Posted by: Richie Bernardo

We all define “fun” a bit differently. And hopefully the place in which we live caters to our personal ideas of entertainment. But that’s not always the case, which may drive people to live somewhere new.

There are certain states where fun is not just an option but also a way of life. These states offer such a variety of activities that everyone will be able to find something that excites them.

With pure enjoyment in mind, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 26 key indicators of a jolly good time that won’t break the bank. They range from movie costs to accessibility of national parks to casinos per capita. Scroll down for the winners, money-saving advice from a panel of experts and a full description of our methodology.

For a more local breakdown of the fun scene, check out WalletHub’s Most Fun Cities in America ranking.

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

Main Findings

Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/34665/geochart-fun-states.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="https://ift.tt/2w1NyZZ>  

Most Fun States to Visit in America

Overall Rank (1=Best)	State	Total Score	‘Entertainment & Recreation’ Rank	‘Nightlife’ Rank
1	California	59.42	1	7
2	New York	57.39	2	4
3	Nevada	55.28	5	1
4	Florida	54.63	3	11
5	Illinois	51.71	4	3
6	Washington	48.87	7	8
7	Texas	48.64	6	14
8	Colorado	48.25	8	10
9	Pennsylvania	46.68	9	9
10	Minnesota	45.80	10	13
11	Oregon	43.65	11	12
12	Louisiana	42.96	13	5
13	Ohio	42.75	14	6
14	Missouri	41.94	12	17
15	Wisconsin	40.06	22	2
16	Michigan	39.68	15	19
17	Arizona	38.15	18	24
18	North Carolina	38.00	17	26
19	South Carolina	36.87	20	25
20	Maryland	36.39	15	43
21	Massachusetts	36.16	21	28
22	New Mexico	35.92	19	37
23	Tennessee	35.40	26	18
24	South Dakota	35.18	30	15
25	Oklahoma	34.56	29	20
26	Georgia	33.97	23	30
27	New Jersey	32.96	27	32
28	Hawaii	32.00	31	34
29	Iowa	31.91	38	16
30	Utah	31.84	24	46
31	Nebraska	31.80	33	22
32	Alaska	31.31	28	44
33	Virginia	31.27	25	48
34	Wyoming	31.11	32	41
35	Idaho	29.59	34	35
36	North Dakota	29.48	37	31
37	Indiana	28.78	40	21
38	Connecticut	28.50	39	39
39	Maine	28.48	36	40
40	New Hampshire	27.54	35	49
41	Kansas	27.33	41	33
42	Kentucky	27.20	42	29
43	Montana	26.69	43	23
44	Alabama	24.04	45	38
45	Vermont	23.89	47	27
46	Arkansas	23.02	44	47
47	Rhode Island	22.92	46	36
48	Delaware	18.86	48	50
49	Mississippi	15.58	49	42
50	West Virginia	14.16	50	45

 

Ask the Experts

Selling your state as a “fun place” can be tough without the right strategy. For advice and insight into the making of a fun state, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. Are state-sponsored campaigns to promote tourism successful in bringing new visitors to the state?
2. Should states provide tax incentives to attract professional sports teams and other entertainment draws?
3. Based on the experiences of Colorado and Washington, what are the pros and cons of states legalizing marijuana in terms of tourism?

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• Margaret A. Young Department Director and Professor of Marketing in the College of Business at Texas Woman's University
• Brian Vicente Partner and Founding Member at Vicente Sederberg
• Lauren C. Davis Attorney at Law at the Law Office of Lauren C. Davis

Margaret A. Young Department Director and Professor of Marketing in the College of Business at Texas Woman's University

Are state-sponsored campaigns to promote tourism successful in bringing new visitors to a state?

Yes, state-sponsored tourism can be very successful. Most states develop a strategic direction and focus on specific industries. For example, New Mexico focuses on arts and culture tourism, promoting Native American culture. On the other hand, Texas promotes western culture in addition to their multiple professional sports teams and opportunities for family fun. Over time, these become branding opportunities for the state. State governors are often quick to point out the benefits of their states to external constituents: for example, Michigan touts a return of over six dollars for every tourism dollar spent. But, these numbers are not independently verifiable. States have an incentive to position their tourism efforts in a positive light in the public eye, because tax dollars fund these efforts. Spending on tourism marketing is a way for states to build awareness of the cool things that a state is, or should be known for.

Should states provide tax incentives to attract professional sports teams and other entertainment draws?

Large cities do want to provide tax incentives for professional sports teams. The Dallas Cowboy's ATT Stadium in Arlington, Texas is being paid off ahead of schedule, thanks to the success of the franchise and a huge, loyal fan base. On the other hand, almost half of the NBA franchises in the country lose money. So, while some cities profit greatly from their investment in professional sports, many cities have not profited from the tax incentives investment in professional teams to the degree expected; and so it becomes a much more important financial decision for the city as to whether or not to offer these incentives. The success of the team, and the sport that a city decides to support is an important decision.

Based on the experiences of Colorado and Washington, what are the pros and cons of states legalizing marijuana in terms of tourism?

States that have legalized marijuana have benefited greatly in terms of the tax base expansion, and that's definitely a positive thing. Colorado reported 76 million dollars in total revenues in 2014 attributable to cannabis; while Washington state's first year revenue was 83 million in excise taxes and licensing fees. Weed tourism brings new groups of people who would not otherwise come in to the state to spend in the local economy. However, along with state legalization comes the potential for federal intervention, because marijuana is still illegal in federal jurisdiction. Overall, early fears that legalization would lead to an increase in its use by teens and an increase in crime have been debunked. Legalization is a huge net positive for states, from an economic perspective. As more states legalize cannabis to capture these revenues, cannabis tourism to early adopter states like Colorado will gradually decline.

Brian Vicente Partner and Founding Member at Vicente Sederberg

Are state-sponsored campaigns to promote tourism successful in bringing new visitors to a state?

We have yet to see any well-funded efforts by states where marijuana is legal to promote cannabis tourism. However, since legalization, Colorado has experienced a spike in tourism and many tour companies hosting marijuana tours have thrived.

Based on the experiences of Colorado and Washington, what are the pros and cons of states legalizing marijuana in terms of tourism?

After legalizing marijuana in Colorado in 2012, the state tourism broke records for number of visitors and amount of dollars spent according to the Colorado Tourism Office. Opponents of the 2012 initiative predicted its passage would damage the state's skiing and resort industry, but Colorado ski resorts and Denver's convention bureau have posted record numbers over the past few years.

Lauren C. Davis Attorney at Law at the Law Office of Lauren C. Davis

Are state-sponsored campaigns to promote tourism successful in bringing new visitors to a state?

I believe so. In my opinion, the state is in the best position to highlight the various interesting and beautiful regions and activities of that state, creating a broader appeal to draw tourists to visit. A private company or a town, on the other hand, has an interest in drawing tourism to one particular place or activity. Such a singular focus often does not cast a wide enough net to entice visitors to spend their hard-earned money and precious time to come visit.

For Colorado, for instance, the state could highlight points of attraction in the Denver metro area like Red Rocks and the Performing Arts Complex, various mountain towns like Vail and Breckenridge, hiking, biking and rafting meccas, as well as historical attractions in the southwest of the state like Mesa Verde, better showcasing what Colorado has to offer. A single town, on the other hand, will only highlight what that town has to offer. That may not create a broad enough appeal to entice a family or group of visitors to come explore.

Should states provide tax incentives to attract professional sports teams and other entertainment draws?

As far as tax incentives for sports teams, I am strongly opposed. These teams make plenty of money without taxpayer help.

I went to the University of Michigan, which has a self-funded sports program. The sports teams are not funded by the University; the sports program generates its own funding and pays its own way. The Michigan set up is mutually beneficial to the University and to the athletic teams. Through licensing, tickets sales, etc., the sports program generates millions of dollars in revenue that it gets to keep. More importantly, the sports program does not syphon away funds from the school's main focus -- education. I personally do not think we should give up any precious state tax dollars to benefit sports teams when our schools, infrastructure and education are currently underfunded. Those programs should be our priorities.

For large events like the Super Bowl, a tax incentive is beneficial if it brings in tourist dollars that the state would otherwise not receive if the event was held elsewhere. If the incentive was structured correctly, it would be a good idea.

For film production and the arts, I believe state incentives are helpful, as the filmography often allows the state to showcase its attractions. What "Breaking Bad" did for New Mexico tourism is a fabulous case in point.

That said, I live in a state that people are flocking to in droves. Tax incentives to sports teams are essentially unwarranted tax breaks, as far as I see it. For less "popular" states, these answers certainly could play out differently.

Based on the experiences of Colorado and Washington, what are the pros and cons of states legalizing marijuana in terms of tourism?

In my opinion, legalization has mostly been a pro for Colorado tourism. Legalization originally brought tourists who wanted the opportunity to buy and smoke weed legally (under state law, that is -- all marijuana is still federally illegal). Once they saw the beauty of Colorado, the fabulous climate, and the amazing points of interest we have to offer (from the Rocky Mountains to the desert plans, topography, to the music, to the festivals, to the arts and theater, to the cities, to the ranch lands, etc.), many people fell in love and now return regularly. The draw of legal marijuana still brings many tourists though (thus tourism dollars) and will continue to do so.

The cons of legalization depend on who you are asking. I know parents with young children have been turned off by legalization, concerned that their children will be exposed to marijuana and marijuana users when here. I say let them stay home.

The reality is that our kids are exposed every day to adults drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and engaging in adult activities. Marijuana use is analogous. Whether in a legal state or not, parents need to educate their children and teach proper values and responsibility around the use of any substance. Making marijuana illegal never eradicated its use. I personally think making it taboo creates a hype around it that piques teens' curiosity and desire to try it. If states continue on this path, eventually, the mindset will shift and people will see that regulation and education on responsible usage is a smarter approach.

Methodology

In order to determine the most fun states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key categories, “Entertainment & Recreation” and “Nightlife.”

We evaluated those categories using 26 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 indicating the greatest number and variety of fun and cost-effective options.

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at only the city level, and in such cases we calculated a weighted average based on the size of the city population and we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities. For metrics marked with two asterisks (**), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across states.

Entertainment & Recreation - Total Points: 80

• Number of Attractions*: Quadruple Weight (~11.23 Points)
• Variety of Arts, Entertainment & Recreation Establishments: Quadruple Weight (~11.23 Points)
• Ideal Weather*: Quadruple Weight (~11.23 Points)Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Cities with the Best & Worst Weather ranking.
• Restaurants per Capita**: Double Weight (~5.61 Points)
• Amusement Parks per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
• Golf Courses & Country Clubs per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
• Movie Theaters per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
• Arcades per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
• Fitness Centers per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
• Skiing Facilities per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
• Marinas per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
• Shoreline Mileage: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)Note: Shoreline Mileage of the outer coast includes offshore islands, sounds, bays, rivers, and creeks to the head of tidewater or to a point where tidal waters narrow to a width of 100 feet. For the Great Lakes, shoreline mileage was measured in 1970 by the International Coordinating Committee on Great Lakes Basic Hydraulic and Hydrologic Data and cross-referenced with U.S. Lake Survey measurements for each state
• Beach Quality: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
• Access to Scenic Byways: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)Note: This metrics includes both the Number of Scenic Byways and the Length of Scenic Byways
• Number of State Fairs & Events per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
• Access to National Parks: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
• Personal Spending on Recreation Services per Capita: Double Weight (~6.5.61 Points)
• State & Local Direct General Expenditures on Parks & Recreation per Capita: Triple Weight (~8.42 Points)

Nightlife - Total Points: 20

• Average Beer & Wine Price*: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Movie Costs*: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Nightlife Options per Capita*: Double Weight (~4.44 Points)
• “Access to Bars” Grade*: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)Note: This grade is a combination of bars per capita and bars per square mile, a measure of both availability (per capita) and proximity (per square mile).
• Time of Last Call: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Music Festivals per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Performing-Arts Theaters per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Casinos per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)

 

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Park Service, Council for Community and Economic Research, TripAdvisor, Beachapedia, America's Scenic Byways, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, CarnivalWarehouse.com, Thrillist, Music Festival Wizard and WalletHub research.

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