WalletHub Names Best Cities For Fourth Of July Travel

The Fourth of July holiday weekend is a big occasion for U.S. travelers and the hospitality industry. Americans are expected to spend about $8.75 billion on food and drink alone—not to mention another $800 million on fireworks—as a record 44.2 million travel at least 50 miles from home to join in Independence Day celebrations.

Personal-finance website WalletHub this week released its report on 2017’s Best & Worst Places to Celebrate 4th of July. To determine the best places to celebrate the star-spangled occasion, WalletHub’s data team compared the 100 largest U.S. cities based on a number of factors, including how well the destinations balance holiday cost and fun. The data set of 18 key metrics includes affordability, local attractions and activities, safety and accessibility, and the weather forecast.

Here are the 10 best cities to celebrate the Fourth of July in 2017:

1. Atlanta, GA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Buffalo, NY
4. Washington, DC
5. San Diego, CA
6. Madison, WI
7. St. Louis, MO
8. Milwaukee, WI
9. Orlando, FL
10. Seattle, WA

Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, Albuquerque, Cincinnati, Chicago, and Philadelphia are also in the top 20 for best cities to celebrate the Fourth.