Amherst show next month advise for first timer

[Weed Weasel]

Hi

Need some advise on attending. Plan on flying to Hartford and taking the train to Springfield. Looking for advise on best place to stay. I understand there is a shuttle from the train station on Saturday and Sunday but is it running over capacity?

thanks

[Paul Cutler III]

I think you're going to have trouble finding a nearby hotel room at this late date. My club made our reservations in the summer.

I've stayed at the Sheraton (in downtown Springfield), the Red Roof, Hampton Inn, and the Quality Inn (all three in West Springfield...which is a different town from Springfield, BTW). All are decent chain hotels.

The only thing near the Big E is the Regency Inn & Suites, which is across the street from the show (but probably a long walk; the gates right there don't open AFAIK). I've never stayed there, but I imagine they're already booked. Or you could try AirBnB, but I have no experience with that.

So the problem I see is if you're going to the show and staying overnight without a car. The hotels that probably still have rooms won't be close to the show, so I'd expect to have to take a taxi or Uber/Lyft to get to the show. And you don't want to be dropped off at the street (Memorial Ave./ Rt. 147). It's a long, long walk into the show itself if they do that to you because the main entrance (East Rd and West Rd) are closed for the train show. Only Gate 1 and Gate 9 are open for the show. Make sure you get dropped off at either the Mallery Complex or the Better Living Center ticket booths. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't know how you'd get in without paying for parking. Hmm... You may want to have the taxi drop you off at the train station so you can ride the Big E shuttle bus. railroadhobbyshow.com/attendingtheshow.php#public

Get to the show before 9AM when it opens. If you want to get out of the show in a reasonable amount of time, leave about 30 min. before the show ends. It's a traffic nightmare getting out on Saturday (not so much on Sunday).

[Weed Weasel]

Thanks, I lucked out. I was able to book the Sheraton. It appears the shuttle stops there.