When you don't have the money to travel, that doesn't mean you can't take a vacation.  You just take one in your city.   It's called a staycation.


stay·ca·tion
/stāˈkāSHn/
noun
a vacation spent in one's home country rather than abroad, or one spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions.


Amarillo is a great place to staycation.   We have a ton of things to do all within a 20 minute drive.

WalletHub conducted a survey on the best and worst cities in America for a staycation.  Although Amarillo wasn't on top, they were pleasantly above the middle.    I believe that is because we have some great things to do in the Amarillo area.

To determine who came out on top and who came out on bottom.  Wallethub took a look at 182 cities across the country and used three key deminsions.

Recreation
Food and Entertainment
Rest and Relaxation

Amarillo came in at #81 out of 182 cities.  Which is good for the size and population of our great city.   Sadly our friends in Lubbock came in at #173 thus making them one of the worst places to staycation.  Which is sad because Lubbock is a fun place to go for  a weekend getaway.

Source: WalletHub

Orlando took the #1 spot on the list with Oxnard, CA coming in dead last.

I think Amarillo is a great place for a staycation.  Let's look at the three deminsions they used.

Recreation:  We have a ton of things to do for recreation, Palo Duro Canyon is perfect for hiking as well as Wildcat Bluff Nature Center.  We have a ton of gyms and pools in the area.   We have great parks and amazing biking and walking trails.   We have amazing museums from art, to history, to horses, airplanes and much, much, more.   Not to mention AirU trampoline park, and a few zip lining courses in the area. Oh and did I mention Cadillac Ranch?  Who can resist spray painting those old caddys.

Food and Entertainment:  Let's face it Amarillo has more restaurants per capita that most cities its size.  We have over 400 restaurants in Amarillo.  We also have the home of the 72oz steak at The Big Texan.     Our entertainment is amazing as well, from The Texas Musical Drama in Palo Duro Canyon, to the Starlight Ranch.  We have Wonderland Park, the Amarillo Zoo, several movie theaters and all the wonderful events that come to the Amarillo Civic Center and soon we'll have the new MPEV and baseball team.

Rest and Relaxation: Let's face it Amarillo has plenty of hotels and there seems to be a new one going up every single day.  I was driving on North Soncy at I-40 and noticed 3 new hotels in that area alone I didn't know were being built.   It's been awhile since I have traveled close to the airport so who knows how many hotels are going up on that end of the city.

Over all Amarillo is a great place to stay at home and play.

 

 

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