Texas is 2021’s second best state for summer road trips

Reprinted with permission from WalletHub

Summer is the perfect time to hit the open road: School’s out, the weather’s warm, and the possibilities are endless. While travel was very limited last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination has allowed states to open up a lot more this year. This summer, over two-thirds of Americans plan to take a vacation, and 59% of U.S. families say they are more likely to drive than fly.

Deciding to take a trip is the easy part, though. Picking a destination and affording everything you want to pack into your itinerary is harder. Gas prices might be one thing to worry about, for example. They’ve been growing this year, with the national average at over $3 per gallon now. On top of that, you’ll need to consider accommodations, activities and dining. All of these certainly contribute to the more than $792 billion we spend on leisure travel each year.

With road warriors in mind, WalletHub compared the 50 U.S. states based on 33 key metrics to find the most fun, scenic and wallet-friendly road-trip destinations — plus those that’ll have travelers pulling a quick U-turn. Our data set ranges from the number of attractions to road conditions to costs.

Best Road-Trip Destinations for Summer

 

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	Costs	Safety	Activities
1	New York	59.86	38	3	3
2	Texas	58.25	9	34	4
3	Louisiana	57.66	1	41	11
4	Maine	57.46	17	1	29
5	North Carolina	56.00	12	30	7
6	Minnesota	55.95	21	4	21
7	Utah	54.06	34	12	13
8	Illinois	53.31	36	15	10
9	Michigan	53.06	10	25	23
10	Wisconsin	52.41	23	8	28
11	Washington	52.33	45	21	5
12	Idaho	52.20	35	9	20
13	Nevada	51.98	28	40	6
13	Vermont	51.98	7	2	49
15	Florida	51.67	30	50	2
16	Georgia	51.51	4	31	30
17	Ohio	51.16	31	27	17
18	Pennsylvania	50.99	39	11	15
19	Colorado	50.25	27	37	12
20	Nebraska	49.92	5	24	36
21	New Hampshire	49.56	25	6	38
22	Wyoming	49.36	33	23	22
23	Iowa	49.03	26	5	39
24	Oregon	49.03	47	20	8
25	Virginia	48.91	40	19	16
26	Massachusetts	48.54	43	7	24
27	Arizona	48.37	18	47	18
28	Oklahoma	48.32	3	32	37
29	North Dakota	47.85	16	10	45
30	West Virginia	47.44	13	17	46
31	California	47.33	50	38	1
32	South Dakota	46.61	32	16	34
33	Missouri	46.40	11	45	27
34	Indiana	46.26	20	26	40
35	Alaska	46.02	48	29	9
36	Kentucky	45.98	19	28	35
37	Maryland	45.94	44	35	14
38	Tennessee	45.48	8	46	32
39	South Carolina	44.90	15	49	26
40	Kansas	44.60	24	22	44
41	New Jersey	44.58	46	13	31
42	Mississippi	43.93	2	43	42
43	New Mexico	43.41	22	48	25
44	Alabama	42.65	14	42	41
45	Montana	42.48	37	36	33
46	Arkansas	41.49	6	44	43
47	Hawaii	40.94	49	33	19
48	Connecticut	40.56	41	14	47
49	Delaware	38.78	29	39	50
50	Rhode Island	38.76	42	18	48

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.