Red, White & Blue Salute

SeaWorld San Diego is hosting the Red, White & Blue Salute from Saturday, November 7, through Monday, November 9, as part of its Military Appreciation Weekend. The fireworks go off on Saturday and Sunday nights, and the whole thing is presented by Navy Federal Credit Union. It's a nod to the park's more than 60-year tradition of playing the national anthem, which still happens every morning during a flag ceremony at Explorer's Reef when the park opens.

Throughout the weekend, the park is set up for military families to hang out. There's a Field of Honor of American flags at Wild Arctic Plaza, and the Orca Encounter presentations include tributes to military heroes. If you're in the mood to do something, there's a Hero Mailbox run with the Warrior Foundation where you can write postcards to active-duty service members, and a Hero Tribute photo backdrop for leaving a message. You'll also find representatives from the Warrior Foundation Freedom Station, Blue Star Families, Adjoin, Wounded Warrior Project, and Freedom Dogs around the park.

If you're active-duty or a veteran, the Waves of Honor program gets you complimentary admission to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Sesame Place, and there's a dedicated military and veterans line at the park entrance to get you in faster. For everyone else, the salute is included with park admission.

One thing to keep in mind: fireworks are becoming a rarer sight around here. The city has capped them under an updated master plan, and SeaWorld was granted a one-year pilot for up to 110 drone shows—the first of its kind in California—so these displays are a bit of a departure from the usual. The fireworks run Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8, and the full Military Appreciation Weekend wraps up on Monday, November 9.