New York Ranks Among Best States for Summer Road Trips

A national ranking of the states that offer the best summer road trips has put New York in the top 3.

Summer vacation is here and that means plans are in motion to enjoy every last drop of the hot and sunny weather. However, with record-high inflation still eating away at our budgets, chances are more Americans are considering a "Staycation" this year.

However, there are states that offer better options than others... and it turns out New York has some of the most state attractions in the entire country.

Photo Credit - Darren McCollester, Getty Images

WalletHub found that roughly 75 percent of Americans plan on going on a fun and wallet-friendly road trip this year, so they concocted a list of the best and worst road tripping states.

Coming in #1 was Texas due to having an abundance of activities on the cheap, while Minnesota came in 2nd place for leading in safety.

In third place was the Empire State, which scored high in both safety and activities -- but not so much on cost. In fact, New York was in the bottom 10 states when it comes to affordability.

Matt Cardy/Getty Images

So how come that didn't sink our overall score?

Said WalletHub:

New York is the third-best state for summer road trips, due to having an extremely large number of attractions and nightlife activities. It also is at the top of the country when it comes to accommodations and restaurants per capita.
One especially unique thing about New York is that it has the second most National Historic Landmarks per capita, so it’s easy to plan a fun road trip exploring the rich history of the state and how it has impacted our country, from George Washington’s headquarters in Newburgh to the Empire State Building in NYC.

The state also earned high marks for having the third-lowest number of uninsured motorists, as well as having the third highest proactive driving laws in the nation. Distracted driving is also on the lower side, with the state having the fourth-lowest number of accidents caused by those not focusing on the road.

Enjoy clicking around the interactive map to see how other states performed in this latest study.

Source: WalletHub

WalletHub based their findings on 32 key metrics including gas prices, cost of car repairs, overall population, road quality, national parks per capita, and access to scenic byways.

For those considering a quick, cost-saving trip to recharge, here's several Upstate options that are healthy on the mind and wallet.

Book a Weekend Retreat at These 6 Upstate New York Towns

With roadtrip season upon us, some New Yorkers are itching for a weekend getaway that will take them to a sleepy yet scenic town.

According to our friends at WorldAtlas, they have highlighted six different towns in Upstate NY that offer plenty of opportunities to recharge and take advantage of unique commercial attractions.

Gallery Credit: Megan

That said, do you agree New York deserves to be in third place nationally? Sound off using the station's chat feature on the app below.

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A Remarkable Look Inside 22 Of Upstate New York's Most Historic Churches!

There are just way too many beautiful churches in Upstate New York to even begin a comprehensive list of them all. So this gallery is a bit different. It is unique in that for each of the 22 historic places of worship we highlight, we also include a video tour of the interiors of the place (if available). If no video of the interior was possible, we inserted a video of the exterior, grounds, etc. So you can do your exploring from the comfort of your own laptop! You will enjoy seeing the splendor of these magnificent places in our gallery.

Here you will see majestic cathedrals, a Tibetan monastery, a church that ultimately found fame as a fort, a church that is world-renowned as a "temple to the art of Tiffany windows,: two important churches that were way stations along the Underground Railroad, plus the smallest church in the world!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio