This article has been updated to reflect 2019 rankings.
Plenty of U.S. states have beaches, skiing, and good places to eat—but which state has the has the most winning combination of all of the above, and anything else a traveler might want on vacation?
We’ll give you one guess.
California recently landed the top spot in Wallet Hub’s Most Fun States in America ranking for the second year in a row, edging out New York, Florida, Nevada, and Illinois in the top 5. WalletHub evaluated all 50 states across two broad categories—Entertainment & Recreation, and Nightlife—looking at such specifics as the number of restaurants, music festivals, and ski areas per capita, along with metrics such as shoreline mileage, access to national parks, and number of scenic byways.
The Golden State holds its own in all of these categories. California has more national parks (nine) than any other state in the union, an epic string of beaches and beach towns, and a year-round calendar of music festivals—not to mention a deep inventory of A-list chefs and an array of bustling nightlife scenes.
Meanwhile, California is home to one of the most scenic road trips on the planet, Highway One, as well as other beauties such as The Rim of the World and the wine lovers’ Silverado Trail.
WalletHub also ranks the Most Fun Cities in America and California scored well in that one too: San Francisco and San Diego both made the Top 10. To plan your next trip to those two hubs, check out some of the amazing things to do in both San Francisco and San Diego.
