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Forget flight delays and the dreaded TSA line. It turns out, the second-best place in the country for a summer escape is, well, right here. New York City just landed the No. 2 spot in a new ranking of the best staycation cities in the U.S., thanks to its unbeatable blend of luxury, culture and good old-fashioned summer fun.
The list, compiled by global online gaming provider Playstar, looked at America’s biggest cities and evaluated everything from hotel and restaurant ratings to amusement parks, hiking trails, gas prices and how often people were Googling vacations there. New York City earned a vacation score of 67.27 out of 100, narrowly missing the top spot to Houston (67.76), which nabbed the crown with a surge of staycation buzz, low gas prices and tons of family-friendly hikes.
But don’t hang your Mets cap in shame: New York absolutely crushed it in the high-end leisure department, boasting more five-star hotels (a whopping 963) and top-rated restaurants (240) than any other city on the list. Add in 141 amusement parks and 128 hiking trails and you’ve got a weekend itinerary that practically writes itself.
The city also ranked third overall for family-friendliness, proving it’s not just for date nights and rooftop cocktails. With 50 nearby lakes, plus enough parks and playgrounds to tire out even the most sugar-fueled kid, New York makes a solid case for skipping the flight and staying put.
That said, don’t expect your staycation to come cheap. NYC ranked 37th for average gas prices—$3.13 a gallon—making it one of the most expensive road-trip hubs in the country. But let’s be honest: When the Empire State Building is your skyline and Central Park is your backyard, who needs to go far?
If your PTO is limited but your appetite for adventure isn’t, consider this your excuse to treat yourself to a little hometown holiday. Whether exploring a new corner of Prospect Park, checking into a luxe hotel in SoHo or finally trying that fancy tasting menu you’ve bookmarked for months, there’s never been a better time to see the city through vacation-tinted glasses.