GETTING OUTTA HERE: Close-to-Home Family Fun

Still lining up your summer vacation calendar? Well, there’s the anytime possibility of jetting off to the Greek island of Mykonos for a $9,000/week per villa stint, or Düsseldorf, Germany’s annual cartwheel championship in June (700 children expected to participate!). But if neither suits your wallet (or your queasiness comfort level), here are two getaways much closer to home: Choose from these two Central Pennsylvania festivals and turn either into a weekend by booking a room at the lovely Lancaster Arts Hotel (starting around $200/night).

The free-admission Great Pennsylvania FlavorFest May 29th and 30th is held on he grounds of Mount Hope Estate in Lancaster County and celebrates regional cuisine (whoopee pies, of course) and local wineries. Who needs to do cartwheels for prizes when you can enter Achenbach’s Bakery Long John Eating Contest or the Homemade Wine Competition? And then from June 11th to 13th, there’s York’s SKYJAM-PA hot air balloon festival at the York ExpoCenter (admission $10/car). In addition to the launch of around 25 hot air balloons, there’ll be tethered balloon rides, live music, barbecue and amusement rides.