Oshkosh Travel Forum

Is it possible to travel from O'Hare to Oshkosh (for the airshow) by bus or train? Which is better? How long does it take?

You could take Amtrak's Hiawatha Service from Chicago to Milwaukee, then transfer trains to go up to Oshkosh. Check out http://www.trainweb.org/amtrak/mw_milw.html and you can see information. I'm sure this would take quite a long time. Also Greyhound offers service from Chicago to Oshkosh according to the website it takes 5 hours.

For the cost of either a bus or a train, I would say why not just rent a car? I took a Amtrak once from Milwaukee to Chicago (quite a while ago) and it cost US$30! You can easily rent a car for that much a day. Driving from O'Hare to Oshkosh would only take about 3 hours depending on traffic.

I'm brazilian but your american Maps showed me the better route to you is:
I-94 to the 894 bypass-->41/45 Highway North to Oshkosh
I'm including some interesting links to you:
http://www.airventure.org/2008/planning/08_planning_guide.pdf
http://www.gettingaroundillinois.com/
The air show will begin soon
Cassiovieggore

Driving is probably your best bet. However, be aware that (and this is a local joke) there are 2 seasons in Chicago, winter and road construction. The roads between Chicago and Milwaukee are fairly heavily travelled and there is usually some construction on some portions of the road. If you rent a car they can probably give you the best routes to Oshkosh and let you know about road construction.

When you're in Oshkosh you might want to stop by Oak's chocolate shop downtown. The oysters are really good: little chocolate balls rolled in crushed nuts.

Thanks for the info re Oshkosh. I'm not game to tackle driving in the US because we drive on the left in Australia. Now that I'm aware of Chicago's seasons (winter and road construction) I'm even less likely to drive myself!! Maybe I should just fly to Appleton (?) and get a bus from there.

I hope you booked a hotel already. I know that hotels are usually booked in Oshkosh and the surrounding cities within 30 miles or more.

Driving on the other side of the street is not a major problem. I drove around Ireland for a week ( they are opposite of the USA) and it only took a little time to get used to. By the first day I had it figured out with no problems. I was driving a manual shift too! If you get an automatic shift, there shouldn't be any real problems. You won't be doing much city driving anyway if you are just going from O'Hare straight to the Oshkosh. Also, Oshkosh is not that big of a city, so there really isn't that much traffic anyway.

The traffic between Chicago and Milwaukee can get bad, as someone already pointed out, but mostly on the weekends. If you are going on a weekday, there should be no problems. Plus, if you are leaving from O'Hare going toward Milwaukee you won't be going through the major traffic areas.

I think Flying to Appleton and then taking a bus to Oshkosh would be cost prohibitive, and probably time consuming.

Another option would be to fly into Milwaukee. A larger airport with more flights then Appleton. You could then rent a car in Milwaukee for the drive to Oshkosh and if hotels are a problem in Oshkosh of Appleton you could stay in the Milwaukee area which is about 1 hour away.

I think I'll take your advice and fly into Milwaukee. Thanks for the help.

Have a nice time. I think for the days of the airshow I've heard it mentioned that the Oshkosh Airport becomes the busiest airport in the world in terms of take offs and landings. If you want to try a unique experience while you are in Oshkosh head over near the lake and go to an old fashioned restaurant called I believe Ardy and Eds. You can be served in your car and the ladies (and now probably some men) will roller skate out to your car and take your order. Nothing fancy, just hamburgers, hotdogs, etc. If you do go try the soft drink we call Root Beer which they make.

Here's their website. Check it out.

http://www.foodspot.com/ardyandeds/