Some holiday travelers seek out destinations with a lot of sun. Then there are those who like a chill in the air.
The most popular month for winter holiday travel is December, according to WalletHub, so the site analyzed 70 of the large U.S. metro areas to rank the nation's top holiday travel destinations.
Among the factors were travel costs and the variety of activities each area had to keep the whole family entertained this winter.
Cold weather activities include ice-skating, skiing, and availability of shopping malls. Museums, movie theaters and outdoor festivals are also attractions that will keep everyone warm and happy. TripAdvisor, Kayak.com, Yelp, and Numbeo provided data on the metro-areas.
Costs of flights, flight duration and connections were factored into the category of travel hassles and costs based on data that used December 24 as the departure date and January 2 as the return date.
These are the top cold weather destinations, in ascending order, according to WalletHub based on a 100-point scale:
10. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ranked ninth for cold weather activities for a total score of 66.25. If you enjoy ice-skating visit the MassMutual Pittsburgh Ice Rink at PPG Place. The rink is 67 percent larger than the rink at Rockefeller Center and two-thirds the size of an NHL rink, according to Pittsburgh magazine.
9. Philadelphia
The Philadelphia metro area includes Camden, N.J., and Wilmington, Del. While Philadelphia has many historical sites to visit, like the Liberty Bell, visitors can enjoy many food items indoors at the Reading Terminal Market. The Adventure Aquarium in Camden is located on the Delaware River and is a good entertainment attraction for the entire family.
8. Denver
The Mile High City has 300 sunny days a year. Enjoy access to skiing and snowboarding in Aspen and Vail, just a few hours west. The 16th Street pedestrian promenade has numerous restaurants and brew pubs. Sports fans can enjoy a Denver Nuggets or Colorado Avalanche game at the Pepsi Center located near the city’s center.
7. Portland
If you are traveling to the Pacific Northwest, the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area is ranked fifth for attractions and cold-weather activities. Portland’s Mount Hood offers skiing, tubing and winter hiking. Restaurants and brew pubs are plentiful in Portland, known as a foodie city.
6. Boston
Safety rated high in the ranking for the Boston-Cambridge area, which includes Newton, N.H., which lies on the border between the two states.
5. New York
The New York area includes neighboring New Jersey, Connecticut and parts of Pennsylvania. The destination ranked first in attractions and third in most cold-weather attractions. Head to the Poconos or the Catskills for some skiing, or take in the numerous restaurants in Manhattan or Hoboken, N.J.
4. Cincinnati
The Cincinnati metro area includes Kentucky and Indiana. The area ranked highest in affordable hotels, meals, transportation and overall cost of living. The Midwest destinations scored high as a winter holiday destination.
3. Atlanta
Traveling south for a winter holiday gave the Atlanta metro area a good rank for weather and cold weather activities. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Rosewell, Ga., has winter temperatures that range from around 55 degrees during the day to about 35 degrees at night.
2. Washington, D.C.
The nation’s capital did well for most attractions and cold-weather activities. When it’s cold outside, Washington, D.C., is full of museums to duck into to escape the frost, including the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History and the International Spy Museum.
1. Chicago
The Chicago metro area includes Indiana and Wisconsin. The Chicago metro are ranked first in ‘cold weather activities and second in the attractions category. Museums include the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Field Museum of Natural History. Chicago is conveniently located in the center of the country, so the city did well in lowest travel costs and fewest hassles.
The full report can be viewed here.
