If only Jack Torrance had had a bit more playtime in The Shining, things may have turned out better for everyone. Time to kick back and have a little fun is an important balance to our daily stressors, and some cities host that fun in abundance. WalletHub took a look at more than 180 of the largest US metropolitan areas, examining a whopping five dozen-plus metrics across three main categories: entertainment and recreation, which looks at everything from restaurants, bowling alleys, and other general "fun" venues per capita, to factors like the weather and sports fan friendliness; nightlife and parties (think beer gardens, bars, comedy clubs, and pool halls per capita, as well as the drinking age and time of last call); and cost to do all of these fun things. To probably no one's surprise, Las Vegas tops WalletHub's list. Here, the rest of its top 10:
- Las Vegas (No. 1 in both "Entertainment & Recreation," "Nightlife & Parties" categories)
- Orlando, Florida
- Miami
- Atlanta
- New Orleans
- San Francisco
- Austin, Texas
- Honolulu
- New York
- Chicago
Check out which
other cities bring the fun. (Here are the best and worst cities in America
to raise a family.)