Oshkosh 2020: What Hotel?

VWGhiaBob

VWGhiaBob

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VWGhiaBob
Can’t believe I’ve never been to OSH. What’s the most convenient decent hotel? This time, I’m booking EARLY.
 
Depends on where you're flying into. Fond du Lac to the south? Appleton or Green Bay to the north? Or are you flying into Oshkosh?
 
Undecided...may even fly commercial. Just want to be near the show if possible. Looks like it’s all booked already!
 
If flying commercial, you can fly into Appleton. Variety of hotels there. In Fond du Lac, we generally flew into Milwaukee, and stayed at the relatively new Holiday Inn Express and Suites.

Regardless of what you choose for a hotel, it's common for minimum nights stays and $300-ish a night.
 
That Hilton is right there. Do a maps search & see what else is around.
 
Appleton seems to be leading the area in overcharging for everything during Airventure.
 
VWGhiaBob said:
Can’t believe I’ve never been to OSH. What’s the most convenient decent hotel? This time, I’m booking EARLY.
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You think you're booking early but you're not. I tried to book a room for this year when last years show was going on. At that time the only rooms available in Oshkosh were $300+/night. I ended up booking a decent suite in Appleton which was very nice and not too much $$$ but 30 miles away. Unless you're a vendor or willing to pay $$$ you're not staying close to the show in a hotel. You might have better luck with Air B&B or something similar but forget about hotels unless you're willing to drive some distance.
 
Most of the hotels around Oshkosh are sold out years in advance. You basically have to wait until someone passes away or know someone already staying that isn’t coming back to be able to book for the next year. It’s like getting Bama season tickets. The room almost has to be willed to you, especially the Hilton Garden.

Also you’re competing against every aviation company known to man for those rooms. There is a reason they charge ungodly amounts for the rooms.

Your best bet is a house. Even then most houses are like the hotel. The group I went up with this year has rented the same house for 30 years.
 
Basics of supply and demand, I want to get out to the show one day but I am not good at the whole camping idea. I have looked myself, what I also thought was well in advance, and found it challenging. If I do go, I will probably end up over 30 miles away but I hear the show is amazing...
 
Is there an RV area inside Oshkosh?

Thanks!
 
VWGhiaBob said:
Can’t believe I’ve never been to OSH. What’s the most convenient decent hotel? This time, I’m booking EARLY.
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I was thinking the same thing. All these years and I've never been. 2020 is the year. And I don't mind driving 50 miles to a hotel.
 
Are they still renting dorm rooms at the college and running shuttles?
 
I'm thinking of taking Mrs C....and she don't camp. So, I talked with a few guys at lunch that stayed in GreenBay. A 40 min drive. They flew to GreenBay and stayed near the airport. I might drive there and just stay in that area. They said there were rooms available at reasonable rates....and it was working nicely for them.

One thing to note....there are not many nice restaurants in OSH, outside of the standard fast food and franchise greasy spoons.
 
I have stayed at one of the local colleges... bad idea, no AC. Also have stayed in Green Bay... lots of hotel choices but a bit of. A drive.
 
Checkout_my_Six said:
One thing to note....there are not many nice restaurants in OSH, outside of the standard fast food and franchise greasy spoons.
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Not a ton of them but there are a few. After the show on Friday night we got in the car, took out the phone and just googled restaurants in Oshkosh. We figured there would be a long wait at all of them so the plan was try the first one that looks decent and if the wait is too long, head for the next place until we get a table.

First one we tried was the Ruby Owl Tap Room. Parked half a block away, walked in and we were seated immediately. Menu was standard bar fair burgers and salads etc but was excellent. Beer menu was very good as well and the bill was not bad.
 
ya but....no good steak houses. :(...and we were not about to wait at Friar Tucks.
 
Beckets is good. Black Otter Supper Club in Hortonville is good too, but it's a little bit of a drive
 
We stayed at the dorms this year, was pleasantly surprised. While there is no A/C, it gets pretty cool at night and windows open with a fan going made it plenty comfortable. We are, however, booking at A/C dorm next year (they fill up faster).
 
The Hanger isn't horrible food just down from Friar Tuck's, I ate at both while there this year. After 2 nights of sleeping in a tent, I was glad to sleep in my bed. AC and a real bed would be nice there.
 
I've stayed at the Marriott (Fairfield, I think) on Koeller St using points. Booked it about 6 months out. But I had status at Marriott so that may have had something to do with it.
 
Its been two years but last time I went to Madison stayed there and rented a car. A priceline room, last min was $80.00 bucks a night at the Holiday Inn Crown Plaza and there were others to choose from at that price. From parking lot to parking lot it was an hour drive...I have fought 40 min worth of traffic from downtown Osh to the grounds...if you only want to go a couple of days its the least expensive and Madison itself is a nice town...the FBO at Madison on the GA side was very accommodating.
 
I have stayed in the dorms for 4 years. 2 twin beds for $125 a night with AC.

Shuttle pass is $30 for the week that gets you to and from OSH. This was the first year I had to wait for more than one bus. The crowd was big this year.

I landed and parked at Appleton since the fields were to wet to land on Sunday.
 
VWGhiaBob said:
Can’t believe I’ve never been to OSH. What’s the most convenient decent hotel? This time, I’m booking EARLY.
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Well, you might be able to get a good rate for Oshkosh 2030.

Oh, the 2020 isn't a typo? You're not booking early. Sorry.

If you don't mind a drive, book something down closer to Milwaukee. For example, Germantown area. It's close enough to the major metro and far enough from Oshkosh that you'll be able to get the normal daily rate during the show. From Germantown to Oshkosh is about an hour drive. (I live near G-town, my wife teaches there.)

The best way to do Oshkosh while keeping air conditioning and your own shower is to rent an RV and stay in Camp Scholler, though.

ktup-flyer said:
Beckets is good. Black Otter Supper Club in Hortonville is good too, but it's a little bit of a drive
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Fox River Brewing is good.

If you go a bit farther, the White House Inn in Butte des Morts is pretty good too. Fastest I've ever made it through a menu: First thing I saw was a hunk of beef stuffed with garlic and wrapped in bacon. Didn't need to look at anything else on the menu to know what I was getting!
 
VWGhiaBob said:
Can’t believe I’ve never been to OSH. What’s the most convenient decent hotel? This time, I’m booking EARLY.
Click to expand...

If you are driving and want to be immersed in the action, camp at Scholler. Its the next best thing to flying in. If you want comfort and don't mind a few extra hours of commute, look for a hotel about 1 to 1.5 hrs away, such as in Sheboygen, Green Bay or even northern Milwaukee. Even there, hotel prices will be jacked up, but not as high as in Oshkosh, Appleton or Fon du lac. Surprisingly, the traffic on IR 41 moves fast even before/after the airshow. An hour of drive each way may sound horrific, but when you compare it to the extra time it takes to get showers, shopping and food at the camp grounds, the convenience of being able to stop at any major grocery store and coffee shop makes up for it.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
The best way to do Oshkosh while keeping air conditioning and your own shower is to rent an RV and stay in Camp Scholler, though.
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I considered renting an RV and camping, but from what I could tell, it wasn't really practical to expect to be able to get a camp site with power/water hookups. Am I incorrect on that? Is it pretty easy to rent an RV and get a site with hookups for it?
 
Juliet Hotel said:
I considered renting an RV and camping, but from what I could tell, it wasn't really practical to expect to be able to get a camp site with power/water hookups. Am I incorrect on that? Is it pretty easy to rent an RV and get a site with hookups for it?
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Who needs hookups? The sites with hookups are pretty inconveniently located. You're better off to just park it wherever, be stingy with the water so the tank lasts as long as possible, and pay a hundred bucks for the honey wagon to flush and fill the tanks midweek. And use a generator for power when you need to.

But maybe @mikea can fill you in on getting a reserved RV spot. I've never done it myself. And, BTW, there are no sites with waste hookups, only fresh water and power, so you're still gonna have to either get the honey wagon out or weigh anchor and make your way to the dump station at the south exit.
 
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