OSH 22 Lodging

SixPapaCharlie

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I camp at Airventure but started thinking about a non camping option.

I am looking and only see a couple hotels in the area.
Do most people lodge in Appleton?

They do a fantastic job with their showering system but having the option to take a higher quality shower and not have to immediately put on bugspray before I go to sleep has an appeal to it.

Where do you non campers stay?
 
Hilton garden inn. Can’t beat the location and you can even park your airplane on their ramp. Of course it isn’t cheap and they require a 7 day stay.
 
Just looked that up. I don't see any prices for those days but I am certain it will be out of my price range.
 
We stayed in Appleton the first year I went with my wife. The hotel was nice, but I wouldn’t do it again. After a very long day of AV we had to hike back to the car, drive half an hour or more, then find dinner. I guess it depends on what you’re looking for. I like waking up to warbirds on dawn patrol and staying as late as I want.
 
I am going to try Fond du Lac and take the shuttle bus service.
 
Dorms. Get an AC room, I think you can sign up now. Then buy a $30 bus pass. Worked great for me, the room was a dorm room, but nice. The food was good (not included in rent). Bathroom situation was acceptable, some **** for brains ****ed all over a toilet seat one night, but there were other toilets and bathrooms and the cleaning service came through every day, so overall it was good. I flew in, and didn't need a car all week.
 
Did an AirBnB a couple years ago in downtown Oshkosh, over by the dorms. Pretty easy bus ride to the show. Wasn't too crazy expensive.
 
Have you looked into renting an rv? I'm sure they're sold out in WI, but maybe you could get one in say mo and drive the rest of the way.

Maybe @Ted would toss you the keys to the bus.
 
Maybe @Ted would toss you the keys to the bus.

Are you kidding? By the time he got back it would have the chute pulled inverted drinking diesel and melted the fiberglass! Haven’t you watched his videos? ;)
 
I stayed at the Oshkosh La Quinta several years ago. Under $300/night at the time.

You can rent an RV and pay the owner to set it up for you in Scholler. Cost is highly variable.
 
Dorms are an option. Very basic. 2 twin beds, so I take an air mattress for my son to sleep on the floor and still split the cost with a buddy. They are converting all of the rooms to AC (or may have completed the process).

Restaurants are packed around the dorms, but I guess they are really packed everywhere during OSH.

Cost is around $125 a night it is very convenient with the $30 (for the full week) bus pass.


Some AirBnB places leave their car there for you to use. I have not done that in a few years, so it may not be an option now. I like being able to cook my own meals at a house, but the dorms are where my group likes to go.
 
I camp at Airventure but started thinking about a non camping option.

I am looking and only see a couple hotels in the area.
Do most people lodge in Appleton?

They do a fantastic job with their showering system but having the option to take a higher quality shower and not have to immediately put on bugspray before I go to sleep has an appeal to it.

Where do you non campers stay?
How are you going to stumble from the beer tent to an offsite hotel??? :)
 
One time that there’s a tornado warning and now you think camping at OSH is not an option. Sheesh….what a lightweight. ;)

I've been tornado warned twice at Osh in the last decade. But camping there is the highlight of my year. Every year.
 
We stayed at Appleton the last two visits. Hot showers, real bed, plenty of rest to walk all day!
 
It is hard to beat the dorms. I got an email from UWO to the effect, IIRC, that there will be only air conditioned dorms in 2022, and they are removing the refrigerators.

Consider this a rumor.
 
Hilton garden inn. Can’t beat the location and you can even park your airplane on their ramp. Of course it isn’t cheap and they require a 7 day stay.
It's $400 with the seven night minimum PLUS an extra charge now for the ramp. This year they did have rooms, but usually they're booked up as soon as the reservation window opens up.
 
I sometimes fly into GRB. Nice airport, plenty of lodging (casino across from airport) and about. 40 minute drive to the show. I’ve stayed at the Hilton Garden a few times. I do prefer staying there but it’s getting difficult to secure a room.
 
Best Western Rivers Edge? Nice location, not too far from the grounds. Food for thought.
 
When I stayed at the dorms a few years ago, it was really the first time in all of these years that I actually spent any time in the town of Oshkosh, over 40 years, other than occasional food run to places like The Roxy. Was very pleasantly surprised.

Now I make it a point to get off the field at least once or twice, for dinner, or just to look around.
 
They are going to have to do something about the trams/busses before I even consider staying off site. Had to walk from the STOL competition to the N40 twice.

No Uber's available and heard people saying they ad to walk 4 miles one way to their cars.
 
What people say and reality are different stories. Show center to the farthest autopark is only about a mile and a half and a lot of the lots are a lot closer in. Now, it did get ugly when people tried to bail from the field ahead of Wednesday's storm this year but frankly, the weather was clear as a bell for another four hours. I had time to walk to the SOS brothers, eat dinner, have a couple of beers, walk back to vintage and then get a ride with people to Fond Du Lac, sit with them at dinner, and come back before it started to rain.
 
The walking doesn't bother me too much except when I'm trying to carry a bag of ice or something a long distance.

This year I was parked in the worst section possible with regard to walking distance but it was 10 ft from the showers which was certainly nice.

I was averaging 5 miles a day.
I'm just thinking about the option after all of that too sleep somewhere other than a hot tent.

I'll probably just camp because I'm also fairly cheap.
 
Every year I see people offering their reservations for resale. Issues come up, plans change.

Another option is to go out a ways, 45 minutes whatever distance, much easier. Don’t be getting a DWI driving back after visiting the SOS tent.

If making long term reservations, I’d be aware of cancellation & adjust policies & fine print.
 
It's a 90 minute flight from my house. Stay here and we'll fly up and back every day.

Bad idea? That's ok. I can never get off work for Osh anyway. :(
 
The first time I attended I camped for 7 or 8 nights. Drove in.
Later I've done air venture while staying at Green Lake a few times... My family has a house there.
It's not a horrible commute but a lot further than someplace in Osh for sure....regardless, I always feel like I miss so much of the experience driving in for the day. It just is not the same! I don't imagine it makes much difference in that regard if you're 5 miles away or 30 miles

I have more experience with Sun n fun, both drive in for the day and tailgate camping...exactly the same. Staying on site is just so much better in my opinion.

Sadly I've not flown in to either. I'd imagine at least in some ways that's even better still....
 
I've only been to OSH once and stayed in the dorms. It was worth it for that trip because I was there to "work." This year I would like to camp, but then I remember that my first career made me hate camping...
 
I was never a camper prior to going to Oshkosh. The first year I stayed in the dorms. The next year, my wife decided that camping under the plane was the way to go based on her research so I let her pack everything. We've refined it over the intervening 23 years. Two years in the North 40, 1 year in Scholler with our EAA chapter, and the rest in Vintage.

On the other hand, I've never camped at Sun N Fun the years I went there. One year we stayed on field at the Hilton Garden Inn on points (which were cheaper than I could stayed elsewhere in a Hampton, go figure). The other years I stayed in a Hampton over toward Tampa and drove in, which was easy enough.
 
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