A new study has revealed America’s dream winter staycations, with one city in upstate New York making the top 10.

Travel site Miss Tourist analyzed data from Tripadvisor, Open-Meteo and Eventbrite to find the average hotel price for a single night’s stay, average daily snowfall and number of winter activities for the 100 most populous cities in America. Each city was scored out of 100 based on these three metrics and those with the highest score determined the ranking. 

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Toledo, Ohio, ranks first, with an index score of 82.64 out of 100. From a total of 116 reviewed hotels, Toledo’s average price was $96.77 per night in 2024. The city recorded an average daily snowfall of 0.16mm between 2020 and 2023 and had a total of 443 winter-related activities. 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ranks second, with a score of 72.11 out of 100. Milwaukee’s average nightly price for a hotel room in 2024 was $123.31 from a sample of 142 hotels. Between 2020 and 2023, the city recorded 0.24mm of daily snowfall on average and had 544 winter-related activities. 

In third place is Baltimore, Maryland, scoring 71.62 out of 100. In 2024, the average price for a single night in a hotel was $137.68 - this was taken from a sample of 111 hotels. Baltimore recorded 0.07mm of daily snowfall on average between 2020 and 2023 and had 969 winter-related activities. 

Surprising to me on the list was Newark, New Jersey which ranks ninth, scoring 67.46 out of 100. In 2024, the average price for a single night in a hotel was $170.02 - taken from a sample of 80 hotels. Newark recorded 0.12mm of daily snowfall on average between 2020 and 2023 and had 1,173 winter-related activities. Just my opinion, but when I think of dream staycation spots, I don't think of Newark. Doh! but I will be visiting Newark this weekend actually to see Iron Maiden in concert. LOL

Ozzfest 2005
Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images
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Buffalo Named 10th Best Place for Dream Winter Staycation 

Landing the tenth spot is Buffalo, New York, with an index score of 66.82 out of 100. From a total of 104 reviewed hotels, Buffalo’s average price was $147.28 per night in 2024. The city recorded an average daily snowfall of 0.29mm between 2020 and 2023 and had a total of 661 winter-related activities. 

Historic Buffalo Blizzard That Paralyzed The City Leaves Over 30 Dead
Photo by John Normile/Getty Images
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Yulia Saf, Founder of Miss Tourist, commented on the findings:  

“Winter staycations are becoming increasingly popular in America. As the colder months approach, people are looking for cozy, convenient getaways without venturing too far from home. The top ten destinations cover a large part of the country and are easily accessible to most of the population.” 

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America’s Best Winter Staycations – Top 10 Cities Index Score 

Rank 

City 

State 

Average hotel price for a week (USD) 

Average daily snowfall (2020-2023) 

Number of winter-related activities 

1. 

Toledo 

Ohio 

$677.40 

0.166  

443 

2. 

Milwaukee 

Wisconsin 

$863.15 

0.244  

544 

3. 

Baltimore 

Maryland 

$963.78 

0.075  

969 

4. 

Garland 

Texas 

$710.23 

0.014  

354 

5. 

Fort Wayne 

Indiana 

$698.17 

0.169  

126 

6. 

Colorado Springs 

Colorado 

$797.64 

0.217  

302 

7. 

Plano 

Texas 

$733.56 

0.015  

347 

8. 

Winston-Salem 

North Carolina 

$772.94 

0.037  

329 

9. 

Newark 

New Jersey 

$1,190.17 

0.123  

1173 

10. 

Buffalo 

New York 

$1,030.93 

0.297  

661 

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