Where can you have the most fun in Florida? This list has the answer

While Florida may seem like paradise with beaches and theme parks, only two cities in the state made the cut for best recreational cities in the U.S.

And surprise, surprise: One of them is Orlando.

The Central Florida city came in at No. 3, behind San Diego at the top and Las Vegas at No. 2.

The “Best & Worst Cities for Recreation” from finance site WalletHub, compares the 100 largest U.S. cities in 48 recreational metrics including cost, quality, accessibility, even weather.

Looking at the rankings, Orlando’s strength was clearly in the “Entertainment & Recreational Facilities.”

Orlando has more than just theme parks to attract visitors, but there’s no denying that Disney and Universal are the selling points. Fans love the parks so much, they’re willing to wait up to 10 hours to ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, the newest addition to the Harry Potter-themed section of Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

Overcrowding also doesn’t seem to stop the flow of visitors to Orlando’s top attractions — it just causes headaches sometimes, with parkgoers even trying to figure out the best time of the year to visit Disney World.

Tampa also was in the Top 5 of the Best Cities list for Recreation.

The city not only has its own theme parks, including Busch Gardens, to compete with Orlando’s Mickey ears and Marvel superheroes, but it’s also considerably cheaper than Orlando, according to the report.

In terms of “costs,” Tampa ranked at No. 36 compared to Orlando’s No. 50.

Tampa also is “tailor-made for families who love animals,” according to U.S. News Travel guide, with the popular Florida Aquarium and sports teams.

The “cost” factor didn’t just look at theme parks. Other activities were also considered like movies, bowling, fitness centers and even dining out.

In addition to cost, Tampa also defeated Orlando on the quality of its parks.

St. Petersburg ranked higher on the recreation list at No. 27 compared to Miami, which came in at No. 33. Jacksonville was ranked 39, but all its foodies can celebrate because the city made the Top 5 for lowest average food price.

While Miami’s ranking isn’t anything to brag about, at least it made the Top 50. Hialeah came in near the bottom with a No. 94 ranking.

The three worst cities for recreational activities?

Oakland, California; Irving, Texas; and Jersey City, New Jersey.

This story was originally published July 9, 2019 at 1:38 PM.