Best, Worst Cities For Staycations: How Tampa Fared

TAMPA, FL - We know from published research that Americans don’t always leave their homes when they take time off from work, whether they don’t like to travel or can’t afford to — a reality for about one-third of U.S. workers.

If you’re staying home, Tampa is one of the best for a “staycation,” according to a new analysis.

The personal finance website WalletHub took a look at affordable options for entertainment and relaxation in more than 180 cities. The results? If you live in Orlando; Honolulu, Hawaii; Chicago; Portland, Oregon; or Seattle, you’re pretty well situated.

Among those cities, Orlando got the top food and entertainment ranking, Chicago was No. 1 for recreation opportunities and Honolulu ranked fourth for rest and relaxation.

Tampa ranked No. 6 on the nationwide list, ranking second in the rest and relaxation category. It ranked ahead of Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego and Charleston, S.C., which rounded out the top 10.

But good luck if you live in Oxnard, New Jersey; Bridgeport, Connecticut; San Bernardino or Fremont, California; or Yonkers, New York. Those five cities bottomed out the ranking of WalletHub’s 2018 list of the Best and Worst Cities For Staycations.

For the study, the personal finance website compared the cities across three main areas — recreation, food and entertainment, and rest and relaxation — and then looked at amenities based on the number per capita and their affordability. Read more about the methodology.

Earlier this year, a Project: Time Off study found that U.S. workers left 705 million vacation days on the table in 2017. Among them, 212 million days did not roll over to the next benefit year and were sacrificed, resulting in $62 billion in lost benefits. If those vacation days had been used for travel, the study found, the travel industry would get a $236 billion boost.

You don’t have to travel far to “get away.”

Debbie MacInnis, a professor of business administration and marketing at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, said the most important thing for people planning staycations is to settle on activities that will bring them the most happiness.

“For many people, it’s a mixture of things,” she wrote in a statement accompanying the WalletHub study. A good balance, she said, is to divide time off between things you need to get done, things you want to do and things that inspire you. She also advised keeping the family budget in mind.

“Look for free activities in the community or in the communities adjacent to yours,” she wrote.

Here are three great options in Tampa:

Busch Gardens
Single-day tickets start at $45. And along with the roller coasters and animal exhibits, free beer is back. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is offering the longest run of complimentary beer in nearly 10 years. Guests age 21 and older can toast to new adventures at the park. Now through Aug. 5, each adult guest can visit the Garden Gate Cafe for two complimentary 7 oz. beers during their visit. Featured flavors change throughout the summer. Find details at buschgardens.com.

Ben T. Davis Beach

You don't have to drive to Clearwater for powdery white sand for lounging or calm water for cooling off. Ben T. Davis Beach along the Courtney Campbell Causeway between Clearwater and Tampa is the closest beach to downtown Tampa and a favorite among the locals. You can tailgate or rent a jet ski to speed along the open water.

Ybor City

You also could visit Tampa's historic neighborhood of Ybor City, located just northeast of downtown. The area was founded in the 1880s by cigar manufacturers and now is an entertainment center with a variety of restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

Some other findings from the study:

• Cleveland, Ohio, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, tied for first in the number of swimming pools per capita. Chicago, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Washington, D.C., rounded out the top five.
• The cities with the most tennis courts per capita were Chicago; Richmond, Virginia; Norfolk, Virginia; Omaha, Nebraska; and New York, New York, respectively.
• Four cities in Arizona — Gilbert, Tempe, Scottsdale and Peoria — tied with Warwick, Rhode Island, for the most golf courses per capita.
• Five cities tied for the most zoos and aquariums per capita. They are Miami, Orlando, North Las Vegas and Las Vegas and Vancouver, Washington.
• Five cities tied for the most ice cream and frozen yogurt shops per capita. They are Orlando and Miami, Las Vegas, New York City and San Antonio.
• The most beer gardens per capita ranking saw another five-way tie among Portland, Oregon; Denver, Colorado; New York City; Oakland, California; and Washington, D.C.
• New York City; San Francisco, California; Portland; Seattle; and Las Vegas all tied in the ranking of the most coffee and tea shops per capita.
• The ranking of the most museums per capita saw a five-way tie between Yonkers; Jersey City, New Jersey; Glendale, California; Columbia, Maryland; and New Orleans.
• The ranking of the most spas per capita saw a five-way tie between North Las Vegas and Henderson in Nevada, Honolulu, New York City, and San Francisco.

Photo via Busch Gardens Tampa Bay