I'll be heading to the nation's capital to celebrate Independence Day this weekend, so I've been browsing the many maps that the Washington Post has put together to help people take in the festivities. If you'll be in DC too, you can find a map of the various events going on throughout the holiday weekend and a map of fireworks shows throughout the entire region. My friends and I plan to take in the fireworks over the National Mall, so we're consulting this map to determine the very best viewing location.

Of course, DC isn't the only place to celebrate the Fourth. Here's a list of maps of parades, fireworks shows, and events from other places around the country (thanks to the Google Maps Mania blog for finding some of these!):

If your town has a map that you want to share, let us know by sending it to @googlemaps on Twitter. If you're planning your own Fourth of July celebration, you can make your own My Map to show friends how to get to your BBQ or where exactly in the park you plan to meet to catch the fireworks.

Posted by Elaine Filadelfo, Lat Long Blog Team