Not planning to travel during the holidays? No worries, because you live in — or near — the best “cold weather” city in the United States.
That’s according to WalletHub’s Best Winter Holiday Destinations. For Atlanta residents looking for a fun place to visit, the list’s other top-five cities have plenty to offer.
The personal finance company compared the 70 largest metro areas in the United States across six key dimensions: travel costs and hassles; local costs; attractions; weather; activities; and safety. Those dimensions were then evaluated using 37 metrics. The end result was a list of affordable, traveler friendly winter holiday vacation destinations.
“Compared with other rankings that focus on each destination’s scenic quality, this report focuses primarily on the cost and convenience of traveling to each location as well as its affordability,” WalletHub financial writer Adam McCann reported. “This report also ensures the number of attractions and the variety of activities in each destination will keep everyone busy and entertained throughout the trip.”
When the numbers were added up, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta area came out on top with an overall score of 67.10, out of a possible 100. The city ranked first for cold weather activities, second for weather and eighth for attractions. We came in 10th for travel costs and hassles, and 26th in both local costs and safety.
If you’d like a change of scenery, however, these are the four cities that rounded out the top five on WalletHub’s list.
New York
Listed just below Atlanta was New York.
The city’s metro area has the fifth-most ice skating rinks per capita, WalletHub reported. It has the least expensive flights from other major cities with no connections, and an abundance of music venues, spas, and highly rated, affordable restaurants.
“Finally, the New York City metro area actually has the second-lowest violent crime rate and the fifth-lowest property crime rate among the 32 metro areas for cold destinations in our study,” according to the rankings.
Washington
Washington is the third best cold weather destination, ranking 20th for total costs. It has the fourth best attractions of all 32 featured cities.
It also has the fifth best weather, third best travel costs and was ninth in safety.
Chicago
The Windy City ranked as second least expensive in the rankings for travel costs, while also topping the list for best attractions. Iconic things to do in the area include visiting Lincoln Park Zoo, Art Institute of Chicago and Millennium Park.
Cincinnati
From ice skating rinks to ski slopes, Cincinnati ranked third for having more cold weather activities per capita than most of the country. The Ohio city also ranked lowest in local costs, making it an inexpensive way to enjoy winter fun.
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