Lone Star Staycations
Ditch the rest of Texas: Austin named the top staycation destination in the state
If you need a vacation but want to stay close to home, you're in luck: Austin is deemed the best place in Texas for a staycation. (You know, a vacation where you unplug, unwind and "get away," without actually going anywhere.)
According to WalletHub, Austin ranks No. 26 on the list of 2014's Best & Worst Cities for Staycations. The site looked at the 100 largest cities in the country and determined which make for a sustainable staycation and which ones you should just ditch. No. 1 on the list is Buffalo, New York, followed by Minneapolis, Minnesota; Cincinnati, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Portland, Oregon.
Cities were ranked in four different categories: recreation activities, food and entertainment, rest and relaxation, and weather. Twenty factors were used to determine the rankings, including the number of public golf courses, the number of cultural attractions per capita and the cost of maid services.
While Austin's No. 26 ranking is middle of the road, it's the best in the Lone Star State. Austin ranks 13th for rest and relaxation, 16th for food and entertainment, and 42nd for recreation activities. And our weather, you ask? Well, you can blame the heat for our No. 72 spot.
All other Texas cities fall on the "worst cities for staycations" side of the spectrum, ranging from No. 57 Dallas to No. 98 Laredo.
The rankings of Texas cities are as follows:
- No. 26: Austin
- No. 57: Dallas
- No. 59: El Paso
- No. 60: Corpus Christi
- No. 61: Lubbock
- No. 65: Plano
- No. 67: Irving
- No. 74: Garland
- No. 83: San Antonio
- No. 89: Arlington
- No. 91: Fort Worth
- No. 92: Houston
- No. 98: Laredo
