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I live in Memphis, TN, and plan to attend Bonnaroo in Manchester this year for the first time. I plan on leaving here around 6AM Thursday morning. My question is in regard to the hotels nearby and festival traffic. I couldn't find an available hotel in Manchester, so I ended up getting one in Murfreesboro which is about 30 minutes away. I plan to get to the hotel before 2 PM Thursday (check in time), and then head to Manchester right after. My question is this: Should I even worry about getting a hotel? I'm afraid that if I stay there Thursday night, I won't make it to the festival in time on Friday afternoon (due to traffic). I'm also concerned that if I leave the festival each night to go back to the hotel, I won't be able to get back to the festival on time for some of the shows. Is the hotel a bad idea (especially since it is in Murfreesboro), and should I just camp out? I still have plenty of time to cancel the reservations, but should I keep them anyway in case of bad weather, even if I decide to camp out? Any advice on this or traffic would be very helpful and much appreciated!
i would say that the hotel is a VERY bad idea....this is just my opinion though...pretty mucht here is something going on 24 hours a day....shows end so late that you dont want to have to bother wiht going back to you hotel only having to have to make th trip back in a few hours..and camping out is a lot of fun...make lots of friends and just chill...i couldnt imagine not camping...there is a lot more to camping but i dont feel liek typing because hte bottom line is it hink you should 100% camp without thinking twice.....my two cents
I think staying that far away is a bad idea. I've been every year and have never gone the hotel route, but if I did I'd try to stay somewhere in Manchester (every hotel's inventory has already been snatched up by the Bonnaroo folks - 4-nite packages will be your only only option - site says starting Feb. 11).
If I stayed that far out I'd be concerned with the traffic/parking....and driving after drinking.
Having been to a couple roos, I would recommend camping. Staying 30 mins away in murfreesboro will be quite a pain - dealing with traffic, worrying about who will drive (sober, i hope) and not being able to come and go easily will be quite the hassle. Besides - camping is half the experience - surrounded by other rooers, getting to meet people you'd never meet, etc. If you're gonna go to bonnaroo, get the full experience!
A few things to think about. Do you mind being dirty? If you do hotel it. You'll be pretty ripe at the end of roo. Can you sleep on the ground with people walking around you? If not hotel it. the guys next to me last year busted out a guitar and played till the wee hours in the morning. I didn't mind due to the fact that dudes could play! Need AC? You know where this is going.
If you want to see and do everything you can at roo. Camp. I've had my tent blow over in a storm (ripped out two stakes!) and still never regret camping. It's great sitting around with your neighboors drinking a beer and talking about the music, life, and why everybody I walk past calls me Molly.
Ok, guys. Thanks so much for your advice. I don't mind camping at all, just needed some inside info. I'm definitely canceling those hotel reservations. I don't want to take any chances!
Post by ziggyandthemonkeys on Feb 4, 2006 15:25:31 GMT -5
THe only "problem" iv had with camping is the heat waking me up at like 9 or 10. In all reality though thats not really a problem because that way i dont miss anything, and if i want to nap i could just go to an air conditioned tent.
Post by shamrockguinness on Feb 4, 2006 21:13:25 GMT -5
I stayed in a hotel my first year of Bonnaroo, which just so happened to be last year's. It was great getting back and taking a shower in the air conditioning, but we got so comfortable that we would oversleep a lot of good shows. Not only that but we never actually got the entire effect of the Bonnaroo COMMUNITY. Granted it was a great time, but driving home at 3 AM some nights, trying to determine who was sober enough, etc was just a pain. Not to mention that we lost where our car was on the Thursday night that we got there and ended up stuck in with campers who EVENTUALLY let us out around 8 AM or so on Friday morning... Just not a good scene.
I can hardly imagine going to bonnaroo and not camping. The way I see it, it makes bonnaroo what it is. If you don't camp you miss out on a lot of the culture, and the people, in addition to the whole camping aspect. Not to mention all the risks you might take driving with someone who might be a little to drugged, or intoxicated, it just isn't worth it? Thats my take on it, granted I have never been, that is just what I think about it.
Post by HoodooOperator on Feb 5, 2006 11:36:52 GMT -5
Going to Bonnaroo and not camping is a waste of a ticket. If you plan on staying in a hotel, cancel that idea, save your money, and come join the community for the real fun.
I've done the camping thing and loved it...this year I'm trying the hotel....only due to the fact that my wife and I are treating this like a honeymoon.Besdies 11miles isn't that far and I''m planning on taking the shuttle so being sober isn't a probem. I have slept through great shows when I camped because I didn't get a good sleep...this year I'll get good rest and make more shows....at least thats the plan. But for a first timer I'd say camping is a must.
My only concern is how aften the shuttles run from the hotels and how long it takes to get in. I am still thinking of if I should rent a car or take the airport shuttle. We live in the Bahamas and will be flying in.
I've done the camping thing and loved it...this year I'm trying the hotel....only due to the fact that my wife and I are treating this like a honeymoon.Besdies 11miles isn't that far and I''m planning on taking the shuttle so being sober isn't a probem. I have slept through great shows when I camped because I didn't get a good sleep...this year I'll get good rest and make more shows....at least thats the plan. But for a first timer I'd say camping is a must.
Unless you're getting the VIP hotel packages, the hotel shuttles don't apply (not the airport ones). I asked last year if they would run shuttles (for a fee, obviously) for the non-VIP hotel folks and never got a response. We just drove our cars and picked a DD each night.
Being able to sleep until 11am each day in the hotel meant I was able to see all the late-night shows I wanted for the first time. The early-morning heat kept me from sleeping past 8am every other year.
But camping was an experience unto itself and everyone should at least try it once.
I questioned Bonnaroo about the potential to have shuttles for the non-VIP hotel packages, and here is their reply:
"Unfortunately, there isnt anyway to set this up for this year's festival, however it is a great suggestion for future festivals. The only shuttles available are through the VIP upgrade on hotel packages. Futhermore, maybe a suggestion for this year is to coordinate carpools to get back and forth so it is not necessary for multiple cars to drive in and out each day and night."
Certainly a good suggestion to carpool if that can be arranged. I wonder about the availability of public transportation such as taxis or buses? Since Manchester is a rather small town, probably not widely available...
There are taxi services in Tullahoma (where most of the hotel packages seem to be), but we never ended up using them.
It was hard enough to get 4 guys in the same room to agree on when to come and go from the hotel. I can't imagine carpooling with other people. What if you get seperated or if they need to go back to the hotel early? Sounds like a huge hassle to me, but it may work for others.
