Vibrant nightlife, beautiful public parks, first-class restaurants, great craft beer and not spending a fortune to enjoy these luxuries equals FUN, according to financial health and credit report site Wallethub. Wallethub recently released their 2019 rankings for the Most Fun Cities in America, and since Florida recently ranked second on their list of Most Fun States in America we were eager to see how many Sunshine State cities made the list of the Most Fun Cities in Florida.
To determine who they think are the most fun cities, Wallethub compared the 150 most populous cities in the US, plus at least two more of the biggest cities in each state and compared them all in these three categories; Entertainment & Recreation, Nightlife & Parties, and Costs. Then they broke those three categories into 66 subcategories and gave them each a weighted point scale, with 100 being the highest score, and voila…you have a list ranking just about every big and medium-sized city in America in fun factor.
Here’s a map you can explore to see where every city in the study ranked, or you can just jump right in and see the whole list for your self. https://wallethub.com/edu/most-fun-cities-in-the-us/23455/
Florida definitely had a respectable showing on this list, which isn’t surprising considering all of the tourists and transplants who flock here each year to take advantage of our beaches, theme parks, nightlife, and endless summer. There are a few surprises and snubs here, with fun Florida cities like Gainesville and Key West absent from the list and at least a couple here that I would personally rank a little higher. Leave a comment if you think if a Florida city deserves to be here on Wallethub’s list of the 10 Most Fun Cities in Florida.
10. Port St. Lucie
All the way down at #143 nationally, and at number ten in Florida, Port St. Lucie is the Spring training home to the New York Mets and their Single-A minor league affiliate, the St. Lucie Mets. Port St. Lucie is a surprisingly large town, with nearly 190,000 people, but it still ranks fairly low nationally in entertainment, recreation, and nightlife. It’s a reasonably affordable place to find your fun, however, and this central Atlantic coast town ranked #1 nationally as the cheapest place in America for movie theater tickets.
Four fun things in Port St. Lucie: Savannas Preserve State Park, Hop Life Brewing, Veterans Park, and watching Met’s baseball.
9. Hialeah
The biggest city in Florida you’ve never really thought about that much. Hialeah is the 6th largest city in Florida, but as a part of the patchwork of towns that make up the Miami metro area it usually just gets lumped in with the rest of the huge metropolis that makes up Southeast Florida. Because of its high population density, Hialeah ranks among the bottom in the country in acres of public parks, and playgrounds per capita. Hialeah and the Miami metro area, in general, are kind of like the anti-Jacksonville. A lot of density and not a lot of extra land to play on. But at least there is plenty of water and urban environment to explore.
Nationally, Hialeah ranks low in entertainment, recreation, and nightlife, and it’s also expensive. I would imagine that it’s easy for Hialeah residents to find a lot more fun just by driving a couple blocks east into the city of Miami.
Four Fun things in Hialeah: Hialeah Racetrack, Amelia Earhart Park, Leah Arts District, and the Garden of the Arts.
8. Cape Coral
Just missing the Hot 100 and coming in at #102 nationally is the southwestern Florida town of Cape Coral. This gulf coast town is blessed with access to two of our favorite Florida island beach getaways; Captiva & Sanibel Islands as well as nearby Boca Grande, and Cayo Costa State Park. Cape Coral only ranks in the middle of the pack in all three major categories, but it has easy access to a lot of natural Florida recreation opportunities like great beaches, great fishing, and only a short drive from Everglades National Park and Corkscrew Sanctuary Preserve; it’s one of the best places in the state to see local wildlife.
Four Fun things in Cape Coral: Wicked Dolphin Rum Distillery, Sun Splash Family Waterpark, nearby Captiva & Sanibel Islands, and world-class tarpon fishing.
7. Tallahassee
Usually, you’d think a big college town like Tallahassee would rank higher than #80 nationally in a list of cities with fun things to do. Some college towns will base their entire economy around entertaining the college kids who call a place home for half the year. But then again Tallahassee is also the state capital. And that means that a lot of the cities culture will revolve around politics just as much as it does around Seminole football. Tallahassee only ranks #109 in “Entertainment & Recreation” and #81 in nightlife. But at least those low rankings are expensive too [read: sarcasm]. Tallahassee ranks #90 in cost, making it pretty expensive for a smaller town. But don’t worry too much, Tallahassee. Your rival Gainesville didn’t even make the list.
Four Fun things in Tallahassee: St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Cascades Park, Museum of Florida History, and Florida State Seminole games.
6. St. Petersburg
At #46 on the big list, I’m also surprised to see St. Petersburg ranked this low. St. Pete is a cool city with a funky vibe and a downtown that’s covered in wild urban murals on many of their buildings. St. Pete has a lot of art galleries (including the world-class Salvadore Dali museum), great restaurants and a decent craft beer scene. It may still have that national reputation of “Heaven’s Waiting Room,” but that’s not really the case anymore. All those folks moved either to Sarasota or The Villages. St. Pete is also right next to some of the best beaches in Florida, but the nightlife scene is only mediocre, where it ranked #70 in the nation.
Four fun things in St. Petersburg: The Dali Museum, Fort Desoto Park, Skyway Fishing Piers, and the St Petersburg Shuffleboard Club.
5. Jacksonville
Jacksonville is the biggest city in Florida. Did you know that? A lot of people don’t know that. So it’s a bit surprising that the biggest city in America’s 3rd biggest state could only manage to make it to #40 on the national list of America’s most fun cities. Jacksonville puts up average numbers in the Entertainment and Nightlife categories, but it ranked a really strong #15 in cost. So while Jacksonville may not be considered the most exciting city to live in, you do get a lot of bang for your buck here. Not only is Jacksonville in Florida’s biggest city, but at 820 square miles, it’s also America’s biggest city in terms of land area. And all that land means a lot of parks and public spaces. Jacksonville was tied for #1 in Acres of Public Parkland, and #4 in Park Playgrounds per Capita.
Four Fun things in Jacksonville: Little Talbot Island, Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Zoo, and the Riverside/Avondale district.
4. Fort Lauderdale
Often overshadowed and lumped in with Miami (they’re 30 miles apart people!), Fort Lauderdale just cracked the nationwide top 25. It slid in at #24 by offering a lot in the “Entertainment & Recreation” category, but was hurt by how expensive the place is. Nicknamed “the Venice of the East” because of all the canals and waterways that run through the city, Fort Lauderdale ranks high in the recreation category because of all the marinas, fishing, boating, and even scuba diving that can be done right off the beaches.
Fun things in Fort Lauderdale: Fort Lauderdale Beach, watersports, Las Olas Boulevard, and the Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum
3. Tampa
Tampa came in at #16 on the big list, but ranked #1 in the nation in “Festivals per Capita.” As a Tampa resident myself, this doesn’t surprise me at all. There is always something going on in this town. Music festivals, art festivals, and food festivals dedicated to just about every type of food you can think of. There’s a Cuban Sandwich Festival, a Mac & Cheese Festival, and a Margarita Festival. But the big one is the world-famous Gasparilla Pirate Festival; a month-long celebration packed with events that begins with a pirate invasion of the city on Tampa Bay and ends with a raucous (not kid-friendly!) night parade in the nightlife district of Ybor City. In the overall rankings, Tampa came in at a respectable #12 in “Entertainment & Recreation,” #21 in “Nightlife & Parties,” but was found way down at #70 in cost.
Four Fun things in Tampa: Busch Gardens, The Florida Aquarium, Tampa Riverwalk, and Ybor City.
2. Miami
Miami is a city with a reputation as a world-class party city, with world-famous beaches, a “see and be seen culture” and cruise ships attracting fun-seekers from all around the world. All of this put it at #4 nationally on the big list. Miami is no doubt a big-time party city, but it also ranked in the top 5 in Restaurants per Capita, and Fitness Centers per Capita. Hurting Miami in the rankings though is its access to public parks. Miami ranked all the way at #94 in “Acres of Public Parkland.” Miami ranked 9th in the overall “Entertainment & Recreation” category but unsurprisingly did crack the top five in “Nightlife & Parties.” It IS surprising that it ranked lower in that category than the city in the number one spot.
Four Fun things in Miami: South Beach, Everglades Airboat Tours, Ocean Drive, People Watching.
1. Orlando
Was there any doubt who they’d rank in the top spot as one of the Most Fun Cities in Florida? As one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world, Orlando was #2 on Wallethub’s list of the Most Fun Cities in America. Orlando ranked 2nd in “Entertainment & Recreation” (Only New York City was higher) and 3rd in “Nightlife & Parties.” Orlando had a strong showing in Attractions, Restaurants per Capita, and even Dance Clubs per Capita where it was surprisingly tied for #1 with San Francisco & Las Vegas. I guess Orlando isn’t only about Mickey Mouse and Harry Potter anymore. Now if only they can fix that I-4 traffic so we can get to all the fun a little sooner.
Four Fun things in Orlando: Theme Parks, Water Parks, Icon Park, and Wall Street Plaza.
That wraps up the Florida focused list of the Most Fun Cities in Florida! What do you agree with or disagree with? What cities are missing? Comment below and let us know!
