Chicago Makes List of America’s Best Cities for a Staycation

So much to do in the Windy City. The museums, the parks, the food and all that lakefront. You might be surprised to see where Chicago showed up on this list.

While I like spending free time in Chicago for dozens of reasons, it turns out the city's staycation game is weaker than many other large cities in the country.

The Wallet Hub crew's latest list, 2016’s Best & Worst Cities for Staycations, put Chicago at 99 out of 150.

Here's the 3 key points in putting this list together:

• Recreation
• Food & entertainment
• Rest & relaxation

The Chicago Tribune pulled out the hard numbers in Wallet Hub's survey and they're a bit hard to swallow given our deep (dish) love of Chicago.

Chicago ranked 88 in recreation, 69 in food and entertainment, and 83 in rest and relaxation. The city was one of the worst in nation (87 out of 90) in the number of aquariums and zoos per capita as well as fewest beer gardens per capita (79 out of 81).

When you see the top 10 in this list, you'll also see that oceans trump lakes. And how can any city compete with Disney money.

10. Honolulu, HI

9. St. Petersburg, FL

8. Minneapolis, MN

7. Las Vegas, NV

6. Atlanta, GA

5. Scottsdale, AZ

4. Salt Lake City, UT

3. Tampa, FL

2. Ft. Lauderdale, FL

1. Orlando, FL

Milwaukee, WI beat out Chicago too by landing at number 85 on the list.