I am hoping to go to Oshkosh this year and would appreciate any advice on getting there, accomodation etc.
Lindsay McLane
Oshkosh 2010
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Nigel Hitchman
- Posts: 357
- Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:10 pm
- Location: Hinton in the hedges
Hi Lindsay,
if you live in the south, the easiest way to get there is LHR- Chicago. BA, AA and I think United all fly there with one or more flights per day. I think Virgin might, but they keep stopping the route and starting again. If you are further north, then I think there might be AA from Manchester, but not sure. Otherwise its connecting flights.
From Chicago its an easy 3 hour drive in a rental car, you can fly slightly nearer to Milwauke which saves an hour drive from Chicago but would involve a connecting flight, or to Appleton which is closer to Oshkosh, but less flights.
If you want to stay in a hotel in or very close to Oshkosh, then you are too late, you should have booked last year! However, you might find hotels rooms available in Appleton, Green Bay, or other places to the south of Fond du Lac such as Hartford or west bend. Then you are looking at an hour drive (less from Appleton)
Or you can stay at the univ of Wisconsin dormatories in Oshkosh, I think they are mostly twin rooms about $40 per night per person (but dont quote me) and none have airconditioning. THere is also an EAA housing hotline where they will give you details of local people who rent their houses out for the week. This is probably the only way you will get local accomodation now except the university. The houses arent cheap! We have rented a 4 bed house the last couple of years at $300 per night. But thats a lot cheaper than any hotels if there was a room!
Of course the cheapest option and what many thousands of people do, is stay on the campsite next to the airfield. Ive done this many times taking my tent and sleeping bag in my suitcase. Cant remember what camping costs, but it will be on the EAA website- you need to be an EAA memember, but you need that for entrance anyway (non members can go in, but its much cheaper being a member)
There are plenty of fairly basic showers and toilets and a camp shop to buy stuff, and plenty of food available on site so you dont really need to leave the site- but the food is much better and cheaper in town!
The only other thing Id say is get there early. All the good camping spots are taken from 1st July, but you can still get something 200m walk from the flightline if you get there before the first day. Most of the aircraft arrive before the show starts or in the first couple of days and the aircraft park starts to empty on the Thursday/Friday with probably 75% of the interesting aircraft gone by the final weekend. Yes there will still be the airshow performaers and the commercial exhibitors, but the interesting antiques, warbirds, homebuilts etc, ie the stuff we really go to see, all leave early.
Also the bargains in the fly market and with the commercial exhibitors are mostly gone on the first couple of days.
have a great trip!
if you live in the south, the easiest way to get there is LHR- Chicago. BA, AA and I think United all fly there with one or more flights per day. I think Virgin might, but they keep stopping the route and starting again. If you are further north, then I think there might be AA from Manchester, but not sure. Otherwise its connecting flights.
From Chicago its an easy 3 hour drive in a rental car, you can fly slightly nearer to Milwauke which saves an hour drive from Chicago but would involve a connecting flight, or to Appleton which is closer to Oshkosh, but less flights.
If you want to stay in a hotel in or very close to Oshkosh, then you are too late, you should have booked last year! However, you might find hotels rooms available in Appleton, Green Bay, or other places to the south of Fond du Lac such as Hartford or west bend. Then you are looking at an hour drive (less from Appleton)
Or you can stay at the univ of Wisconsin dormatories in Oshkosh, I think they are mostly twin rooms about $40 per night per person (but dont quote me) and none have airconditioning. THere is also an EAA housing hotline where they will give you details of local people who rent their houses out for the week. This is probably the only way you will get local accomodation now except the university. The houses arent cheap! We have rented a 4 bed house the last couple of years at $300 per night. But thats a lot cheaper than any hotels if there was a room!
Of course the cheapest option and what many thousands of people do, is stay on the campsite next to the airfield. Ive done this many times taking my tent and sleeping bag in my suitcase. Cant remember what camping costs, but it will be on the EAA website- you need to be an EAA memember, but you need that for entrance anyway (non members can go in, but its much cheaper being a member)
There are plenty of fairly basic showers and toilets and a camp shop to buy stuff, and plenty of food available on site so you dont really need to leave the site- but the food is much better and cheaper in town!
The only other thing Id say is get there early. All the good camping spots are taken from 1st July, but you can still get something 200m walk from the flightline if you get there before the first day. Most of the aircraft arrive before the show starts or in the first couple of days and the aircraft park starts to empty on the Thursday/Friday with probably 75% of the interesting aircraft gone by the final weekend. Yes there will still be the airshow performaers and the commercial exhibitors, but the interesting antiques, warbirds, homebuilts etc, ie the stuff we really go to see, all leave early.
Also the bargains in the fly market and with the commercial exhibitors are mostly gone on the first couple of days.
have a great trip!
Nigel, many thanks for the advice. Lindsay
Nigel Hitchman wrote:Hi Lindsay,
if you live in the south, the easiest way to get there is LHR- Chicago. BA, AA and I think United all fly there with one or more flights per day. I think Virgin might, but they keep stopping the route and starting again. If you are further north, then I think there might be AA from Manchester, but not sure. Otherwise its connecting flights.
From Chicago its an easy 3 hour drive in a rental car, you can fly slightly nearer to Milwauke which saves an hour drive from Chicago but would involve a connecting flight, or to Appleton which is closer to Oshkosh, but less flights.
If you want to stay in a hotel in or very close to Oshkosh, then you are too late, you should have booked last year! However, you might find hotels rooms available in Appleton, Green Bay, or other places to the south of Fond du Lac such as Hartford or west bend. Then you are looking at an hour drive (less from Appleton)
Or you can stay at the univ of Wisconsin dormatories in Oshkosh, I think they are mostly twin rooms about $40 per night per person (but dont quote me) and none have airconditioning. THere is also an EAA housing hotline where they will give you details of local people who rent their houses out for the week. This is probably the only way you will get local accomodation now except the university. The houses arent cheap! We have rented a 4 bed house the last couple of years at $300 per night. But thats a lot cheaper than any hotels if there was a room!
Of course the cheapest option and what many thousands of people do, is stay on the campsite next to the airfield. Ive done this many times taking my tent and sleeping bag in my suitcase. Cant remember what camping costs, but it will be on the EAA website- you need to be an EAA memember, but you need that for entrance anyway (non members can go in, but its much cheaper being a member)
There are plenty of fairly basic showers and toilets and a camp shop to buy stuff, and plenty of food available on site so you dont really need to leave the site- but the food is much better and cheaper in town!
The only other thing Id say is get there early. All the good camping spots are taken from 1st July, but you can still get something 200m walk from the flightline if you get there before the first day. Most of the aircraft arrive before the show starts or in the first couple of days and the aircraft park starts to empty on the Thursday/Friday with probably 75% of the interesting aircraft gone by the final weekend. Yes there will still be the airshow performaers and the commercial exhibitors, but the interesting antiques, warbirds, homebuilts etc, ie the stuff we really go to see, all leave early.
Also the bargains in the fly market and with the commercial exhibitors are mostly gone on the first couple of days.
have a great trip!