The Best States for Family Adventure Travel

The Ellie Sparkles Show, a children’s entertainment show, recently analyzed all 50 states against eight key metrics to determine the top states for adventure-filled family travel in the United States.

The eight metrics included:

• Accommodations (number of family-friendly hotels per 100,000 people)
• Things to Do (number of child-friendly tourist attractions in the state)
• Gas Prices (average state price for regular gas)
• Local Transport (average cost of a family ticket in the most-populated city)
• Walking Trails (number of child-friendly walking trails)
• State Safety (state’s personal and residential safety rank)
• Restaurants (number of child-friendly places to eat per 100,000 people)
• Family Meal (average cost of a meal for four at inexpensive restaurant)

According to The Ellie Sparkles Show’s Family Adventure Index, the top 10 states for a family vacation are:

1. California
2. Florida
3. Maine
4. Wisconsin
5. Massachusetts
6. Pennsylvania
7. Connecticut
8. Texas
9. New Hampshire
10. North Carolina

California’s family adventure score was 6.17 out of 10, as home to Disneyland, several zoos, more than 3,232 kid-friendly tourist activities and more.

Other findings include:

• Missouri is the cheapest state to grab ice cream with your kids
• American families spend $3,189 a year on family days out
• Georgia’s Savannah Historic District and Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park rank as America’s best-rated, free, family-friendly attractions

Check out the full findings of the survey here.