Illinois Cities Make Best, Worst Staycations List

AURORA, IL — 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, one Illinois city ranks among the best for a “staycation,” while another city ranked among the worst, 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, Florida; Honolulu, Hawaii; Chicago, Illinois; Portland, Oregon; or Seattle, Washington, you’re pretty well situated.

Among those cities, Orlando got the top food and entertainment ranking, Chicago, which ranked No. 3 overall, was No. 1 for recreation opportunities and Honolulu ranked fourth for rest and relaxation.

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.

Meanwhile, another Illinois city — Aurora — ranked among the worst U.S. cities for a staycation, coming in at No. 175.

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.

Want some ideas within driving distance of Chicago? We've got you covered: 5 Road Trips Less Than 4 Hours From Chicago

If you're staying in the city, there's no shortage of things to do and see:

• Explore one of the city's amazing museums, from the Field Museum to the Art Institute to the Museum of Science and Industry, along with the Adler Planetarium and Shedd Aquarium.
• Check out Navy Pier, ride the Ferris wheel (known as the Centennial Wheel) or take a Seadog speedboat tour.
• See what the city has to offer on the Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise.
• Head over to Millennium Park and see the famous Cloud Gate sculpture, better known as the Bean.
• Pick a side: Plan ahead and see a Chicago Cubs or White Sox game.
• Get a bird's eye view on the city two ways: From the 360 Chicago Observation Deck (formerly known as the John Hancock Observatory) and, if you're a thrillseeker, ride TILT, "Chicago's highest moving experience." Or head over to Willis Tower's Skydeck, located on the 103rd floor, and see if you're brave enough to walk out onto the "Ledge," a glass box extending out from the Skydeck.

You could also take advantage of the Best Park in Illinois, as recognized by Money magazine — and it's located right in the city.

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 North Las Vegas and Las Vegas in Nevada, Orlando and Miami in Florida, 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, Texas.
• 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, Louisiana.
• 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.

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