Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
How did you all find the hotel situation? Did you find yourself going crazy without having your own place right there to go to? Could you take shade tent to put up in the tenting only space..or by the time you got there would all the space be gone? I am on the fence about whether to camp or not and just trying to figure out the best plan on action!
You can set up a shade tent in camp-only to have a place to get out of the sun and meet up with others, especially GA camping friends.
I've stayed in Centeroo from noon to 4am-ish every year since '04, so I didn't feel crazy when we went the hotel route in '04. It was nice to have AC and be able to sleep until 11am every day, but the drive home each night was a drag. You can still roam the lot to get the "real" experience so many people refer to, but it's all about the music to me so I could take it either way. The "GA Freakshow" is a bonus for downtimes, IMO.
I stayed in a hotel last year (my first 'roo) - I think I'm going VIP this year, if that tells you anything. I just felt like I was missing something, not to mention - if you run out of energy - its a lot harder to re-energize when you don't have a place to get comfortable on site. Last year I ran out of gas during the MMJ late night show- and I'll regret it for the rest of my life!!! The hotel I was in was in tullahoma - a 20 minute ride away. Pigs is right on - the rides back to the hotel were not fun after the long day. The shelter / shower / AC was nice - but something is telling me to throw it all away for a tent on-site.
Post by trippindaisy on Feb 21, 2007 15:23:50 GMT -5
pigsnzen said:
You can set up a shade tent in camp-only to have a place to get out of the sun and meet up with others, especially GA camping friends.
I've stayed in Centeroo from noon to 4am-ish every year since '04, so I didn't feel crazy when we went the hotel route in '04. It was nice to have AC and be able to sleep until 11am every day, but the drive home each night was a drag. You can still roam the lot to get the "real" experience so many people refer to, but it's all about the music to me so I could take it either way. The "GA Freakshow" is a bonus for downtimes, IMO.
I'm not staying in a hotel, but will be driving in every day from Nashville, so I hope I don't hate that drive home too much......... I look forward to sleeping late and taking a shower in between each day of craziness though.
As long as you designate a driver, the drive back shouldn't be too bad. We were worried that @ 4am, the police wouldn't have anything better to do than give us the once-over. Never happened, but we prepared anyway.
Post by trippindaisy on Feb 21, 2007 18:28:00 GMT -5
pigsnzen said:
As long as you designate a driver, the drive back shouldn't be too bad. We were worried that @ 4am, the police wouldn't have anything better to do than give us the once-over. Never happened, but we prepared anyway.
I will be taking my teenage daughter and will be the only driver so no worries there. I will be absolutely sober and straight..... It will be more of a tiredness factor for me I think.
Last Edit: Feb 21, 2007 18:28:26 GMT -5 by trippindaisy - Back to Top
Maybe I'll throw myself to the dogs, but my back's not to the wall Maybe I'll lay some bricks for the man, but the days just aren't that long So if I settle back and chill will I see far enough to feel the angel's dream? I thought it was the Story of the World!
Post by trippindaisy on Feb 21, 2007 20:17:25 GMT -5
xiphoid420 said:
trippindaisy said:
I will be taking my teenage daughter ... I will be absolutely sober and straight
wow! i have nothing but respect for you...making it through bonnaroo under those conditions must be kinda like completing the Ironman triathlon
Haha I guess I am past the age where I feel like I need to be under the influence of anything to be having a great time. Last year I took a huge bucket of Margarita mix and had no desire to drink because of the heat, so even though I didn't have to be sober I was anyway for most of Roo. And I still had a blast
i kind of need to depart from reality a bit in order to not mind the sweltering heat and otherwise unpleasant conditions. and i don't even -have- a teenage daughter but again, more power to you
Maybe I'll throw myself to the dogs, but my back's not to the wall Maybe I'll lay some bricks for the man, but the days just aren't that long So if I settle back and chill will I see far enough to feel the angel's dream? I thought it was the Story of the World!
Post by oatmealschnappz on Feb 22, 2007 1:49:30 GMT -5
I've done the hotel thing and it sucked! The showers were (obviously) nice but, it seemed like I was missing an important part of "it". It's too easy to head for the hotel when you're tired or when it rains and you end up missing alot of the essential experience. A big part of Bonnaroo, for me, is just walking around and checking-out random bands that I would never even know about otherwise. If I had been in a hotel in'04, I would've never realized how great Yonder Mountain String Band was.....and I hate bluegrass! I would've never heard SteelPulse if it hadn't been for my annoying neighbors last year. I would've never noticed that Ben Folds, while he is a great musician/songwriter, played the exact same set (witty banter, jokes and all) as he had 3 months earlier in Knoxville. It's definitely "all about" the music, and you'll undoubtedly end up missing-out on some good bands and unique experiences if you try to juggle Roo against hot showers and (overpriced) beds. There are definitely pros and cons but, in my opinion, staying in a hotel will only take away from what could be, can be and is the most incredible musical/social experience that a person can ever have!
Last Edit: Feb 22, 2007 1:52:36 GMT -5 by trippindaisy - Back to Top
Post by sopwithcamel on Feb 22, 2007 9:39:27 GMT -5
I LOVE Yonder Mountain (and also hate bluegrass). We were really hoping they'd be playing this year -- sigh.
Hotel-wise, can I ask how come you would have missed those bands, oatmealschnappz? Hubby will only go if we do the hotel thing, and I'd rather do that than not go at all -- but I was figuring we could just hang out all day and most of the night on premises, (nap when needed,) and just head back to the hotel in between for some zzzzs. (Kinda like attending any other marathon-day festival, but repeating the process 4 times.) Was staying at a hotel prohibitive from attending shows somehow, such as the ride back and forth or traffic or something?
(Yeah, it's going to be a waste of $ considering how little time we'll spend at the hotel, but like I said, better that than nothing.)
Hotel-wise, can I ask how come you would have missed those bands, oatmealschnappz? Hubby will only go if we do the hotel thing, and I'd rather do that than not go at all -- but I was figuring we could just hang out all day and most of the night on premises, (nap when needed,) and just head back to the hotel in between for some zzzzs. (Kinda like attending any other marathon-day festival, but repeating the process 4 times.) Was staying at a hotel prohibitive from attending shows somehow, such as the ride back and forth or traffic or something?
I stayed in Centeroo from noon to 4am every day while staying in a hotel, so it can be done . You only miss shows if you want to go back to the hotel during the day or you can't get going in the morning. Pace yourself with plenty of water and sunscreen and you'll make it the whole day.
It reminded me of Jazz Fest, except I stayed on the grounds for the late-night shows instead of having to drive to them too.
I will be taking my teenage daughter and will be the only driver so no worries there. I will be absolutely sober and straight..... It will be more of a tiredness factor for me I think.
Yeah, we were pretty bushed by the time we left the night shows. A Red Bull would give you wings, though!
Post by sopwithcamel on Feb 22, 2007 10:10:44 GMT -5
Caffeinated candy can also be helpful when space is an issue: www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/candy/ . Generally taste nasty, but easy to carry and can keep you from crashing.
Post by trippindaisy on Feb 22, 2007 10:22:44 GMT -5
I think I will just make sure I have some mountain dew in my cooler for the way home. We tried their caffeine soap and have come to the conclusion that it doesn't work - I am sure we would notice because we don't do caffeine at our house.
Post by oatmealschnappz on Feb 22, 2007 13:52:55 GMT -5
sopwithcamel said:
Hotel-wise, can I ask how come you would have missed those bands, oatmealschnappz? Hubby will only go if we do the hotel thing, and I'd rather do that than not go at all -- but I was figuring we could just hang out all day and most of the night on premises, (nap when needed,) and just head back to the hotel in between for some zzzzs. (Kinda like attending any other marathon-day festival, but repeating the process 4 times.) Was staying at a hotel prohibitive from attending shows somehow, such as the ride back and forth or traffic or something
I just hated the drive, back and forth, from Tullahoma everyday....and staying in Centeroo overnight wasn't an option for my gf. When we've camped in the past, after she gets tired she could go back to the tent and sleep while I do the late-night thing. Plus, having to drive out everyday forced me to temper my "festivities" more than I would've liked. I only "party" once a year, so I like to do it right. Also, we tended to schedule our trips according to bands that we already knew that we wanted to see, providing us with little chance to just stumble across some of the smaller "random" bands that might be playing during the early afternoon. Part of the appeal to me has always been the ability to get-up and roam the campsites 24 hours a day, witnessing the fully surreal scenery that is Roo at 6 am. We also had the fact that we had so grossly overpaid for a room that was getting virtually no use, persuading us to sleep-in and even call-it a night earlier than we would've normally. Oh yeah, I'm the biggest germaphobe you'll ever meet, so the call of the hot cleansing shower was too much to resist. Without a doubt, everything that we missed in '05 was our own fault. It just seemed like having such a cozy fall-back plan made it way too easy to miss-out on certain parts of the overall experience for us. Like I said, we missed-out on some things because of our own decisions....hopefully you guys won't. Whatever you decide, I hope it works for you.
Last Edit: Feb 22, 2007 13:54:26 GMT -5 by trippindaisy - Back to Top
It will be more of a tiredness factor for me I think.
I guess I am past the age where I feel like I need to be under the influence of anything to be having a great time. Last year I took a huge bucket of Margarita mix and had no desire to drink because of the heat, so even though I didn't have to be sober I was anyway for most of Roo. And I still had a blast 
