Four Florida cities are some of the best in the nation for recreation. Being active is important and Florida is the right place to be for that. The study comes from Wallethub. They compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 48 key metrics in the categories of entertainment & recreational facilities, cost of living, quality of parks and weather.

Parks are super important according to the study. Neighborhood parks are one of the most beneficial types of recreation a city can offer. Research has found that having a park within 500 to 600 feet of your property can have a significant impact. In addition, parks help people stay fit, saving them as much as $1,500 in healthcare costs per year, and they reduce the overall costs of air pollution by $3.8 billion per year.

Another important factor is that cities need to offer recreation opportunities that don’t require good weather to be outdoors.  Movie theaters, music venues and coffee shops can also contribute to each city’s recreation-friendliness.  This list was based on basic living costs, the quality of parks, the accessibility of entertainment and recreational facilities and the weather.

The top city on the list is Las Vegas, but four Florida cities are in the Top 5 for recreation. Orlando comes in at #2 and Tampa comes in at #3.  Orlando is #1 in Entertainment and Recreation Facilities, while Tampa is #11. St. Petersburg, FL  also makes the list, St. Pete comes in at number 19 on the list, Jacksonville, FL makes the list at 33.

Orlando is full of so many things to do with all the tourists that visit the area.  They say on average that there are 2 million extra people in the city of Orlando each day visiting.  With all those visitors they have to have enough entertainment and recreation to keep everyone busy.   Between theme parks, movies, museums, specialty shopping, restaurants, sports and shows, there is so much to do in Orlando.   Tampa is also a hot tourist destination like Orlando, except Tampa has all the beach and water activities to add to that list.

The worst city for recreation according to the study it is Chula Vista, California, which is near San Diego.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is now offering a website that offers a way for nature lovers to plan their adventures. All you have to do is enter you ZIP code and select your preferred recreation type. You can choose from leisure recreation to boating, paddling and horseback riding.

Check out the Top 5 cities below.

[Updated March 8, 2024]