Perhaps the puff-out-you-chest self proclamation of being the Entertainment Capital of the World isn’t exactly exaggerated after all. That is if we believe a recent WalletHub study that ranks Las Vegas as the nation’s “Best City for Recreation.”
In comparing the 100 largest U.S. cities, the study crunched the numbers in 47 metrics and using a complex formula arrived at the final rankings which showed Las Vegas as the best place for recreation in the country followed by Orlando and Tampa.
The findings examined the availability and cost of recreational activities both outside—including hiking trails and the quality and proximity of neighborhood parks to a person’s home—along with indoor places like movie theaters, music venues, amusement parks, aquariums and coffee shops. We’re sure Red Rock Canyon and the Mount Charleston wilderness weighed heavily on the outdoor ranking.
Las Vegas was also tied with multiple cities for the top spot in the subcategory for music venues per capita and tied for fourth in average food cost.
Study analysts said Las Vegas shined as a great city for staying active because of its high number of basketball hoops, hiking trails, bowling alleys, sports venues and park playgrounds per capita. “This creates opportunities for people of all ages to pursue fitness while having fun,” the authors wrote.
They also concluded that Las Vegas is “one of the best cities for the availability of affordable restaurants with 4.5-plus stars. It ranks among the top cities when it comes to the number of food festivals, food tours and ice cream shops per capita. And despite what you might expect, food and beverage prices in Las Vegas are lower than average. It’s even one of the cheapest cities for burgers.”
There you go. We think we’ll celebrate with a burger, some ice cream and a couple laps around Sunset Park.
The Top 10 Best Cities for Recreation in the U.S.
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Orlando, Florida
- Tampa, Florida
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- San Diego, California
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Atlanta, Georgia
- New Orleans, Louisiana