Columbus among top 50 cities in America for ‘staycations’

Staying home for vacation in Columbus could actually become the highlight of summer, according to a new survey released by WalletHub about the best places around America to have a “staycation.”

Columbus ranked no. 41 out of 150 cities in the United States for staycations, with Atlanta (No. 6) and Augusta (No. 86) being the only other Georgia cities ranked.

Take away six Florida cities with beaches, and Columbus ranked in the Top 10 among cities in the Deep South. Those ranked higher included Atlanta; New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La. (Nos. 15 and 34); Jackson, Miss. (No. 16); Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tenn. (Nos. 21 and 27); and Birmingham and Huntsville, Ala. (No. 30 and 38).

The study looked at three areas to rank the cities: recreation, food and entertainment, and rest and relaxation. Those areas were then broken up into smaller categories measured by per capita, including number of shopping centers and museums, diversity of restaurants and cost of house-cleaning services.

Columbus tied for first place with Norfolk, Va., and Cincinnati, Ohio, for the most tennis courts per capita and also ranked first for the number of parks per capita.

Columbus also had the overall lowest cost of house-cleaning services with the average price coming in at around $110. On the lower end of the rankings, Columbus came in at No. 147 for the number of coffee and tea shops per capita.

Where are your favorite spots in Columbus when staying home for the weekend? Let us know in the comments below, or give us a shoutout on Facebook and Twitter.

This story was originally published May 31, 2016 at 12:11 PM with the headline "Columbus among top 50 cities in America for ‘staycations’."