Many parents avoid visiting a big city with their little ones; the traffic, congestion, and stress can be too overwhelming when going on vacation. Yet certain cities in the United States make it easier to bring the kids along on holiday. RewardExpert –a free service that helps travelers fly cheap by maximizing miles and points– today released a ranking of the most kid-friendly cities to visit in 2017. The report compares 53 of the largest metropoles in the country and evaluates them on 16 key metrics across three categories: kid-friendly recreation, city profile, and affordability.

“As a father of two small children, I know how challenging it can be to have a successful vacation with the whole family,” shares RewardExpert CEO Roman Shteyn. “When choosing a vacation spot, parents want to know they’ll be taking their children somewhere safe, manageable, and with a breadth of activities to keep kids entertained.”

Key findings from RewardExpert’s ranking of the Most Kid-Friendly Cities to Visit in 2017 are:

• San Diego, California comes in first overall and ranks at the top as the Best City for Playgrounds. The weather, beaches, and attractions put San Diego at number one in the ranking. As the home to Legoland and Balboa Park, San Diego is a perfect destination to bring the kids. Additionally, the city has 22 playgrounds per 10,000 residents, which means there’s ample opportunity for kids to have a good romp and play outside.
• Portland, Oregon ranks third overall. Portland is the perfect mix of being a lively city without the stress. According to RewardExpert’s research, Portland is an easy city to get around via public transit, biking, or walking. With places like Playdate PDX and Oaks Amusement Park, there’s no shortage of activities to do with the kids.
• Washington, D.C. closes out the top five and is the Best City for Kid-Friendly Museums. The nation’s capital ranks fifth on our list of kid-friendly cities. Washington D.C. has the most kid friendly museums per capita in the country. Most of the family friendly attractions in D.C. are free, so there’s plenty of opportunity to catch everything without draining your budget.

“Parents dread hearing two words come out of their child’s mouth: ‘I’m bored,’” says Shteyn. “Our research shows that when it comes to America’s biggest cities, families will find there is no shortage of things to do. We combine recreational activities with valuable logistical information, such as which cities have more kid-friendly hotels and restaurants, to help parents make informed decision on where to go for a great family vacation.”

For more information and to view the full report, visit the RewardExpert website.