Pack your bags: North Carolina city ranks among nation’s best summer destinations

North Carolina is home to one of the nation’s best places to visit this summer, a new report finds.

The Raleigh metro area ranks No. 20 on a list of regions that offer vacation activities at an affordable price, WalletHub said Tuesday.

To come up with the rankings, the personal finance website said it used U.S. government data and other sources to study “100 of the most populated metro areas” in the country. Each region received scores for weather, costs, safety, entertainment, attractions and flight options.

The Raleigh-Cary metro earned a top spot on the list after it was recognized for its relatively mild weather and affordable hotels and restaurants. The region also got a nod for safety, a measure of crime and COVID-19 rates, results show.

But the metropolitan area was just average when it came to the other categories, which weighed the number and variety of activities near Raleigh as well as quick, inexpensive flights to the Triangle.

It’s not the first time a North Carolina destination has landed on a national list.

In March, the short-term rental website Airbnb said Kitty Hawk was the eighth-most desired place for people looking to travel within the United States this spring and summer, McClatchy News reported.

This time around, three other metros that spanned parts of North Carolina made it onto WalletHub’s list. Those included Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News at No. 43; Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia at No. 48; and Greensboro-High Point at No. 86.

Overall, WalletHub said the nation’s top travel destination was Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, home to Disney World and other major theme parks. The lowest-ranking U.S. metro was Lansing-East Lansing, Michigan.

During the pandemic, health officials have urged people to postpone trips until they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That means taking your trip at least two weeks after your single-shot Johnson & Johnson dose or your second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

As the vaccination rollout continues, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there’s still a risk of coronavirus spread during trips. While traveling, experts recommend washing your hands, wearing a face mask and staying 6 feet from others.

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