{"id":316042,"date":"2026-05-14T21:32:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T21:32:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/316042\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T21:32:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T21:32:19","slug":"fresno-makes-list-of-top-travel-destinations-but-readers-arent-buying-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/316042\/","title":{"rendered":"Fresno makes list of top travel destinations \u2014 but readers aren\u2019t buying it"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>While Fresno, CA may have made a list of top travel spots, readers are <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/13\/lifestyle\/10-california-cities-make-best-summer-travel-destinations-ranking\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">far from convinced.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In 2009, a documentary branded Fresno as \u2018The City Addicted to Crystal Meth.\u2019 Now, defying all expectations, it has landed on a list of America\u2019s top <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/11\/lifestyle\/many-cant-afford-summer-vacation-due-to-increasing-travel-costs-survey\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">summer vacation spots, leaving everyone baffled<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In 2009, a documentary branded Fresno as \u2018The City Addicted to Crystal Meth.\u2019 Now, defying all expectations, it has landed on a list of America\u2019s top summer vacation spots, leaving everyone baffled. Albert \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n<p>Despite being the punchline of countless jokes, Fresno managed to grab the No. 84 spot in <a href=\"https:\/\/wallethub.com\/edu\/best-summer-travel-destinations\/3792\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WalletHub\u2019s 2026<\/a> \u2018Best Summer Travel Destinations,\u2019 beating out some well-known cities even as it lagged in attractions and safety.<\/p>\n<p>Despite being the punchline of countless jokes, Fresno managed to grab the No. 84 spot. TNS<\/p>\n<p>The internet wasted no time chiming in on Fresno\u2019s latest claim to fame.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBest thing to do in Fresno is to leave. Love my city, but damn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean the market for meth travel is booming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCome on vacation, leave on probation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fresno\u2019s high ranking owes everything to its weather, which soared to No. 2 nationwide. In nearly every other category, though, the city stumbled: No. 69 for travel costs and hassles, No. 83 for local costs, No. 77 for attractions, No. 94 for activities, and No. 88 for safety.<\/p>\n<p>The internet wasted no time chiming in on Fresno\u2019s latest claim to fame. Only 4K Ultra HD \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n<p>Yet somehow, Fresno edged past destinations like Santa Rosa, the heart of California\u2019s wine country, as well as Seattle and Colorado Springs, Colorado.<\/p>\n<p>Apparently, weather changes everything, but that did nothing to cool the internet\u2019s relentless roasting of the California city.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe majority of the tourism in Fresno is due to the fact that it has the closest airport to Yosemite,\u201d one person justified on Instagram.<\/p>\n<p>Others used the opportunity to slam two California cities in one go: \u201cWho TF wants to go to Fresno on vacay, people from Bakersfield?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Apparently, weather changes everything, but that did nothing to cool the internet\u2019s relentless roasting of the California city. Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>The historic Tower Theater in Fresno, California, featuring a tall, slender tower topped with a golden sunburst, and a marquee advertising upcoming music and entertainment. kirkikis \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFresno propaganda was not on my bingo card,\u201d another joked.<\/p>\n<p>Critics took some serious shots: \u201cWhoever made that list was smoking crystal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSaid no one ever,\u201d a skeptic posted next to a clown emoji.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHold the phone, Martha, cancel that trip to Miami Beach, WE\u2019RE GOING TO FRESNO,\u201d cackled one user.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy favorite bit of Fresno is the airport, as experts agree it\u2019s the quickest way to flee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Well, the people have spoken.<\/p>\n<p>Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n<p>California Post News: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCaliforniaPost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@CaliforniaPost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">TikTok<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">X<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@thecaliforniapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029Vb6a2IV1NCrL6q2AWq0E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">WhatsApp<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">LinkedIn<\/a><br \/>California Post Sports <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capostsports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/capostsports\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">TikTok<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@CaliforniaPostSports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">X<\/a><br \/>California Post  <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Opinion<\/a> <br \/>California Post Newsletters: <a href=\"https:\/\/email.nypost.com\/#california-post\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Sign up here!<\/a><br \/>California Post App: <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Download here!<\/a><br \/>Home delivery: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.californiapost.com\/defaultCAP\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up here!<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><br \/><\/a>Page Six Hollywood: <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/hollywood-signup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Sign up here!<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While Fresno, CA may have made a list of top travel spots, readers are far from convinced. In&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316043,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[7,113465,112,114,113,2585,4182,115495,5931,3586,43174],"class_list":["post-316042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-california","tag-critics","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news","tag-internet","tag-metro","tag-rankings","tag-summer","tag-us-news","tag-vacation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316042"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316042\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}