Need Some Advice on NAMES or Cabin Fever

MontanaAardvark

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I've been to the NAMES expo once, the year it was in Toledo, '08. Likewise, I've been to Cabin Fever once, in '15, when it was in York in April.

My wife and I are talking about going back to one or the other, so the same basic questions apply.

The NAMES show (as I recall) was smaller than Cabin Fever, which was in a really big hall. Is NAMES bigger? Is Cabin Fever still a big show, now that it's in Lebanon PA in January? Which one is most worth going to? I'm coming up from Florida so it's either drive two days or fly up, whichever works out to have the cheaper total cost.

Are there any places to avoid around the Arena near Detroit? How about near Lebanon?

I'd appreciate any input. It's getting to be time to make reservations, especially if we go to Cabin Fever. That's just after New Years, so just about snap your fingers and it's here.
 
I had to look up those shows to see what they were. Look neat. I assume you know the NAMES show is in Wyandotte, not Detroit. It has been forever since I have been in Wyandotte, so I don't know what it is like around that little arena. The arena area in Detroit is nice though, not much to worry about there. If you're flying up from Florida, check some of the discount carriers that go into Grand Rapids or Lansing. There is allegiant, Southwest, and I think one other I can't remember the name of that will have special for pretty cheap airfare.
 
Thanks for your reply. The shows were both awesome and full of incredible models. Definitely something everyone in this hobby should go to. I just wish they were closer. Since we've been to Cabin Fever most recently, we were thinking of going back to NAMES as a comparison. Cabin Fever had more guys with vendor tables offering some good deals on tools, but maybe NAMES has gotten better at that.

I don't know anything about either city. We're going to be in the show all day and not wandering around sight seeing, other than going out to dinner so the city isn't the attraction.
 
I've been to the NAMES show for the last 8 or 9 years or so, and will be there next year. I can't speak to much to the Cabin Fever show except that they have a big tool auction, so I expect if you want to buy some stuff, that may be the better show. The area around the Yak arena is pretty nice, I haven't been anywhere around there that made my spidey sense go off. We usually stay at the Holiday inn over by the YMCA. There are plenty of good restaurants around there and the place has picked up some in the last 4 years or so. It was a bit depressing when we first started going, but the economy in the area seems much better now. We never went to the Cabin Fever because it was so close in time to the NAMES expo, and we didn't want to make two trips that close together, now that they moved it to January, we don't want to travel to that area in the winter due to the weather. I expect either show would be fun, hope you have a great time whichever you choose.
 
I'm not thinking of the Friday tool auctions they had at Cabin Fever, just that I recall more guys selling tools. I bought a few things there. There were a few commercial guys, too, like Little Machine Shop, Tormach, Village Press, Mach4 and some others.

The expo hall was big enough so that one side had a pool for RC boats and an area with loads of sand for model trucks and construction equipment. I don't recall anything like that in NAMES 2008.

Your misgivings about driving in the winter in that area are mine, too. I've never driven where ice was a consideration. The last weekend in April sounds like a safer bet.
 
I took a look at my Cabin Fever photos from '15. It's hard to capture the size of the place, but these two pics show one room of the two.

CabinFever_Pond.JPG
CabinFever_Trucks.JPG

The two areas are almost side by side - there's a generous walking path between them. There were still display tables and vendors in there.

I have no idea if it's the same sized venue in Lebanon (this was York).
 
My wife & I have attended N.A.M.E.S. the last two years. We stay at the La Quinta Inn, where many other attendees stay. The show is awesome. Plenty of restaurants in the area & friendly, helpful residents. A plus for us is, we attend the Henry Ford museum while there. A must see if you haven't.
 
My wife & I have attended N.A.M.E.S. the last two years. We stay at the La Quinta Inn, where many other attendees stay. The show is awesome. Plenty of restaurants in the area & friendly, helpful residents. A plus for us is, we attend the Henry Ford museum while there. A must see if you haven't.

Thanks for the tips. We're leaning to coming up to NAMES this year, mostly because it will have been much longer since our last visit than since our last Cabin Fever trip.
 
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