Virginia Ranked Among Top 25 Best States for Road Trips

By ETHAN LEVINE (Patch Staff)

Road trips are as big a part of summer culture as burgers on the grill or a dip in the pool.

A whopping 85 percent of Americans will plan a trip this summer, and close to 90 percent of those trips will be by car.

With this in mind, popular personal finance site WalletHub released its rankings of the 2015 Best & Worst States for Summer Road Trips.

WalletHub used more than 20 metrics to help determine its rankings, but ultimately the rankings boiled down to three main criteria: Driving and lodging costs (including the cost of gas), road conditions and safety, and fun and scenic attractions.

So where does Virginia rank on this list? The Commonwealth edged its way into the top half of the list, coming in at No. 24, one spot ahead of Illinois and one spot behind Florida.

Virginia can thank its roads for its spot in the top 25. The state ranks 31st in fun and scenic attractions and 35th in driving and lodging costs. However, it ranks fifth in road safety and conditions, vaulting the state up to 24th in the master rankings.

Florida, seen by many as a popular summer vacation spot, did crack the top 10 in fun and scenic attractions, but ranked 24th in affordable lodging and 43rd in road safety conditions, dropping it significantly further down the list than many might have expected.

And although it did make the top half of the list, Virginia was actually out-ranked by many of its border states. Maryland finished 17th in the master rankings, while North Carolina broke into the top 10 at No. 9. Kentucky finished only three spots behind Virginia at No. 27, while Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, Memphis barbecue and Nashville music scene couldn’t elevate it higher than 35th.

For Virginians looking to plan a road trip outside the state, be prepared to drive for a while. Many of the states in WalletHub’s top 10 are located on the Western half of the United States.

The top 10 is as follows:

1. Oregon
2. Nevada
3. Minnesota
4. Washington
5. Ohio
6. Utah
7. Wyoming
8. Colorado
9. North Carolina
10. Idaho

And for those who are curious, the bottom 5 are: South Dakota, Mississippi, Delaware, North Dakota and Connecticut.