As the Fourth of July approaches, you may be feeling the urge to type into Google "where to watch fireworks near me" in anticipation of the upcoming holiday. After all, it pays to plan ahead and find out where to catch the best fireworks shows, so you can enjoy an evening of oohing and aahing as brilliant colors streak across the night sky. We're just as eager as you are to find the biggest and best fireworks displays in Delaware, so we've gone ahead and compiled this list of our favorites!

1. "Go Fourth" Lewes Fireworks

Festivities in Lewes begin at 9 AM on July 4th, with games for the kids, and the yearly boat parade at 2 PM down the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. Fireworks will be launched at dusk from a barge off of Lewes Beach. Anywhere on Lewes Beach is a prime (and likely to be crowded) viewing location, but you can also view the fireworks from higher elevations around Lewes. If you're hitting the beach, we love this cozy waterproof blanket for relaxing on as you watch the fireworks display. For more event details, visit the Go Fourth Lewes website.

2. Wilmington Riverfront Fireworks

Wilmington welcomes all to celebrate July 4th at a free event located at Riverfront Park (10 Cowan Street). Live music, food, and more will be available to enjoy. The Wilmington Symphony Orchestra and other musical guests will provide patriotic music as well as classical selections and pop songs. Fireworks will begin at 9:05 PM, launching from a barge north of the USS Battleship North Carolina. You will be able to view the fireworks along the downtown riverfront.

3. Hockessin Fireworks

The Hockessin fireworks display begins at dusk on July 4. You should be able to view the fireworks from all over Hockessin, but the main viewing areas are Swift Park, Piedmont Baseball Fields, Hockessin Library and Artesian Soccer Fields. The fireworks are rain or shine, with no rain date.

4. Rehoboth Beach Fireworks

Rehoboth Beach's fireworks display is on Saturday, July 6. The fireworks will launch around 9:30 PM, but festivities will begin earlier, with a free concert at the bandstand. The fireworks will launch from the beach around Brooklyn Avenue and be visible from the beach and boardwalk.

5. Dover 4th of July

Dover has a full schedule of events for the Fourth of July, beginning at 10 AM with free historic tours at First State Heritage Park. At 2 PM at the Old State House, there will be historical interpreters reciting the Declaration of Independence, right near the spot where the Declaration was first read to Dover citizens in 1776. From 4 PM to 8:45 PM, there will be music and vendors on the streets around Legislative Mall, and more, all leading up to the main event at 9:15 PM: a huge fireworks display over Legislative Mall.

6. Smyrna/Clayton Fireworks

Neighboring towns Smyrna and Clayton will have a day full of events on Independence Day. There will be a parade in Clayton at 9:30 AM, and music and food trucks in the Smyrna High School parking lot starting at 7 PM. It's all leading up to fireworks at dusk, over the little league fields across from Smyrna High School. This is the oldest running fireworks display in the state, put on by the Smyrna/Clayton July 4th Foundation.

7. Newark

Newark will light up the skies with a spectacular fireworks display at the University of Delaware Athletic Complex. Get there early to enjoy vendors and entertainment beginning at 6 PM, and get ready to watch the fireworks as dusk approaches.

There you have it -- now you know "where to watch fireworks near me" this year for a spectacular, sparkling summer evening of pyrotechnics and revelry. What are your Fourth of July plans this year? We'd love to hear from you!

For more of the best of the First State, check out some of the most beautiful places in Delaware:

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/delaware/beautiful-places-in-delaware-de/