Everyone likes to have fun. But we all prefer our personal brand of a good time. Some people like trying new restaurants, traveling, going to bars and clubs or playing outdoor sports. Others enjoy riding roller coasters, going to the movies, or playing video games. But having fun can be expensive – the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average American spends nearly $3,000 on entertainment per year.

With such different preferences, what, then, makes a fun city? At WalletHub, we define such a place as one that packs a little bit of everything for everyone — except maybe people seeking the most extreme of thrills. In a city with enough variety, you won’t have to compromise with your friends, your family or even yourself about the next fun activity to do alone or together.

To help Americans find the cities with the greatest number and variety of fun yet cost-effective options, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities based on 66 key metrics. They range from fitness centers per capita to movie costs to average open hours of breweries. Read on for the winners, money-saving advice from experts and a full description of how we ranked the cities.

Main Findings

Most Fun Cities in America

Overall Rank

(1 = Most Fun) City Total Score ‘Entertainment & Recreation’ Rank ‘Nightlife & Parties’ Rank ‘Costs’ Rank 1 Las Vegas, NV 72.39 5 1 71 2 Orlando, FL 64.30 2 3 17 3 New York, NY 57.62 1 2 182 4 Miami, FL 56.41 9 4 125 5 Chicago, IL 55.22 7 6 144 6 Atlanta, GA 53.95 14 5 100 7 San Francisco, CA 53.85 4 8 177 8 Portland, OR 52.37 13 7 117 9 San Diego, CA 51.38 3 17 142 10 Los Angeles, CA 50.78 8 12 159 11 Austin, TX 50.23 17 11 69 12 New Orleans, LA 50.22 18 9 131 13 Honolulu, HI 49.92 6 18 158 14 Denver, CO 48.82 16 13 114 15 Washington, DC 47.92 11 10 174 16 Tampa, FL 47.70 12 21 70 17 Seattle, WA 47.54 10 14 175 18 St. Louis, MO 46.45 27 16 23 19 Houston, TX 45.27 34 15 38 20 Philadelphia, PA 44.61 22 19 101 21 Cincinnati, OH 44.02 19 32 41 22 Salt Lake City, UT 42.69 25 28 49 23 San Antonio, TX 42.02 37 25 9 24 Fort Lauderdale, FL 41.65 15 31 133 25 Tucson, AZ 41.54 26 47 3 26 Dallas, TX 41.42 36 23 52 27 Minneapolis, MN 40.75 23 36 94 28 Pittsburgh, PA 40.18 24 38 84 29 Nashville, TN 40.01 38 24 88 30 Scottsdale, AZ 39.77 30 40 34 31 Portland, ME 39.68 45 26 96 32 Sacramento, CA 39.64 28 22 157 33 Reno, NV 39.53 40 30 68 34 Omaha, NE 39.45 41 39 13 35 Raleigh, NC 39.44 69 27 22 36 Indianapolis, IN 39.39 63 35 10 37 Charleston, SC 39.35 21 76 56 38 Boston, MA 39.02 20 20 179 39 Columbus, OH 38.96 49 42 5 40 Jacksonville, FL 38.95 35 49 15 41 Milwaukee, WI 38.77 44 44 11 42 Knoxville, TN 38.02 43 54 19 43 Richmond, VA 37.45 54 43 63 44 Cleveland, OH 36.96 46 48 39 45 Rochester, NY 36.91 33 53 91 46 St. Petersburg, FL 36.81 29 70 72 47 Oklahoma City, OK 36.79 80 51 2 48 Phoenix, AZ 36.64 53 67 8 49 Charlotte, NC 36.29 59 41 87 49 Louisville, KY 36.29 57 58 33 51 Tempe, AZ 36.26 55 72 37 52 Henderson, NV 35.92 73 46 12 53 Kansas City, MO 35.90 83 34 50 54 Fort Worth, TX 35.86 81 33 80 55 Buffalo, NY 35.78 52 52 78 56 Birmingham, AL 35.66 79 50 35 57 Columbia, SC 35.30 51 71 77 58 Baton Rouge, LA 35.26 66 66 44 59 Boise, ID 34.98 64 82 26 60 Virginia Beach, VA 34.87 39 84 83 61 Mobile, AL 34.85 130 37 47 62 Grand Rapids, MI 34.71 82 69 18 63 Albuquerque, NM 34.70 31 103 89 64 Colorado Springs, CO 34.60 47 88 46 65 Lincoln, NE 34.50 68 65 73 66 Memphis, TN 34.35 108 55 7 67 Detroit, MI 34.01 84 60 31 68 Baltimore, MD 33.72 50 56 120 69 Madison, WI 33.64 42 68 121 70 Chattanooga, TN 33.41 67 63 110 71 Tulsa, OK 33.27 70 80 64 72 El Paso, TX 33.08 77 102 6 73 Oakland, CA 32.85 65 29 172 74 Springfield, MO 32.50 125 85 20 75 Gulfport, MS 32.43 157 73 28 76 Arlington, TX 32.27 87 45 124 77 Durham, NC 32.16 105 75 40 78 Long Beach, CA 31.93 56 59 155 79 Huntington Beach, CA 31.81 71 61 140 80 Tallahassee, FL 31.75 109 81 90 81 Wichita, KS 31.65 132 83 21 82 Plano, TX 31.64 74 74 112 83 Huntsville, AL 31.46 136 62 82 84 Chandler, AZ 31.28 94 97 27 85 Irvine, CA 31.18 32 94 171 86 Mesa, AZ 31.09 103 134 4 87 Providence, RI 31.07 76 64 136 88 Rapid City, SD 31.06 99 92 54 89 Glendale, AZ 30.97 96 91 25 90 Anaheim, CA 30.82 72 57 156 91 Greensboro, NC 30.80 90 112 16 92 Sioux Falls, SD 30.73 131 87 76 93 Chesapeake, VA 30.66 93 153 53 94 St. Paul, MN 30.36 58 122 105 95 Billings, MT 30.32 102 90 86 96 Bakersfield, CA 30.24 115 96 45 97 Norfolk, VA 30.18 61 115 126 98 Spokane, WA 30.09 88 120 67 99 Lexington-Fayette, KY 30.05 98 98 61 100 Akron, OH 29.98 121 107 62 101 Amarillo, TX 29.85 156 174 1 102 Cape Coral, FL 29.80 75 118 51 103 Des Moines, IA 29.54 145 95 43 104 Corpus Christi, TX 29.29 85 138 60 105 Missoula, MT 29.22 104 79 128 106 Garden Grove, CA 29.19 78 77 162 107 Fort Smith, AR 29.13 165 143 24 108 Gilbert, AZ 29.07 151 127 14 109 San Jose, CA 29.05 62 86 164 110 Overland Park, KS 28.86 144 124 85 111 Toledo, OH 28.74 97 149 30 112 Fort Wayne, IN 28.53 128 142 32 113 Fayetteville, NC 28.51 142 121 59 114 Las Cruces, NM 28.44 146 173 36 115 Winston-Salem, NC 28.43 110 117 102 116 Tacoma, WA 28.14 114 100 113 117 Little Rock, AR 28.13 153 126 48 118 Jersey City, NJ 27.81 92 93 150 119 Lubbock, TX 27.65 113 140 57 120 Shreveport, LA 27.55 168 114 75 121 Columbia, MD 27.42 134 123 123 122 Modesto, CA 27.36 149 108 119 123 Newport News, VA 27.27 159 109 103 124 Aurora, CO 27.25 129 110 111 125 Riverside, CA 27.16 100 101 139 126 Huntington, WV 27.11 150 170 79 127 North Las Vegas, NV 26.97 119 106 106 128 San Bernardino, CA 26.86 135 78 153 129 Burlington, VT 26.77 101 111 145 130 Anchorage, AK 26.75 48 172 169 131 Hialeah, FL 26.75 112 119 138 132 Montgomery, AL 26.57 179 150 42 133 Garland, TX 26.55 126 146 109 134 Manchester, NH 26.50 155 105 130 135 Wilmington, DE 26.47 107 99 154 136 Newark, NJ 26.45 106 133 137 137 Stockton, CA 26.44 91 152 129 138 Cedar Rapids, IA 26.39 173 131 74 139 Glendale, CA 26.39 86 116 168 140 Fargo, ND 26.36 141 148 99 141 Casper, WY 26.22 139 179 66 142 Augusta, GA 26.22 171 135 97 143 Port St. Lucie, FL 26.09 147 156 65 144 Fresno, CA 25.96 120 144 81 145 Irving, TX 25.94 143 162 104 146 West Valley City, UT 25.94 124 160 107 147 Pembroke Pines, FL 25.78 95 155 141 148 Oceanside, CA 25.73 117 145 127 149 Salem, OR 25.69 163 89 134 150 Jackson, MS 25.62 178 161 92 151 Vancouver, WA 25.55 122 141 122 152 Santa Clarita, CA 25.36 111 129 160 153 Grand Prairie, TX 24.74 162 166 115 154 Peoria, AZ 24.66 161 147 98 155 Columbus, GA 24.63 176 171 93 156 Cheyenne, WY 24.60 180 175 58 157 Charleston, WV 24.54 167 163 108 158 Santa Ana, CA 24.40 127 125 146 159 Ontario, CA 24.34 138 136 132 160 Warwick, RI 24.26 137 113 161 161 Worcester, MA 24.06 175 104 148 162 Bismarck, ND 24.01 172 176 95 163 Nashua, NH 23.53 174 132 135 164 Dover, DE 23.31 166 167 143 165 Laredo, TX 23.27 158 180 29 166 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 23.09 123 151 147 167 Moreno Valley, CA 22.97 148 128 166 168 Juneau, AK 22.94 60 169 180 169 Fontana, CA 22.82 140 159 151 170 Fremont, CA 22.62 89 154 176 171 Chula Vista, CA 22.60 154 130 163 172 Nampa, ID 22.48 181 157 116 173 Lewiston, ME 22.27 169 181 118 174 Aurora, IL 21.81 152 168 152 175 New Haven, CT 21.65 160 137 170 176 South Burlington, VT 21.59 116 178 149 177 Brownsville, TX 20.55 182 182 55 178 Bridgeport, CT 19.93 177 165 165 179 Santa Rosa, CA 19.59 118 139 181 180 Yonkers, NY 19.20 133 158 178 181 Oxnard, CA 19.20 170 164 167 182 Pearl City, HI 19.09 164 177 173





Ask the Experts

Fun doesn’t have to mean expensive. For money-saving ideas and advice to city leaders on attracting fun lovers to their cities, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

What tips do you have for having fun while on a budget? What should people be looking for when choosing a fun and affordable city? Should cities allow drinking in public — either during certain times or in specially designated “entertainment districts” — to make their cities more fun? What can local authorities do to make their city a more fun destination to visit?

Methodology

In order to determine the most fun cities in the U.S., WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across three key dimensions: 1) Entertainment & Recreation, 2) Nightlife & Parties and 3) Costs.

We evaluated those dimensions using 66 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the greatest number and variety of fun and cost-effective activities. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. Our sample considers only the city proper in each case and excludes the surrounding metro area.

Entertainment & Recreation - Total Points: 40

Number of Attractions: Double Weight (~1.95 Points)

“TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards Top 25 Destinations” Ranking: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Coffee & Tea Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Restaurants per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Diversity of Restaurants: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Ice-Cream & Frozen-Yogurt Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Bowling Alleys per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Baseball & Softball Diamonds per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Basketball Hoops per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Tennis Courts per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Public Golf Courses per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Skiing Facilities per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Public Swimming Pools per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Public Beaches per Capita: Half Weight (~0.49 Points)

Presence on TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 Beaches” List: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Fishing Facilities per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Marinas per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Boat Tours & Water Sports per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Water & Amusement Parks per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Hiking Trails per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Scenic and Sightseeing Establishments per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Spas & Wellness Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Shopping Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Share of Population with Walkable Park Access: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Share of Designed Parkland Areas: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Presence on TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 Parks” List: Half Weight (~0.49 Points)

Playgrounds per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Parkland as Share of City Area: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Acres of Parkland per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Bike-Rental Facilities per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Sports Venues per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Fitness Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Recreational Sports Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Sports Fan-Friendliness: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “ Best Sports Cities ” ranking, which includes football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer.

Movie Theaters per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Performing-Arts Theaters per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Festivals per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Arcades per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Amusement Parks per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Presence on TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 Amusement Parks” List: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Ideal Weather: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)

Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “ Cities with the Best & Worst Weather ” ranking.

Nightlife & Parties - Total Points: 40

Bar Accessibility: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Note: This grade is a combination of bars per capita* (measures availability) and bars per square mile (measures proximity).

Pool Halls per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Lounges per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Beer Gardens per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Legality of Public Drinking: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Time of Last Call: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Average Open Hours of Breweries: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Presence of Music Festivals: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Note: The cities that have music festivals will receive 1, the others 0.

Music Venues per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Dance Clubs per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Dance Party Index: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Arts & Crafts-Supplies Establishments per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Casinos per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Comedy Clubs per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Costs - Total Points: 20

Average Price of Party Ticket: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Average Beer Price: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Note: This metric measures the price of a six-pack of 12-ounce Heineken containers, excluding any deposit.

Average Wine Price: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Average Food Price (Pizza & Burger): Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Prevalence of Affordable Restaurants Rated 4.5+ Stars: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Restaurant-Meal Costs: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Movie Costs: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Bowling Costs: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Average Fitness-Club Fee: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Price for Three-Star Hotel Room: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Cost of Living: Double Weight (~3.33 Points)





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Sources: Data used to create this ranking were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, Council for Community and Economic Research, Numbeo, Kayak, Public Courses, TripAdvisor, Yelp, Thumbtack, Eventbrite, TheHuffingtonPost.com, Wikipedia, Music Festival Wizard and WalletHub research.

Image: Gutesa / Shutterstock.com

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