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Analysis declares Atlanta No. 2 travel destination in U.S. this summer Josh Green Fri, 05/30/2025 - 11:27

In a new ranking of the 100 most populated U.S. metro areas as tourist destinations, Atlanta has emerged as (almost) the hottest place to be this summer.

Metro Atlanta scored the No. 2 ranking on WalletHub’s recently released list of 2025’s Best Summer Travel Destinations, bested only by Orlando.

With the official start of summer approaching next month, WalletHub, a personal finance website that examines city trends, scored the 100 metros on 41 key indicators related to sheer fun, budget-friendliness (think: cheapest flights and average cost of a two-person meal), and other factors.

The six main categories for judging were: travel costs and hassles; local costs; attractions; weather; activities; and safety.

Metro Atlanta’s strong showing (other cities such as Decatur, Sandy Springs, and Alpharetta were included) has a lot to do with the World’s Busiest Airport, “in part because the shortest flights from major cities don’t require any connections and can cost as little as $219,” according to the study.

Top five Best Summer Travel Destination rankings for 2025 and a sampling of metrics used. WalletHub

Also working in Atlanta’s favor is the metro’s diversity of summer-centric attractions. We also scored high marks for prevalence of amusement parks, shopping centers, ice cream shops, and swimming pools—places to generally cool off without breaking the bank. Atlanta’s relatively late “last call” for thirsty tourist also earned a nod.

Beyond Orlando and Atlanta, WalletHub’s top five tourist-destination cities for 2025 are Washington D.C., Honolulu, and Austin, respectively.

Here’s how Atlanta stacked up across all metrics, according to WalletHub’s rundown:

2nd – Travel costs a hassles

19th – Number of attractions

2nd – Diversity of attractions

2nd– Cost of cheapest flight

59th – Duration of cheapest flight

35th – Cost of three-star hotel

15th – Weather

8th – Activities

35th – Safety

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