The 4th of July is a time for celebration, whether that means going out for drinks with your best friends, or throwing an epic backyard BBQ. No matter what your plans are this year, having a few apps in your pocket to help make the day less stressful is always a good call. From helping you to put on the perfect barbecue, to facilitating fireworks, to making sure you hit as little traffic as possible, we've got the best apps to help make your holiday awesome.
Allrecipes
If the weather in your area is clear, the classic way to spend Independence Day is by cooking amazing food on a hot grill. If you don't know where to start with your weekend barbecue, Allrecipes is here to help. This app lets you find recipes based on what you want to make, or based on what ingredients you have on hand. You can either follow along with text recipes, or there are over 1000 video recipes. If you use Allrecipes over time, it will make recommendations based on what you've cooked in the past. Finally, Allrecipes lets you create a central shopping list from the recipes you've saved.
Yummly
While grilling is almost always on the menu for the Fourth of July, it isn't the only thing available. You'll also need to consider sides, dietary restrictions, or forgoing meat entirely if people are doing vegetarian. If you don't know what kind of food to make, or even how to make it, Yummly has your back.
There are thousands of recipes for you to thumb through, and it's easy to save your favorites, or add ingredients to your grocery list. Finding themed dishes isn't difficult either, since you can search with filters. Yummly will also recommend recipes it thinks you'll be interested in, and learns what you do — or don't — enjoy eating. This means you can have a delicious spread without touching the grill, with everything you need right in your pocket.
Waze
The fourth of July is a major travel event, and if you have a trip planned you'll want to ensure that you are skipping as much of the congestion of the road as possible. So long as you have someone riding shotgun with you, then Waze can be a serious boon to keeping an eye out for everything from traffic, to accidents, to road work, all reported by other users of the app.
This means if someone is keeping an eye out you can see problem areas before you hit them, and take a different route to bypass sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. You'll even be able to see easy places to make a pit stop for gas, or to stretch your legs if you're planning on a longer trip.
Airbnb
If you plan on taking a vacation for the holiday — those of you lucky enough to get off more than just the 4th — then finding a place to stay away from home is mandatory. If you're looking for a beach house, or something other than a hotel, then Airbnb may be your best option. You can find some amazing places to stay whether you're aiming for one night, or a few weeks during the summer.
There are a variety of places to stay with Airbnb and you can save your favorites to share them with friends or family. You're also able to see the amenities offered by different venues, and what is nearby. This way you get to enjoy the holiday precisely the way that you want to.
A trusty weather app
As a holiday that's famous for its fireworks, it's a smart idea to have a weather app at-hand so that you can ensure that the rain clouds are staying away — from the professional fireworks displays you're heading out to or your own backyard fireworks! If you're setting off your own fireworks, having a weather app handy is especially important so that you can see how windy it is and avoid firing any when the winds are too strong.
Questions?
Do you have a favorite app to prepare for the Fourth of July? Is there a must-have app that we missed here? Be sure to leave us a comment and let us know about it!
Read more: Best grilling accessories for Android
Updated July 2018: We've consolidated and updated the list for the Fourth of July 2018! Enjoy your grilling, chilling, and firework watching!
