As U.S. residents start to travel more after nearly two years of pandemic lockdowns, a new ranking serves as a guide to where they can go to have fun.
WalletHub, the personal finance website, looked at 182 U.S. cities for what fun activities they offer visitors. The ranking looked at three categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and costs.
"Having fun can be expensive—the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average American spends over $2,900 on entertainment per year," the report said.
WalletHub said the rankings were based on 65 metrics ranging from fitness centers per capita to movie costs to average open hours of breweries.
The following cities topped WalletHub's list of the most fun U.S. cities.
10. New York
New York City, along with Chicago and Charlotte, N.C., has the most playgrounds in the U.S. per capita. It ranked fifth for recreation and entertainment, but it was dead last at 182 for its costs.
9. Honolulu
This Hawaiian getaway ranked first in the nation for entertainment and recreation, but 162 for costs. Honolulu is tied with several other cities for having the most festivals per capita in the U.S.
8. Chicago
The Windy City is tied with Orlando, Fla., and several other cities for having the most restaurants per capita in the U.S., and tied with New York for the most playgrounds per capita.
7. Austin, Texas
Austin ranks seventh in the nation for its nightlife and party scene, and it lands at a respectable 76th place for costs.
6. San Francisco
The city is tied with Las Vegas with the most dance clubs per capita.
5. New Orleans
The Mardis Gras capital of the U.S. is, not surprisingly, tied with several other cities for having the most festivals per capita.
4. Miami
Miami ranks fourth in the U.S. for its nightlife and party scene.
3. Atlanta
Like other cities in the top five, Atlanta scored highly for its nightlife and parties, ranking third in this category.
2. Orlando, Fla.
The home of Disney World ranked second in the nation both for entertainment and recreation and for nightlife and parties. It was scored as the ninth-cheapest city for fun things to do.
1. Las Vegas
Las Vegas topped the ranking for nightlife and parties, and it also scored high for its abundance of restaurants, dance clubs and festivals.
The full report can be viewed here.
