Insiders Guide to Bonnaroo Part 1

Insiders Guide to Bonnaroo Part 1

Some Tips – for gettin there, gettin in, timing and a few maps

We have all heard the rumors and stories about the 12 to 8 hours people have waited in line in the past to get in the campground, and yes they are true. So you must be prepared with enough gas, food, an empty bladder, cold beverage, patience, and positive attitude so you can RADIATE POSITIVITY while that hot TN sun radiates down on you. It is part of the Bonnaroovian Code .

2018 map

Number 1

Prepare yourself for the wait, the heat, and the search

Depending on which tollbooth you come through you will pass through a checkpoint where you will be greeted by a wonderful member of the C’roo who will scan your bracelets and search your car.

Be sure to get your trash/recycle bags and the program with the map and schedule!

(sometimes they will forget – I had many a year without a schedule so print your own – just in case!)

During the search they will be looking for:

NO Glass

NO Kegs (link to policy)

NO Weapons

NO Drones

NO Fireworks

NO Illegal Substances

NO Bicycles or any other 2-wheeled transportation device

NO Professional cameras (with detachable lenses longer than 2” long)

NO Pets (even really, really tiny ones)

NO Glow sticks

NO Box trucks/trailers (link to policy)

NO Laser pens or similar focused light device

NO Vending (sharing, yes. Selling, no)

NO Tools (stay tuned for what camping tools are permitted)

C’roo 2010

It usually only takes a couple of minutes as they actually look through everything, including opening your bags, coolers and checking out everything in your car. Depending on who you get, some are more thorough than others, some are more positive than others and as long as you don’t have any of the NO items you should be good to roll right through.

Notice GLASS at the top of the list, if you have it, your liquor will get dumped out in front of you. Also, follow Alcohol Policy – Each person may bring in 2 cases of beer, 1.75 liter of hard liquor (no glass), and 2 boxes of wine. Anything over this amount is considered “excessive” and will be confiscated. No kegs are allowed in the campgrounds. Most of the time is it easy breezy…if you have restricted items in your car you will hold up the line – so don’t bring it!

That being said – I have definitely heard the rumors and stories about the girl with a police sticker getting pulled for a thorough search, or just a random car being torn apart by cops as they are going in for whatever probable cause. It happens and you will probably see a few this year. Common examples of probable cause include the sight or smell of contraband in plain view or plain smell or an admission of guilt for a specific crime (like a sticker on your car). The best advice I can give you is to read the NO list, pack wisely, and roll incognito. The best way to avoid the drama is to pay attention to what they are looking for, don’t bring it (or make sure those glow sticks are damn well out of sight), don’t stand out and you should not have any problems going in. If you do get pulled over – know your rights.

You will definitely encounter a larger police presence on the interstates, small towns and in Coffee county as you start to get closer to Manchester. Don’t give them a reason for them to pull you over. Make sure your vehicle is in good working condition– like air in the tires, make sure your lights and signals work. Make sure your tags/registration are all current. And have good windshield wipers, you don’t want to be on Monteagle Mountain in the rain with poor vision.

Number 2

Timing means nothing

I see a lot of posts asking about the best time to get to the farm. The only definitive answer I can give is safe. The timing of your arrival and where you will camp is a crapshoot at best if you purchased GA passes. This map shows the tentative Map for 2019. I have arrived early on Wednesday and been in line when doors open and I ended up in POD 10 as far back as you could be past the East toll, I have driven in late on Thursday and ended up near POD 7. I know friends who got there on Friday and ended up near POD 2. It really depends on the number of cars in front of you and how fast the plazas fill up, as to where you will camp.

The best thing you can do is be prepared to wait to get in and be prepared to walk to Timbuktu every trip back to camp or budget for pedicab rides. Hopefully, you won’t be in BFE, but if you are sure to have had an approved clear bag, or a locker and good walking shoes. One of my friends who has been every year but one always takes something to soak his feet in – which is a lifesaver with ice water from the cooler.

This is what the Roo site says about arrival:

Managing traffic is the closest thing we know to rocket science, trust us. We have three GA entrances – which we call Tollbooths – as well as an exclusive VIP Tollbooth for VIP ticket holders only. In order to get everyone into the festival as quickly as possible, we carefully balance the number of vehicles coming into each Tollbooth. Please take the suggested routes below, and obey all law enforcement directions, as well as electronic message boards that may post an alternative route.

What determines where you camp? The Tollbooth in which you enter, and the time you arrive. Does this mean some people get “better” camping spots than others? Yeah, it does. Life is unfair. But no matter where you camp, you’re close to bathrooms, water, security, and medical staff. And keep in mind that a closer campsite doesn’t mean a better view of the stage. It’s just a shorter walk, and the exercise doesn’t hurt. Furthermore, we know from experience that amazingly great times are had in every corner of the campgrounds. Who knows, you could be camped next door to your new BFF.

The Suggested directions on the ROO site are:

If you’re coming from the east, use I-75 or I-59 to Chattanooga. From Chattanooga take I-24 west.

If you’re coming from the west, use I-40, I-24, or I-65 to Nashville. From Nashville take I-24 east.

My drive is from RVA so from the North – through Virginia to Tennessee, through Knoxville. If you look on Google Maps – From the North, the ROO site directions swing you down through Chattanooga and then up 24. This part of I-24 is where you will have to drive through Monteagle Mountain which is considered one of the most hazardous stretches of interstate highway in the United States. (Johnny Cash wrote a song about it) It is located approximately 40 miles (64 km) west of Chattanooga on I-24 in Monteagle, where the highway crosses the Cumberland Plateau. A great area for camping, rock climbing and repelling in South Cumberland State Park, or Fiery Gizzard Trail (seriously KILLER hike) but the scariest roller coaster ever in a car with 80,000-pound trucks zooming past you at 70 miles an hour.

Personally, I have been scared for my life by the speeding truckers on this swath of road in the past and I like to take the back roads to avoid it altogether. From Knoxville, I go through Sparta to McMinnville to I-55 going very s-l-o-w through Morrison to I-24 and I GPS New Bushy Branch Road which will bring you in on the West tollbooth instead of the main entrance off I-24 where most of the cars are lining up and waiting for the highway tollbooth. Now this is my way and it is not the shortest or most direct route nor does it ensure the best campsite– again a total crapshoot, the East tollbooth will get you in with a shorter wait time, but you still might end up in BFE!

You can also get off I-24 an exit or two after Murfreesboro, Beechgrove and head into Manchester on hwy-41, then you will get directed by cops and signs to the Farm. I do tell you these “back ways in” with a caution: the speed limits are much slower and the police are aggressive about stopping out of towners on the back roads if they have a reason. Do your own homework, have a map and a plan if you decide to take an alternative route. Print out a paper map and write down the directions in case you have some kind of issues with your technology.

When driving all those Bonnaroo or illicit stickers might not be such good idea, or writing on the windows or over packing your car to the point you cannot see out. Try to be incognito and cruise through those small towns with extreme caution. When you are driving into the surrounding counties near Coffee county and Manchester PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO ALL TRAFFIC LAWS, and drive like your FREEDOM depends on it – any probable cause is likely to get you pulled over and get your car torn apart and searched by K9 units. I also suggest you avoid rest stops and stop only at truck stops, fast-food restaurants, gas stations. Rest stops are havens for all kinds of drama and I’ve seen patrols with K9 units walking the parking lots. Be patient, drive with some common sense and don’t blatantly be drinking and/or parting. Those blissful moments on the farm are just a few hours away.

Tennessee’s open container laws are intended to apply to the driver compartment of the vehicle. So, the open container restrictions aren’t applicable to beverages possessed by a passenger or in a closed glove compartment, trunk, or other “nonpassenger area” of the vehicle. However, all you have to do is give the cops a reason. Play it safe and wait to get loose until you get inside.

This IS the biggest event in this area all year (Well – except for the inaugural Exit 111 festival – which will be a whole other world and article), so be mindful because Tennessee is notorious for Speed traps – an area of road in which hidden police detect vehicles exceeding a speed limit, typically by radar. Smyrna, Tennessee, (which you will be coming through if arriving from Nashville) about 24 miles south of Nashville off I-24, has a high rate with 74.31-speed traps per 100,000 residents. Also, Knoxville has more speed traps than any other major Tennessee city. So be aware and don’t be a statistic.

I suggest you use WAZE or a GPS that shows the speed limit and don’t speed. In some of these areas I will be driving along – on WAZE I see the speed limit change but no sign on the road, hence the trap, then you pass a hidden cop. Be SOBER, Be AWAKE and make sure your driver has had some rest or switch up with your crew once you get close if it is a really long drive.

The actual address is 627 Campground Rd, Manchester, Tennessee 37355, but you should follow signs and directions from the staff and police once you start seeing the rest of the traffic.

Number 3

Manchester Walmart

So it started as an emergency situation the first time my crew and I slept in the parking lot of the 24-hour Walmart Supercenter on 2518 Hillsboro Blvd, Manchester, TN 37355. Now it has become a tradition. The last time was 2018 and every indication says it is still ok to stay overnight in this Walmart Supercenter parking lot because it is open 24-hours and there is no local or state ordinance. Last year, it was like a tiny circus atmosphere, but I was so exhausted from my 11-hour drive I completely crashed out for several good hours of sleep before meeting up with my group.

It is a great easy access meeting point if you and several other cars are trying to meet up and go into camp together. That way you can run in and grab any last-minute supplies and coordinate going in together. It can be done, you just need to be friendly with the C’roo and let them know you want to stay inline and camp together. One year we got four cars together, but everyone had to follow close to make it happen.

So there you have it the Part 1 of my ROO insiders guide, just a little advice because: Bonnaroo 2018: Hundreds arrested, cited at a music festival. Hopefully, these tips will help you plan, arrive safely and have the BEST festival experience.

Part 2 will include more about the PODs, center-roo, showers, and some other good festivaling tidbits so stay tuned. Be sure to like my page on FB, Instagram, and subscribe to my YouTube for festival updates, new blogs and more music festival gear tips!

~Wren

“Where you going city boy?”

On your way back if you like chasing waterfalls Fall Creek Falls or rugged hiking and rock climbing definitely check out the Savage Gulf, both are worth the hike. And don’t forget about Mother’s milk: Jack Daniels Distillery is only 35 minutes away if you want to take a tour or have a tasting.

Cheers!