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Hi everyone. This will be our family's first road trip. It's approximately 980 miles one way; spouse and I will split driving duty. Planning on at least one overnight break. Need advice on the best route, overnight recommendations, etc. Many thanks and happy summer!
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If the purpose of this trip is just to get to Oshkosh, this is a 2 full day's drive, with the halfway point being around Toledo. Take I-80 to Youngstown, then the Ohio and Indiana toll roads. At Portage IN, take I-80 to I-294 around Chicago, then I-94 to Milwaukee, I-894 around the west side to US-45/US-41 to Oshkosh.
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Well, firstly, around here we don't believe that there's a 'best' anything, certainly not a single best route from New York City to south-central Wisconsin. But there are things to consider when choosing from among probably the three most useful basic options. So let's start with the one that every mindless software mapping routine will suggest: I-80 to Chicago, I-94 to Milwaukee, and US-41 to Oshkosh. That will certainly get you there in two days (with an overnight somewhere between Cleveland and Toledo). But it will cost you both in terms of money since I-80 is toll from Youngstown to Chicago as are the roads around Chicago, and in terms if interest since almost the entire drive will be on limited access highways with a lot of truck and vacation traffic.
The first option to avoid the tolls and to see a bit of the Midwest at 'ground level' would be to take I-80 (or US-6) through Pennsylvania to around Youngstown and then use I-76/I-71/US-30 through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, staying south of Chicago and using I-355/I-290/US-12 to swing around Chicago to the west to the Madison area and use US-151 back to the Lake Winnebago area. (There are, of course, minor variations on this route that can shorten it a bit or take you to other places, as you see fit.) Such an option might be driven in two fairly long days, but lends itself more to a relaxed drive over three days with time spent enjoying sights along the way.
The other basic option you should at least consider (assuming your passports are in order) is going through Canada. In this case you'd head up through Binghamton and Elmira to Buffalo, cross over into Canada and use ON-402/ON-403 to Sarnia, cross back into the US, take I-69/I-75 up to Bay City and US-10 across Michigan to Ludington. There, you'd board the ferry across Lake Michigan to Manitowoc and continue on to Oshkosh by way of Appleton. This route would be more of an adventure than the other two and the ferry would certainly add to the cost, but it would be out of the ordinary, that's for sure.
AZBuck
So happy to have found RTA. The mapping software route was exactly what we wanted to avoid. Many thanks glc and AZBuck for the excellent recommendations.
Do you have some good maps, or a road atlas? That way you can see what other attractions are along the way. US6 through PA is one of my favourite routes, with the PA Grandcanyon, the Kinzua Bridge SP (I was fortunate to have visited it before the tornado destroyed it) and the dozens of other points of interest along the way. Be sure to take your time along this route. You could take it all the way to Warren, and then head up north to Buffalo, if you'd like to route through ON. On the other hand, US6 along the south side of the lakes is very scenic for much of the way, but it does route you through some cities.
Lifey