Are you still planning your Fourth of July celebration? Tweetsie Railroad has just the answer. Enjoy a day at Tweetsie, and an evening under a red, white and blue sky.

Tweetsie once again lights up the Blue Ridge Mountains with its patriotic tribute to Independence Day on Monday, July 4.

More than 200 large-caliber pyrotechnic mortar shells will dazzle fans and fill the mountains with echoes from concussions. Due to this special event, the park will remain open until 9 p.m., instead of the normal closing time of 6 p.m. Extra live shows and famous Tweetsie Railroad Wild West train ride adventure will continue into the early evening as the excitement builds in advance of the firework display.

Parking for July 4th is $5 per vehicle, while Tweetsie’s Golden Rail Season Pass holders may park for free.

North Carolina’s first theme park opened on July 4, 1957, and is now in its 49th season. The park was a dream of Grover Robbins Jr. who brought the famed East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Engine Number 12 (known as “Tweetsie” to the local residents) back home to the mountains of North Carolina. The original run on that July 4 was a one-mile scenic trek that took guests to a picnic area and then backed up into the Tweetsie train station. Today visitors are taken on a scenic three-mile journey through the mountains into the days of the frontier.

The park is open seven days a week until Aug. 21, and from Aug. 26 through Oct. 30 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The park’s regular hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. but will remain open until 9:00 p.m. for the annual July 4th celebration. Daily admission is $26 for adults and $18 for children ages 3 through 12. Children 2 and under are admitted free. Admission includes a full day of fun at Tweetsie, including the adventure-filled Wild West train trip, live entertainment, Country Fair rides, a visit to the Deer Park and much more.

Tweetsie Railroad is located in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains on US Highway 321 between Blowing Rock and Boone.