Sarah Endriss had planned a proper getaway for the long summer weekend – a four-day camping trip to Jamaica State Park in Vermont. 

“We love to travel, so typically during the summer we go abroad, or to Maine. And I grew up camping, so was really looking forward to going camping in Vermont,” the Germantown landscape architect said. 

And then the rains came.

“There is nothing worse than camping in the rain,” Endriss said. So her family of four scratched their plans for Vermont, but were then left with several free days – and an urge to get away and do something special. 

She and husband James Bush quickly devised a plan for an evening at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, followed by cocktails, then a late table at Vedge, the buzzy Center City restaurant. Saturday brought them to Chestnut Hill for an afternoon of shopping. On Sunday, Manayunk’s art festival beckoned. A neighborhood party and porch concert followed, while their teenagers happily hung with friends.

Cancelling the camping trip was “a bit of a bummer,” Endriss recalled. “But when we actually used the word ‘staycation’ and said, ‘Let’s have fun with this,’ it turned out to be something different.”

That word “staycation”: It has a bit of a bad rep this summer, after pandemic travel restrictions and health concerns kept many from traveling the past few years. But our urge to get away has created a new set of problems. Many popular destinations are expecting record-breaking crowds this summer, and getting there won’t be cheap. 

The average airfare to Europe this summer is $1,200 per ticket, the highest price in six years, according to research published by the travel app Hopper. Hotel rates in popular European destinations have risen an average of 37 percent, with prices in cities including Rome surging as much as 63 percent. Several U.S. national parks, coping with record-breaking attendance, are implementing reservation systems to ease the traffic of eager visitors.

Closer to home, hospitality experts at New Jersey’s Stockton University are seeing another busy summer at the Jersey shore, despite rising prices for gas and accommodations.

So in the spirit of Yogi Berra’s famous “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded” – you could make this the Summer of Staycation. 

Officials at Visit Philadelphia, the region’s leisure tourism marketing agency, point out that those of us in the northwest corner of the city and its immediate suburbs enjoy scenic beauty, history, culture, food, drink and shopping that tourists come from afar to experience. 

For instance, Historic Germantown, the grouping of 18 historic homes, museums and other attractions, “is on the radar of a lot of European and German travelers,” noted Alethia Calbeck, chief communications officer for Visit Philadelphia. “A lot of people outside the U.S. see it as a very valuable experience. 

“If it’s right in your backyard, you need to go!”

The staycation may require a slight attitude adjustment. “Most people are accustomed to what’s around them,” Calbeck acknowledged. “This is a chance to break out of what you usually do, and seek a different experience.” 

So make like a tourist and learn more about the region’s first European settlers, the Revolution, the abolition movement, and more. Here, you’ll get a closer and less-crowded view than you might at tourist-thronged sites on Independence Mall. 

There’s even a historic vacation angle to your staycation: “Back in the day, Chestnut Hill was the summer getaway destination for people who lived in the city,” said Jenea Robinson, senior director of communications for the tourism agency. “It’s nice to be in an urban city that has access to this green space, where you can have a small-town experience in a place like Chestnut Hill.”

Northwest Philadelphia, like Center City beyond, has countless cultural opportunities to explore on your days off. Staycation can be a moment to see those places you always mean to visit and never seem to have the time.

Endriss, for instance, realized she hadn’t been to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in more than five years. Visiting on the Friday of her staycation, she reveled in an exhibit of portraits by the photographer Judith Joy Ross. “It was just so great – it totally resonated with me,” she said.  Art lovers looking for similar revelations might find them even closer to home, at the Woodmere Museum at the top of Germantown Avenue or Mt. Airy Art Garage, two miles down the street – or at any of the fine art galleries in between.  

Foodies who plan vacations around great food and drink can do the same here. Perhaps this is the time for a splurge on fine dining (think of all the money you’re not spending on travel!). 

“If you’re going to travel somewhere, you’re going to ask, ‘Where’s the best meal I can have?’” Calbeck said, singling out Mt. Airy’s Jansen restaurant for a special evening. With the flexibility afforded by a few days off, diners may have an easier time securing tables at popular eateries – or enjoying a midday beverage at one of the area’s acclaimed microbreweries, such as Germantown’s Attic Brewery or the Chestnut Hill Brewing Co., both with lively, family-friendly outdoor seating for summer guests. 

There’s also time to burn calories on staycation. It could be something as laid-back as cornhole or croquet in the yard, or as vigorous as a bike ride along the Wissahickon and Schuylkill River Trail to Center City (Calbeck suggests bringing your bike aboard a SEPTA train for the return home, if an 18-mile round trip is too daunting). Get your steps on the sprawling grounds of the Morris or Awbury arboretums, while admiring the landscapes around you.

And because every vacation needs souvenirs, it seems reasonable to make shopping part of the Philadelphia staycation. The Northwest is lined with stores that are worth traveling to, as evidenced by the legions of out-of-towners shopping and enjoying local festivals on summer weekends. 

“The Northwest region has really become a center for small businesses to set up shop – so many unique, diverse businesses come and become staples in the community,” said Visit Philly’s Robinson.  

Shopping locally – indeed, the whole staycation scenario – is not just about pleasure for the vacationer, Calbeck added. “Your dollars stay in the neighborhood,” she said. “It helps grow our economy.”