Oshkosh questions for first time visitor

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iflyatiger

Pre-takeoff checklist
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iflyatiger
Can anyone with past experience please give me a good idea of the drive time including parking at Airventure from Appleton or Fond du Lac. I am trying to judge how much better it would be to be 5 miles away from the kosh airport or at a hotel in one of the other cities. Of course the hotels are less expensive the further away you get.

Thanks in advance for any and all help..
 
From the Appleton airport to the Parking Lots at Oskhosh is about a half an hour. The time to park is minimal as is getting out unless you try to do so immediately after the airshow lets out.

Fond Du Lac is a bit further perhaps by another ten minutes. Green Bay is only an hour away. I've made a Cabela's run from Oshkosh (the Green Bay Cabelas is right at Lambeau field).
 
Thanks Ron..

That doesn't sound bad at all. I was starting to expand my search for a reasonably priced hotel and didn't know if I should consider the outer areas.



flyingron said:
From the Appleton airport to the Parking Lots at Oskhosh is about a half an hour. The time to park is minimal as is getting out unless you try to do so immediately after the airshow lets out.

Fond Du Lac is a bit further perhaps by another ten minutes. Green Bay is only an hour away. I've made a Cabela's run from Oshkosh (the Green Bay Cabelas is right at Lambeau field).
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We stayed in Green Bay the first time we went. It worked well but after spending a full day walking all over Oshkosh an hour drive was painful. Our second visit we camped. So nice to just crash after a long day.
 
Have stayed at both Appleton and Green Bay. Used the bus to the show from both cities. Prefer Appleton now that they ,have many new hotels. Short bus ride that goes to the entrance gate.
 
Thanks again guys..

Any less know hotel gems in Appleton I should try ?

I will keep my eye on this thread for any other tips..
 
Geico266 said:
Just stay in the dorms. :dunno:
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I've never dormed before but I've heard it can bite pretty bad.

I have done the no-tel in Fond du Lac. Once.

Try finding 2-3 others and renting a house. Did that for 12 years and it makes for a great vacation. A/C, big screen tv, bbq, the works. Very comfortable for 7 nights and the same or cheaper than a decent hotel. Ours was less than 20 min north. There are lists of available housing.
 
I've stayed in the dorms once, the only downside is that it was not (at least the one I was in) air conditioned. Bed was reasonably comfortable (albeit two twins), showers with plenty of hot water down the hall and flush toilets. Cafeteria wasn't bad.
 
I've stayed in Appleton many times for work and it's the place I choose to stay for Oshkosh. Most of the hotels are very near Highway 41 with numerous restaurants in the area too. As others have said, it's only a 30 minute ride to or from the field, unless you get in the middle of the after the airshow traffic jam. Leave an hour or two after the show and it's not a problem.
There are a few new hotels west of Oshkosh in I think Wautoma on Highway 21, they're slightly father than Appleton, I've passed them as I drive into Oshkosh.
 
skylanerg said:
I've never dormed before but I've heard it can bite pretty bad.

I have done the no-tel in Fond du Lac. Once.

Try finding 2-3 others and renting a house. Did that for 12 years and it makes for a great vacation. A/C, big screen tv, bbq, the works. Very comfortable for 7 nights and the same or cheaper than a decent hotel. Ours was less than 20 min north. There are lists of available housing.
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Cheap, good food, hot showers, A/C if you reserve esrly, cheap bus ride 10 mins from the big show,beer tent within walking distance. What's not to love? :dunno:
 
My first time to Oshkosh, I stayed at the Marian College dorms at Fond du Lac. It actually wasn't too bad since we had a group of 3 friends, we had a whole dorm unit to ourselves. We paid a little extra to have an air conditioned unit which was worth it. There was free hot breakfast every morning at the cafeteria. The food was good, my only complaint if I remember right was that they only served food from 6am to 8am which was a tad early for some members of my traveling group.

We could have drove to the Fond du Lac airport and taken a shuttle bus to Oshkosh but to maintain flexibility, we just drove, which was about a 30 minute trip one-way.

My first time going by myself, I camped in Scholler. I arrived on a Wednesday during the middle of the show very late at night after a 5 or 6 hour road trip driving. That kinda sucked because I wasn't used to car camping and my camping spot was almost right at the entrance along the highway and really far from the showers, showground entrance, barn store, etc. Luckily I had my bicycle with me and getting to/from the show entrance wasn't a big deal but if I had to walk it was a looooooooooong walk.

If you don't mind camping, being able to stay on the Oshkosh grounds is a major convenience vs. driving from Appleton or Fond du lac every day. Or ideally you get a dorm room at U.W. Oshkosh campus but those are the first ones to fill up.

After having flown in 3 times and camped in the North 40, this is definitely the best way to do it. I bring my own camping stove and cook all my own breakfasts & some of my dinners. It's not too bad as long as you can arrive early enough to be parked near either the Green or Red shower buildings. (Probably Sunday through Monday before the show or the day it opens...)
 
I will probably always stay in Green Bay. Normal hotel rates, normal food prices, no lines, great airport, etc. The drive for me is nothing, but we're all different in that regard. I also like to enjoy WI beyond Airventure so that is part of my decision process. The more single focused you are the closer you should be.
 
I've always camped on the airshow grounds. The biggest thing for me is that I can go back to my campsite for lunch and have a nice relaxing afternoon. After that I might go back into the show grounds, or I might just watch the airshow from my campsite. Very relaxing. I don't think I would enjoy the experience as much if I had to march around all day, especially if it's hot.
 
I was actually offered a room in the Convent of the Sacred Heart (provided I didn't get into the habit) my first year. Turned out that Todd Huvard (one of the craziest guys I've met in aviation) had an extra dorm room reserved so I stayed there instead.
 
Geico266 said:
Just stay in the dorms. :dunno:
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It looked to me like all of the dorms were wait-listed. How do you go about working that out? I'm also interested in making a first trip out there this year.
 
Thank you.. The dorms with AC are sold out..

Geico266 said:
Cheap, good food, hot showers, A/C if you reserve esrly, cheap bus ride 10 mins from the big show,beer tent within walking distance. What's not to love? :dunno:
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Thanks again for all the info.

I am flying in commercial this time so that would rule out camping with any kind of comfort, at least for me.

I found a hotel in Appleton that is priced right and temporarily booked the last room.

Has anyone stayed at the Microtel inn & suites in Appleton ?
Any thoughts on it ?
 
Microtels in general aren't high on my list of places to stay, but they have a bed, shower, and toilet so what more do you need?

The two times I've arrived at Appleton was when I flew in commercial. Nice little airport and easy connections to Oshkosh.
 
I flew in commercial last year and camped with my partners at the plane. I brought all my own camping gear (hiking tent, etc.). Was not a problem.
 
20-30 minutes, best to come and go during the air show, there's next to no traffic.
 
mkosmo said:
It looked to me like all of the dorms were wait-listed. How do you go about working that out? I'm also interested in making a first trip out there this year.
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I make hotel, dorm and car reservations as soon as I get home. For the dorms, reservations open latter part of show week.
The dorms require a 1 night deposit, refundable. I've also discovered that starting Wed during the show, the dorms open up and you can usually get a room without any problems.
 
Valley Christian School Rooms; ValleyChristianOshkosh.com

I've stayed at Valley Christian School the last three years without needing a car.
It is their school's fund raiser, and you will enjoy meeting people from all over the USA & other countries.
They clear out the classrooms and install about 6-8 beds in the rooms with window unit air conditioning.
They have restrooms & showers like you find in gyms.
They provide breakfast and bus transportation each morning to the Airventure grounds and pick you up at the end of the day.
They also have dinner for a reasonable fee.
Some couples and families stay there. Mostly a bunch of older guys, though.
Before May 16, $64 per person per night in rooms with 4+. $74 per person (2-3 beds).
Contact: Debbie Wallace, Marketing Director DWallace@vcoshkosh.com. 920-231-9704 ext 18
 
I once had this exchange in the North 40 my first time camping. I had a BAT (Big Ass Tent) (TM).

Other Guy: "You watching the weather? Storm will be here in 15-20 minutes".

Me: "Yep, watching it. Looks like a bad one. Didn't know you had storms like this in Wisconsin!"

Other Guy: "Your tent is going to catch a lot of wind".

Me: (looking around, noticing the other tents are more "streamlined" and mine does seem to be more similar to a sail)

Me: "Damn, good point! What do you suggest?"

Other Guy: "Better stay in it and hold on. Hope it doesn't wrap around somebody else's plane and damage it".

The lesson is don't be tempted to bring a Big Ass Tent with vertical sides and sail like appearance.

;)

(I got wet that time but learned my lesson)
 
narchee said:
I once had this exchange in the North 40 my first time camping. I had a BAT (Big Ass Tent) (TM).

Other Guy: "You watching the weather? Storm will be here in 15-20 minutes".

Me: "Yep, watching it. Looks like a bad one. Didn't know you had storms like this in Wisconsin!"

Other Guy: "Your tent is going to catch a lot of wind".

Me: (looking around, noticing the other tents are more "streamlined" and mine does seem to be more similar to a sail)

Me: "Damn, good point! What do you suggest?"

Other Guy: "Better stay in it and hold on. Hope it doesn't wrap around somebody else's plane and damage it".

The lesson is don't be tempted to bring a Big Ass Tent with vertical sides and sail like appearance.

;)

(I got wet that time but learned my lesson)
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That is exactly why I use my "plane tent" instead of my "camping tent". My wife hates the plane tent, which is why she only drives up for Friday and Saturday nights. The storms last year it held up well and didn't get wet.
 
I have been using a Cabelas (big ass) Dome tent for years as do most of the others in my group. Stays pretty rigid even in the Wisconsin thunderstorms. It's about the fifth tent I've had in 23 years at Ohskosh and has held up longer than the others.
 
flyingron said:
I have been using a Cabelas (big ass) Dome tent for years as do most of the others in my group. Stays pretty rigid even in the Wisconsin thunderstorms. It's about the fifth tent I've had in 23 years at Ohskosh and has held up longer than the others.
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I don't know it but "dome" sounds like it is the right shape to withstand high winds. You should have seen my first tent. I was all proud of myself when I set it up. I was thinking to myself, look all these other idiots have tiny, rounded tents and here I am with the Taj Mahal of tents. Lots of room. 20 people could stand in it. Big vertical walls. Turns out I was the idiot. You should have seen this tent when the storm hit. The only thing that saved me from it blowing away was my fat arse weighing it down.:redface:
 
murphey said:
I make hotel, dorm and car reservations as soon as I get home. For the dorms, reservations open latter part of show week.
The dorms require a 1 night deposit, refundable. I've also discovered that starting Wed during the show, the dorms open up and you can usually get a room without any problems.
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I'd love to be there for the first part of the show. Sounds like camping is the way to go at this point.
 
The Cabela isn't my first dome tent, but it is the best of any of the tents of tried (including some pretty expensive ones). If you come over to where the vintage volunteers camp you'll find mine and about a dozen other versions of it a little compound.
 
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