Posted by: Richie Bernardo

Everyone likes to have fun. But we all prefer our personal brand of a good time. Some of us like going to bars and clubs, trying new restaurants, watching movies or playing outdoor sports. Others enjoy riding roller coasters, gambling, or catching and training Pokémon.

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 Johnny Knoxville and his extreme-thrill-seeking posse. In a city with enough variety, you won’t have to compromise with your amigos, 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’s data crunchers compared the 150 largest U.S. cities based on 58 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.

1. Main Findings
2. Ask the Experts
3. Methodology

Main Findings

Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/23455/geochart-fun.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2ftmh7V;  

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	‘Entertainment & Recreation’ Rank	‘Nightlife & Parties’ Rank	‘Costs’ Rank
147	Chula Vista, CA	27.21	143	104	133
148	Fremont, CA	27.15	98	128	144
149	Yonkers, NY	26.19	150	74	148
150	Oxnard, CA	24.61	92	135	149

 

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:

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

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• Karen E. Riggs Professor in the School of Media Arts and Studies, Coordinator of the Scripps College of Communication Social Media Certificate Program, and Internship Coordinator and Director of the MDIA High School Media Workshop at Ohio University
• Jennifer Fowler Associate Professor of Economics & Music Business and Chair of Economics & Finance in the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business at Belmont University
• Jason Greenberg Assistant Professor of Management in the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University
• Benjamin Stokes Game Designer & Civic Media Scholar and Assistant Professor in the School of Communication and the Game Lab at American University

Karen E. Riggs Professor in the School of Media Arts and Studies, Coordinator of the Scripps College of Communication Social Media Certificate Program, and Internship Coordinator and Director of the MDIA High School Media Workshop at Ohio University What tips do you have for having fun while on a budget?

• Stay in state parks. Some have nice cottages and lodges that are often cheaper than other lodging, for those who want an alternative to tent camping. If you're playing tourist in a nearby city, a place in the woods is a nice respite and provides many alternative activities for down time, such as kayaking and hiking. For a real adventure, some state parks have yurts.

• On the same note, you can get a great rate at certain private campgrounds if you stay multiple nights.

• Airbnb is a great option and can feel homey. Check out ratings and neighborhood crime before reserving.

• Ask for local knowledge. People who live where you're visiting know where the best off-the-path restaurants and music venues are.

• Visit a local farmer's market. You'll find goodies and get a feel for where you are visiting, while spending little to no money.

• Pay cash. You won't spend as much.

• Don't eat at your hotel.

What should people be looking for when choosing a fun & affordable city?

• Don't plan a trip to either coast or to Chicago. There's a lot of fun to be had in cities with great music venues, theater scenes, museums, ballparks, and whatever else you might be interested in. Business Insider magazine ranked the Cleveland Museum of Art second in the United States. Milwaukee's Summerfest on Lake Michigan hosts name-brand musical talent for several days each year. Small venues in Memphis and Nashville play some of the best music to be heard and serve up tasty barbeque. Minneapolis is bursting with live theater.

• Grab a local coupon book when you see it.

• Be wary of printed lists of popular restaurants presented by a concierge. They could mean sweetheart deals for the hotel.

What can local authorities do to make their city a more fun destination to visit? More (well-lighted) parking in tourist areas. Jennifer Fowler Associate Professor of Economics & Music Business and Chair of Economics & Finance in the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business at Belmont University What tips do you have for having fun while on a budget? Visiting local spots that have no or nominal entry fees (e.g., museums, zoos, other venues -- such as the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville). What should people be looking for when choosing a fun & affordable city? A variety of activities, restaurants, shopping for all ages, within a reasonable distance from each other. Should cities allow drinking in public--either during certain times or in special designated “Entertainment Districts”--to make their cities more fun? Having one designated place, such as an “entertainment district” may be a good option and provide safety for all visiting. Those who want to visit the entertainment district are confined to a specific area, and others who do not wish to visit the area are aware of its location, so they can choose to visit other parts of the city. What can local authorities do to make their city a more fun destination to visit?

• Maintain well-lit areas and have ample signage to make getting around easier;

• Some form of accessible public transportation (e.g., Uber, cabs, trains, etc.);

• A sense of security for visitors by visible identification of police (e.g., in New York, City Police are easily visible on their horses, walking, or riding nearby in their vehicles).

Jason Greenberg Assistant Professor of Management in the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University What should people be looking for when choosing a fun & affordable city? The first question to ask and answer is whether one is traveling on a fixed and tight budget that dictates where one will travel, versus having a fixed and tight budget in a location that has been chosen ignoring cost, and thus might be comparatively expensive. If someone is agnostic about where to travel -- say she simply wants to visit Italy, broadly defined -- I think a good piece of advice is to travel to "second" cities that are less crowded and more reasonably priced. For example, rather than visiting Rome or Florence, go to Parma or Bologna. If someone must see Rome or Florence, and has a tight budget, I would plan on traveling off-season, right before or after the core tourist season, and look for travel, lodging, and entertainment coupons and deals. Once one determines where to visit, I think it useful to make full use of the information available online about what to see and where to eat and stay. For international travel, TripAdvisor is often best as a starting point. However, with Google translate, I find it useful to look at sources aimed at the domestic or local consumer. Doing so increases the odds of finding great places that are not swarming with tourists, and which often have better pricing. Finally, if you have a friend or colleague from a particular country or city you wish to visit, make full use of his or her local knowledge. When I traveled to Italy for the first time, I spent hours speaking with Italian colleagues who provided fantastic suggestions and, even better, referrals to other local sources. Should cities allow drinking in public--either during certain times or in special designated “Entertainment Districts”--to make their cities more fun? Based on personal experience, I surmise it depends critically on a host of subtle details and local cultural and structural factors. What can local authorities do to make their city a more fun destination to visit? Some of my fondest and worst travel memories are a function of how easy it is to navigate a city -- literally and figuratively. In this respect, good public transportation that is comprehensible in a host of languages is useful. The same goes for signage for everything, from street and driving rules to bathrooms, museums and public places. I think Hong Kong and Singapore are great examples of this. Traveling the Italian countryside (especially driving), by contrast, is a whole different experience that is, how shall I put it, "charming" and story-worthy, at the expense of easy. New York City isn't the easiest city to drive and park around either, for that matter. Benjamin Stokes Game Designer & Civic Media Scholar and Assistant Professor in the School of Communication and the Game Lab at American University What tips do you have for having fun while on a budget? Don't hesitate to call local businesses, and ask what they would recommend. Many are eager to point visitors to authentic starting points, from self-guided tours to community activities. Local culture can be surprisingly deep if you simply take the trouble to ask locals about what unusual things have happened here, and how this place is different. What should people be looking for when choosing a fun & affordable city? Strong communities organize their own events. Look for local bands, rather than big-name musicians, as a great indicator for local vibrancy. And increasingly, communities are building their own games to connect the physical and the digital together. Such play can be embedded in parks, concerts and on public sidewalks. Should cities allow drinking in public--either during certain times or in special designated “Entertainment Districts”--to make their cities more fun? Alcohol in public is one of the least interesting ways to have fun. Great events have alcohol only as part of a richer offering, from parades and festivals to block parties and concerts. My advice to cities: as long as a diverse set of ages and cultures feel welcome, alcohol can add value -- otherwise, it can make events more divisive. Great events have many layers. What can local authorities do to make their city a more fun destination to visit? My big advice to cities: let your people lead. Cities should host competitions for the best ideas (including urban games), and fund local organizations to lead. In other words, resist the temptation to do it all with city staff; instead be a catalyst for community groups. Festivals are a great time for layering, when multiple organizations can each tackle a piece of the fun. The future of smart cities includes play that connects neighbors and brings data into our public spaces and debates.

Methodology

In order to determine the most fun cities in the U.S., WalletHub’s analysts compared the 150 most populated cities across three key dimensions: 1) Entertainment & Recreation, 2) Nightlife & Parties and 3) Costs.

We evaluated those dimensions using 58 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 total score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the cities in our sample. Our sample considers only the city proper in each case and excludes the surrounding metro area.

Entertainment & Recreation - Total Points: 40 Nightlife & Parties - Total Points: 40 Costs - Total Points: 20

 

Sources: Data used to create these rankings were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, Council for Community and Economic Research, Numbeo, Kayak, Golf.com, TripAdvisor, Yelp, Thumbtack, Eventbrite and WalletHub research.

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