Hey there,
Newbies here! What are the pros/cons of the High School vs. Mary Ilium with two young kids (4&6)? Are either biking distance to the festival? (For the kids, that is.) Can you walk to the grocery store from the High School? And, when they say “quiet” does that mean there’s no hanging out at the High School? What about fires/cookstoves etc. Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks! We can’t wait!
The high school is the quiet camping area; no alcohol, no partying, its just a big open field with tents. Easy bike ride for the kids, pretty easy walk.
Illium is 7 miles from the fest, and you aren’t allowed to bike on the highway due to no shoulder and guardrails. So, you have to traverse up a narrow mountain path from Illium, and it is NOT easy. I don’t think a 4 year old would enjoy that very much. I did it with my nephew when he was 10 and we both agreed there was no way we were riding back so our bikes stayed in town till we picked them up Monday morning. If you are an avid biker its no problem. If you’re looking for a nice easy coast into town-stay at the high school. If you are staying at Illium you’ll end up using the shuttle for all of your transportation.
Side note: Motorcycles ARE allowed in town, even during the festival. You can park right at the box office, or anywhere else in town except a handicapped spot. You can even park at meters without paying on a motorcycle.
Last year was our first festival and we stayed at Ilium with our 6 year old (left the 3 year old and 1 year old at home with grandma…they’ll join us eventually). We really enjoyed the campground. I can’t speak on what it’s like at the high school, but I can tell you what we liked about Mary. It was more like camping in the woods. There are great views and it’s right along the river. We arrived on Wednesday so it was fun to go down to the river that day and hang out. Once the festival started on Thursday, we barely spent anytime at the campground. It was too far (for us, at least, because we didn’t want to miss anything) to go back and forth between the festival and the campground so we would pack up a hiking backpack with everything we needed for the entire day and night with the plan of spending the whole day in town. We ended up eating more meals in town than we had originally planned, but that just added to the fun (my son loved the corndogs and my wife and I enjoyed the eggrolls). By the time we got back to the campground we were so exhausted and crashed hard! I can remember thinking at the time that those were some of the best night’s sleep I had had in a while. It was quiet, but there was also a fire ban last summer so no fires at night. I wouldn’t worry too much about noise, though. The folks that attend this festival are the best kind of people in the world and generally extremely respectful. The only real advantages I see to staying at the high school is the proximity to town (walking/biking distance), showers (right there at the high school), and accessibility to electricity for charging cell phones. You might want to weigh those things when making your decision.
Unfortunately we can’t make it to the festival this year, but we would be staying at Mary if we were. Really, you can’t go wrong with camping because you’re going to the best music festival on the planet and you will have so much fun and make some incredible memories!
Hope that helps.
Hi,
If you happen to decide you would like to camp in the high school camping area, I have a pass available for $50. I was able to score a town park pass and I’m just looking to get a little cash back on it ($10<face)
Thanks,
Gavin
Exactly what he said. I guess I was only addressing the biking part. Mary E is MUCH better camping but the distance and reliance on the shuttle mean 2 really important things:
Those are deal breakers for me, but I’m sure it’s the perfect situation for some. See ya at the festivaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalll!!
PS-I am going to get NO work done this week! :hop :drunk :clap :drunk :hop
It depends where you stay in Mary E, I have stayed there the last two years and it gets loud at times and I can sleep through almost anything, it all depends on your neighbors. Many do stay there so they can have fun at night and get a little loud. Its a young crowd for the most part, but families do stay there as well. I would be interested to hear if anyone has had good luck in Mary E with little ones.
With the great information just posted…all that’s left for you to do is decide what works best for “my” family. Mary E is awesome. It’s real camping so to speak. I set up my own shower system so never needed the HS. I left in the morning and stayed til I was done. Campfire and a little partying and start over again the next day. There are plenty of places to get shade and a break from the music while at fest. A childrens fishing pond w/ shade is right at the entrance to Fest and makes a great diversion. Bring your own gear. The bus ride to and from fest is a little bit of an inconvenience but the kiddos should enjoy it . Field trip anyone?? Plan accordingly. Take what you need and you 'll be fine. Go with the flow. Bringing the family means you 'll have to adjust on the fly…The HS is a lodging and convenience option only…and that may be just what your looking for. There is no wrong answer!!! Enjoy