending the 4th of July, but it can also be used for finding places to buy fireworks if you’re trying to stock up. Plus, once you find a location, you can use the navigation to get you there too.
Snapseed
Chances are you’ll be taking some pictures during the 4th and if that happens to be the case you’ll want to make them look their best. Snapseed is a perfect app for this as it’s got tons of filters to apply to your images to give them a more exciting style, and there are a lot of other tools included in the app to tune the image and adjust things till it looks just the way you want it to.
Airbnb
If you’re like many people during the 4th then this holiday isn’t just about the 4th, but it’s also about the entire weekend surrounding the 4th, and that means you might be packing up and heading out for a good few days. When you get to where you’re going you’ll need a place to stay and Airbnb makes finding places to stay pretty easy, and because you’re reserving a place that’s not a hotel you can feel more at home while also saving some money on your lodging expenses.
Google Play Music
Whether you’re having a backyard BBQ or heading to the beach for the day, Google Play Music can be your DJ with access to hundreds of thousands of songs from all different genres. Simply connect your phone up to a Bluetooth speaker and let everyone enjoy the music while you kick back and relax, or if you’ve got a Chromecast or Chromecast Audio you can cast the music up to the TV or a set of speakers.
Uber
Rounding out this list is Uber, which might seem strange but if you’re heading out for the 4th of July and you’re staying within your city (or even if you’re not), perhaps you need a ride to where you’re going, or you simply want to play it safe and keep from driving yourself so you can have a little fun without worrying that you’re ok to drive when the fun is over. This is where Uber can come in handy as it’s easy to request a ride and it can be cheaper than a taxi.