Best Summer Travel Destinations: Atlanta Lands No. 1 Spot

ATLANTA, GA — Metro Atlanta is the place to be in the summer, according to WalletHub’s latest ranking released Tuesday.

The metro has claimed the leading spot for Best Summer Travel Destinations 2024, topping tourist faves such as Orlando, Florida and Honolulu, Hawaii.

Personal-finance website WalletHub released a list of 100 U.S. destinations likely for summer travel based on travel costs and hassles, local costs, attractions, weather, activities and safety.

“When picking a summer travel destination, it’s easy to focus just on the types of activities you want to do or certain cities you’ve always wanted to see,” WalletHub Analyst Cassandra Happe, said in the report.

“However, choosing a destination that’s not only entertaining but also affordable is important when travel, dining and activity costs have surged so much in recent years. It can also allow you to have a longer, more relaxing trip.”

In the end, the experts chose metro Atlanta to reign supreme.

Here’s how metro Atlanta ranked:

• Total Score: 66.77
• Travel costs and hassles: 7
• Local costs: 38
• Attractions: 16
• Weather: 15
• Activities: 7
• Safety: 29

“The Atlanta metro area is the best summer travel destination, in part because the cheapest flights from major cities don’t require any connections and can cost as little as $278,” WalletHub said in its report.

“In addition, Atlanta has a lot of diversity when it comes to attractions. The city also ranks very well when it comes to the prevalence of amusement parks, shopping centers, ice cream shops and swimming pools, so there are plenty of places to have fun and cool off. For those who enjoy drinking during their vacations, Atlanta also has one of the latest ‘last call’ times in the country, at 4 a.m.”