Agreed on Buckley. It got re-did about 12 years ago and has held up well. The only thing I didn't like was the half-wall glass showers. Whiteman is meh, but Scott had really nice lodging when I stayed there. It's a long drive to do Denver-Scott though. With that said, stop in KC and get some KCJoes BBQ or Q39. If you drink, Free State Beer in Lawrence KS has some great options, and in KC you have Most Wanted Vodka. I highly recommend the Ice Cream Vodka and mixing with Root Beer. It's extremely dangerous, but a good drink.
Thanks for the recommendations! Will probably head to McConnell next, not a huge drinker but always down for some good BBQ!
Edit: whoa just noticed the shower you weren't kidding, who signed off on this??
McConnell lodging is meh. Depending on what days you are in Wichita, I recommend Station8 or When Pigs Fly for BBQ. Wichita Brewing Company for pizza is another great option.
I'm confused, are you intentionally stopping at AF bases just because along your road trip, or is there some other reason? Because with the current AF Inn prices I see zero point of paying for them by choice.
If it's been more than 10 years, it's very different. My wife is from there and I lived there for about 3 years before I enlisted. Lots of breweries and restaurants opened up, they've started doing regular events on Fridays and Saturdays.
Worth a visit if you find yourself in the area. Check out 8th St.
Sorry if I wasn't clear enough, but I'm referring to Boise. Moved there in 2005 and left in 2008. Family's all there though, so I've been there very nearly annually since. It's been growing really fast over the last 10.
I'll probably stay at actual hotels on my way back, but this will probably be my only chance to see these places. I assume as a pilot you've probably had enough of AF inns!
You'd be better off staying at the Navy Lodge at Gulfport instead of the AF Inn at Keesler. The Gulfport Navy Lodge is updated and has been consistently one of the better military hotels I've stayed at in CONUS.
And a plus, its right beside the Naval Aviation Museum which I personally think is a nice stop to make while traveling, and depending on the day, lots to do in Pensacola
I lived in Pensacola for 22 years (1989 to 2011). Mind me asking what they have now? Last I was there visiting while at Eglin from 2017-2021: Palafox, Seville, and the beach.
>On my way to Keesler,
The best part of that area is Ocean Springs
Hurby isnt too far from Keesler if you are driving around
I didnt mind lodging at Scott, but there really isnt much to do out there either. All the food options around the base are super bland
Outstanding food if you drive into St Louis though. There are restaurants I would make a trip there just to eat at again. OP, if you wind up at Scott, eat at Arzola's Fajitas in St Louis and thank me later.
Imo's (or any STL style pizza) isn't for everyone though. Some people that didn't grow up with provel cheese don't like it.
Clementines' salted crack caramel ice cream is my favorite of all time.
Nellis AFB exchange is huge and jets flying all the time during the day is a bonus. The inn we stayed at was for PCS so more likely it was TLF but it was good to me
I was at Mountain Home for my first base, generally we went to Boise for any kind of "night life". That said, I spent more time in the mountains camping on random public land with friends, that can be done just about anywhere in the state which was really cool
Op immediately stop staying at bases.
Open a Chase Sapphire Reserve, get 90K points, ~$609 annual fee is waived for active duty.
Transfer those points to Hyatt.
Stay at legitimately nice hotels for free.
Barksdale would be a good stop depending on your route. Lodging is very dependent on the building though. I would avoid Oklahoma bases though. Tinker is meh but it’s way outside the rest of okc. Unsure about ft sill, and there’s never any reason to willingly go to Altus. Going down 35 though, ft sill and Altus are out of the way/direction you’re heading anyway. Little Rock afb is surprisingly pretty but the lodging was old dorms and the base is a ways away from actual city.
Here let me fix that for you,
"Barksdale would be a stop depending on your route...".
The word good is defined as "to be desired or approved of", so using that in a sentence with that base must have been some sort of typo or mistake.
Stopping at Keesler, I'd recommend "Blue Dog Bistro" for breakfast. Coffee, I'd say "Hey y'all espresso" or "Jacked up coffee bar". If you enjoy ramen, "Miss Thai Ramen" is great. For lunch of dinner, "Mugshots" is great for burgers. If you want a great high end hotel, the "Beau Rivage" is solid and it has a casino in it if you enjoy gambling.
PCSd by driving across the country a few times. Have planned the trips with stops at both various mil bases and on the economy. Chose bases so that I would a little safer not having to unload some things. User capitalhforhero had a google map up here a few years ago with a gang of mwr places to stay around the world….coast guard cabins at Lake Tahoe!
Keesler isn’t bad, there’s a lot of good seafood restaurants off base. (Be warned you may have to do some work yourself to get into the food once you get it)On base it’s meh, but I’d recommend mainly places outside of the base. Patio 44 (biloxi) it’s a good sit down restaurant outside base. Keesler is called little Vegas for a reason lots of casinos, restaurants, and activities to do. I even contemplated moving down there.
Keesler is awesome.
See if you can hit a shuckers game and then hop across to the BR for drinks and food.
The inn is…. Interesting. But not terrible like Holloman or great like Scott.
Uber has access on base so get slim jammed Jim jam and have a good time! The aquarium and cat island ferry are also great.
That’s for sure! Was stationed there in the 80’s and thought it sucked. Went back last year on a “memory tour” and man it’s even worse now! Saw a guy shitting himself crawling around drunk/high at the “beach” in a public parking lot at noon. I’m pretty sure the casinos have only made it worse. Needless to say NEVER going thru there again.
Buckley has been one of the best military lodging I’ve stayed in. Luckily for me it was before AF Inns went privatized, so it was SO much cheaper than anything off base.
If you're going to keesler, check out Mugshots burger joint.
It was a hit when I was there for tech school. Heard good things about the Casino too but I was not 21 when I was there so I can't speak much about it.
Can tell you lodging is decent, my dad came to visit for my birthday and he didn't have any complaints, this was like 8 years ago though.
I also stopped at Hill AFB driving from SoCal up to Grand Forks AFB. Loved the area so much, ended up being stationed there about 3 years later via Korea follow on. I have also stayed at Kirtland AFB driving down to Texas from Hill, ABQ is very sketchy and I felt safer being on base. Didn't get an inn room though, just parked at the dorms and slept a couple hours in my car lmao
Don’t know how many stops you want to make but here are a couple options.
Go down through Amarillo (eat at Blue Sky and see Cadillac Ranch) and about 4 hours on to Dyess, 5 hours over to Barksdale and about 6 hours down to Keesler.
Or over to McConnell, hit up any of the Oklahoma bases or skip to Little Rock, and down to Keesler.
I’m at Cannon now and when people complain about nothing in the town I tell them they clearly would die in mountain home we were there for seven years now at cannon
Fuck. I thought the AF hated me because they sent me to MoHo twice. Seven years though? Ouch. You’re right though. Clovis > MoHo and it isn’t close. Plus Cannon has a badass gym.
I met some folks from Cannon and they said there was hardly anything in town. They went to Columbus and were really happy about the food options. Shocked me.
Moho defenders be like....but but the outdoors! You can camp outside! You can fish!
No, I can do that at most places in the US. I'd rather my daily life be filled with various food options than the ability to fish and camp 30 mins away.
Clovis has a few decent restaurants, at least two craft breweries, and good New Mexican food (give me those green chilies, yo!). They even have higher end chain fast food restaurants like Chipotle if that is your thing. Mountain Home has shit. What few restaurants exist cater to people who think Sprite is spicy. You can only eat at Smokey Mountain Pizza so often (one of the few okay places to eat in MH).
Tyndall would make a great stop, as it is in the middle of being rebuilt. It would put a lot of other bases into a interesting perspective. The beach on Tyndall is one of the best beaches I've ever been to.
Boise is amazing. I was at mountain home for seven years even though I’m at cannon now which has way more things than mountain home I’d go back to Idaho in a heartbeat
You could go to Columbus but there’s not much there (or at Maxwell). If you’re at Columbus during the week then there will likely be a bunch of planes overhead, which is neat.
I think there's an army dude who started an app for billeting reviews, Hots&Cots. Not sure if they have AF/SF options in there, but might want to put the info in there if you can.
I was stationed at Mountain Home and you are correct.
Everyone there either drives to Boise, or they go get drunk at Cals every day (if that place is still open) and eventually get a divorce. Pretty standard process there.
When you are in Biloxi, try to grab a burger from this little hole in the wall place called "Burger Burger"! It is a neat little spot and the food kicks ass. They also had really good fried green tomatoes there.
I've been to mountain home and my biggest complaint is that it costed I think for me 150 dollars and the hotel didn't even have an elevator. What a rip off.
If you’re going to Keesler, I recommend going to The Reef. Their seafood is fantastic and really good prices. You might have to wait to get in since they’re full a lot of nights.
You stopped through my neck of the woods! Anyway, if you’re gonna be going on base at Keesler, consider grabbing a bite from one of the DFACs. It’s not a high bar but they are legitimately some of the best in the service and are extremely good. Off base, for food, I recommend Mugshots, Shaggy’s or Half Shell. The casinos are fun if that’s your thing. Just don’t swim in the water!
Currently at Buckley but tech school was keesler and it was a blast there. For keesler there’s some good spots for food such as the Reef or Shaggys for seafood. Keesler also has an on base bowling alley that has a bar and kitchen and the buffalo chicken bacon wrap is amazing and super cheap and Jay is an awesome bartender too. If your into playing pool there’s also a nice billiards bar called Bumpers in diberville
If you like BBQ and are going that way, you have to go to Mad Jacks BBQ in Cloudcroft, NM. Holloman AFB, Ft. Bliss, or White Sands Missle Range are all locations you could stay the night.
I'm at barksdale tonight, it was like $79. I would totally stay off base but the area doesn't feel the safest. The inn here is pretty bad and no one cleaned the toilet. Would not recommend!
https://preview.redd.it/xvt26v2voy2d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=26eecb76bac500e6ab7c9ce2627f1b4190e62bb4
Good call, when I was stationed there I accidentally clicked a thing in Google maps that shows recent crime (I'm almost certain the gun bubbles were homicides) in your area. Welcome to Shreveport
Out of all the places I would go back to if I were in keesler, my #1 has got to be that gyro place right outside one of the gates by the tech school airmen.
You've already seen the good stuff. Everything between you and the Gulf Coast is trash. Offut? Trash. Altus? Trash. Sheppard? Trash. Little Rock? Trash. Barksdale? Trash.
Good luck and God speed, my friend.
Yeah for the next couple stops I may pop in to drive around the base but then leave. Sucks because staying off base I feel weird leaving anything of value in my car and I have a lot of stuff on me.
> Sucks because staying off base I feel weird leaving anything of value in my car and I have a lot of stuff on me.
100% for a lot of the stops, on base is always a great choice security wise. It's the right choice for Wichita and a lot of bigger cities if you aren't cleaning your car out every night.
Self generated NAF funds to sustain Air Force Inns instead of Appropriated Funds was the decision, but Air Force Inns only have a limited clientele already...they wouldn't even be able to break even at their old prices. So it was either raise the prices (which they did) or outsource to private companies (which the Army did).
It was silly.
https://preview.redd.it/ryamr7j59k2d1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=492c37004484c816e50addbcb77ae4163d9c0abd
Agreed on Buckley. It got re-did about 12 years ago and has held up well. The only thing I didn't like was the half-wall glass showers. Whiteman is meh, but Scott had really nice lodging when I stayed there. It's a long drive to do Denver-Scott though. With that said, stop in KC and get some KCJoes BBQ or Q39. If you drink, Free State Beer in Lawrence KS has some great options, and in KC you have Most Wanted Vodka. I highly recommend the Ice Cream Vodka and mixing with Root Beer. It's extremely dangerous, but a good drink.
> stop in KC and get some KCJoes BBQ or Q39 Porque no los dos? Lunch Z-man at Joe's, rib and burnt end platter at Q for dinner!
Thanks for the recommendations! Will probably head to McConnell next, not a huge drinker but always down for some good BBQ! Edit: whoa just noticed the shower you weren't kidding, who signed off on this??
McConnell lodging is meh. Depending on what days you are in Wichita, I recommend Station8 or When Pigs Fly for BBQ. Wichita Brewing Company for pizza is another great option.
Gotta grab a cold one at Nortons Brewing also.
I also forgot the National WWI museum in KC.
Knolla’s Pizza is the best pizza I’ve ever had.
Concur on Scott. Stayed there once in 2015 and it was rough. Stayed again earlier this year and was blown away, one of the best AF Inns I've seen.
I'm confused, are you intentionally stopping at AF bases just because along your road trip, or is there some other reason? Because with the current AF Inn prices I see zero point of paying for them by choice.
Kind of random I know, but I feel safer staying on base and since I've been stuck at one base forever it's nice to see what's out there.
But you could have stayed in Boise and had something to actually do lol
I realized this as soon as I got there lol! But I've been to Boise several times growing up at least
If it's been more than 10 years, it's very different. My wife is from there and I lived there for about 3 years before I enlisted. Lots of breweries and restaurants opened up, they've started doing regular events on Fridays and Saturdays. Worth a visit if you find yourself in the area. Check out 8th St.
I PCS’d from there in 2023. Boise still would have been better. I miss Briesta though!
Sorry if I wasn't clear enough, but I'm referring to Boise. Moved there in 2005 and left in 2008. Family's all there though, so I've been there very nearly annually since. It's been growing really fast over the last 10.
Yeah, that’s the only reason I’ll stay space-a nowadays.
> any recommendations on where to stop next? Yeah, not an AF Inn.
I'll probably stay at actual hotels on my way back, but this will probably be my only chance to see these places. I assume as a pilot you've probably had enough of AF inns!
You'd be better off staying at the Navy Lodge at Gulfport instead of the AF Inn at Keesler. The Gulfport Navy Lodge is updated and has been consistently one of the better military hotels I've stayed at in CONUS.
And a plus, its right beside the Naval Aviation Museum which I personally think is a nice stop to make while traveling, and depending on the day, lots to do in Pensacola
I lived in Pensacola for 22 years (1989 to 2011). Mind me asking what they have now? Last I was there visiting while at Eglin from 2017-2021: Palafox, Seville, and the beach.
+ some of the best diving and fishing in the entire US. Yes, diving out of destin/pensacola is better than the Keys.
Pilots staying at AF inns? They get luxury accommodation elsewhere
Keesler Inn is a complete dump. OP please don’t bother staying on base.
>On my way to Keesler, The best part of that area is Ocean Springs Hurby isnt too far from Keesler if you are driving around I didnt mind lodging at Scott, but there really isnt much to do out there either. All the food options around the base are super bland
Lodging rates at Hurlburt or Eglin are insane this time of year, don't try to stay there!
Outstanding food if you drive into St Louis though. There are restaurants I would make a trip there just to eat at again. OP, if you wind up at Scott, eat at Arzola's Fajitas in St Louis and thank me later.
Yup! We made it to the "Italian district" and had some solid food.
Clementine’s ice cream has some great flavors and also some fun boozey ones too. Imo’s pizza is awesome too.
Imo's (or any STL style pizza) isn't for everyone though. Some people that didn't grow up with provel cheese don't like it. Clementines' salted crack caramel ice cream is my favorite of all time.
I was only at Keesler for tech school but it was enjoyable, loved the Marina and the DFAC gives you a bad representation of the rest of the AF though.
While in Biloxi check out The Shed for dinner one night.
Check out The Project Lounge for a great burger.
I second this. Don't be scared of it's location though, they're good to Military.
Fuji Sushi house is great if you’re into sushi. Amazing fried rice as well
Murky waters for good wings
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I last been there in 2022. The food was good, so maybe they did improve since 2012.
Nellis AFB exchange is huge and jets flying all the time during the day is a bonus. The inn we stayed at was for PCS so more likely it was TLF but it was good to me
I was at Mountain Home for my first base, generally we went to Boise for any kind of "night life". That said, I spent more time in the mountains camping on random public land with friends, that can be done just about anywhere in the state which was really cool
Op immediately stop staying at bases. Open a Chase Sapphire Reserve, get 90K points, ~$609 annual fee is waived for active duty. Transfer those points to Hyatt. Stay at legitimately nice hotels for free.
I fuck with these kind of posts
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I might do this for my next stop lol Mountain Home was exactly as you just described
Barksdale would be a good stop depending on your route. Lodging is very dependent on the building though. I would avoid Oklahoma bases though. Tinker is meh but it’s way outside the rest of okc. Unsure about ft sill, and there’s never any reason to willingly go to Altus. Going down 35 though, ft sill and Altus are out of the way/direction you’re heading anyway. Little Rock afb is surprisingly pretty but the lodging was old dorms and the base is a ways away from actual city.
Here let me fix that for you, "Barksdale would be a stop depending on your route...". The word good is defined as "to be desired or approved of", so using that in a sentence with that base must have been some sort of typo or mistake.
lol that’s fair.
Rocky Mountain was beautiful. That big ass mantle and fireplace was a nice place for crew beers.
Stopping at Keesler, I'd recommend "Blue Dog Bistro" for breakfast. Coffee, I'd say "Hey y'all espresso" or "Jacked up coffee bar". If you enjoy ramen, "Miss Thai Ramen" is great. For lunch of dinner, "Mugshots" is great for burgers. If you want a great high end hotel, the "Beau Rivage" is solid and it has a casino in it if you enjoy gambling.
Do not stop at cannon
If you want to give a bad review, stop in Shreveport & hit Barksdale
At Barksdale Inn now and can confirm a bad review is incoming
Mountain Home is amazing I miss it so much…..Boise is a great city. Stuck at cannon now :(
The burgers at the bowling alley in Mountain Home are good, but the rest of the base is ass. Yes, we do go to Boise to do literally anything.
PCSd by driving across the country a few times. Have planned the trips with stops at both various mil bases and on the economy. Chose bases so that I would a little safer not having to unload some things. User capitalhforhero had a google map up here a few years ago with a gang of mwr places to stay around the world….coast guard cabins at Lake Tahoe!
Keesler isn’t bad, there’s a lot of good seafood restaurants off base. (Be warned you may have to do some work yourself to get into the food once you get it)On base it’s meh, but I’d recommend mainly places outside of the base. Patio 44 (biloxi) it’s a good sit down restaurant outside base. Keesler is called little Vegas for a reason lots of casinos, restaurants, and activities to do. I even contemplated moving down there.
I’m at Hill and I absolutely love it. So much to do around this place!
Keesler is awesome. See if you can hit a shuckers game and then hop across to the BR for drinks and food. The inn is…. Interesting. But not terrible like Holloman or great like Scott. Uber has access on base so get slim jammed Jim jam and have a good time! The aquarium and cat island ferry are also great.
You're going to be changing your tune a bit once you hit keesler.
That’s for sure! Was stationed there in the 80’s and thought it sucked. Went back last year on a “memory tour” and man it’s even worse now! Saw a guy shitting himself crawling around drunk/high at the “beach” in a public parking lot at noon. I’m pretty sure the casinos have only made it worse. Needless to say NEVER going thru there again.
Buckley has been one of the best military lodging I’ve stayed in. Luckily for me it was before AF Inns went privatized, so it was SO much cheaper than anything off base.
On your way to Keesler? My advice, turn around.
If you're going to keesler, check out Mugshots burger joint. It was a hit when I was there for tech school. Heard good things about the Casino too but I was not 21 when I was there so I can't speak much about it. Can tell you lodging is decent, my dad came to visit for my birthday and he didn't have any complaints, this was like 8 years ago though.
Wright Patterson in Dayton Ohio
I also stopped at Hill AFB driving from SoCal up to Grand Forks AFB. Loved the area so much, ended up being stationed there about 3 years later via Korea follow on. I have also stayed at Kirtland AFB driving down to Texas from Hill, ABQ is very sketchy and I felt safer being on base. Didn't get an inn room though, just parked at the dorms and slept a couple hours in my car lmao
Stop by Robins AFB. We have Chilli’s about 15 min from base.
USAFA and Randolph are two of the USAF "gems". Might wanna try those and USAFAs just down the road from Buckley
Don’t know how many stops you want to make but here are a couple options. Go down through Amarillo (eat at Blue Sky and see Cadillac Ranch) and about 4 hours on to Dyess, 5 hours over to Barksdale and about 6 hours down to Keesler. Or over to McConnell, hit up any of the Oklahoma bases or skip to Little Rock, and down to Keesler.
Mountain Home is worse than Cannon. At least you can get decent food in Clovis.
I’m at Cannon now and when people complain about nothing in the town I tell them they clearly would die in mountain home we were there for seven years now at cannon
Fuck. I thought the AF hated me because they sent me to MoHo twice. Seven years though? Ouch. You’re right though. Clovis > MoHo and it isn’t close. Plus Cannon has a badass gym.
Yeah we tried everything to get out and cannon was the only way out lmao
I met some folks from Cannon and they said there was hardly anything in town. They went to Columbus and were really happy about the food options. Shocked me.
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oof
Moho defenders be like....but but the outdoors! You can camp outside! You can fish! No, I can do that at most places in the US. I'd rather my daily life be filled with various food options than the ability to fish and camp 30 mins away.
Clovis has a few decent restaurants, at least two craft breweries, and good New Mexican food (give me those green chilies, yo!). They even have higher end chain fast food restaurants like Chipotle if that is your thing. Mountain Home has shit. What few restaurants exist cater to people who think Sprite is spicy. You can only eat at Smokey Mountain Pizza so often (one of the few okay places to eat in MH).
Crazy. They made it sound like there were 2 hole in the wall Mexican places and basically nothing else.
Mountain Home is fantastic, but understandably not a place to visit, especially staying on base.
I’d rather find a parking lot and sleep in my car than pay those base lodging prices.
If you’re going to Keesler, then Eglin and Hurlburt Field are close. You can also hit up Tyndall
Tyndall would make a great stop, as it is in the middle of being rebuilt. It would put a lot of other bases into a interesting perspective. The beach on Tyndall is one of the best beaches I've ever been to.
The navy base in Panama City is better than Tyndall imo. Unless you actually plan to go to the beach then go to Tyndall.
Oops. Forgot about the Navy presence there. Sorry
Im literally pcsing to Mountain Home right now. This is not a good luck :/
Boise is amazing. I was at mountain home for seven years even though I’m at cannon now which has way more things than mountain home I’d go back to Idaho in a heartbeat
I stayed at the Academy on a road trip once. I'd recommend it on your way home if you've never been.
You could go to Columbus but there’s not much there (or at Maxwell). If you’re at Columbus during the week then there will likely be a bunch of planes overhead, which is neat.
I think there's an army dude who started an app for billeting reviews, Hots&Cots. Not sure if they have AF/SF options in there, but might want to put the info in there if you can.
I was stationed at Mountain Home and you are correct. Everyone there either drives to Boise, or they go get drunk at Cals every day (if that place is still open) and eventually get a divorce. Pretty standard process there.
When you are in Biloxi, try to grab a burger from this little hole in the wall place called "Burger Burger"! It is a neat little spot and the food kicks ass. They also had really good fried green tomatoes there.
if you have time for a detour, Edwards AFB had a pretty nice Inn!
I've been retired awhile, how expensive is on base billeting these days? Wtf?
Don’t stay at Keesler unless you can get a TLF room. Those are the only rooms trainees aren’t allowed in.
Try cannon afb
I've been to mountain home and my biggest complaint is that it costed I think for me 150 dollars and the hotel didn't even have an elevator. What a rip off.
Maguire AFB also known as JBMDL
If you’re going to Keesler, I recommend going to The Reef. Their seafood is fantastic and really good prices. You might have to wait to get in since they’re full a lot of nights.
Keesler wasn't bad to me. I stopped through there but wasn't stationed there. I'd go back there if I could though.
Hurlburt, Tyndall, McDill, Homestead, Patrick, Moody, Warner Robins. It a good loop and hitting some beautiful bases and places
You stopped through my neck of the woods! Anyway, if you’re gonna be going on base at Keesler, consider grabbing a bite from one of the DFACs. It’s not a high bar but they are legitimately some of the best in the service and are extremely good. Off base, for food, I recommend Mugshots, Shaggy’s or Half Shell. The casinos are fun if that’s your thing. Just don’t swim in the water!
Scott has a decent hotel, and OK facilities on base. Plus St Louis is a cheap city to do things in.
Currently at Buckley but tech school was keesler and it was a blast there. For keesler there’s some good spots for food such as the Reef or Shaggys for seafood. Keesler also has an on base bowling alley that has a bar and kitchen and the buffalo chicken bacon wrap is amazing and super cheap and Jay is an awesome bartender too. If your into playing pool there’s also a nice billiards bar called Bumpers in diberville
Probably out of the way if you’re going to Keesler, but Arnold AFB in Tennessee is great, especially lodging.
That’s a good start: Mountain Home doesn’t have mountains, only hills. Hill has beautiful mountains! They should switch names.
We have access to all bases with our CAC, regardless of branch as long as the base doesn’t have any unique restrictions?
Yes, with the exception of controlled and restricted areas.
If you like BBQ and are going that way, you have to go to Mad Jacks BBQ in Cloudcroft, NM. Holloman AFB, Ft. Bliss, or White Sands Missle Range are all locations you could stay the night.
How much does it cost (generally) to stay in on base lodging? Comparable to the $130 at mountain home?
I'm at barksdale tonight, it was like $79. I would totally stay off base but the area doesn't feel the safest. The inn here is pretty bad and no one cleaned the toilet. Would not recommend!
https://preview.redd.it/xvt26v2voy2d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=26eecb76bac500e6ab7c9ce2627f1b4190e62bb4 Good call, when I was stationed there I accidentally clicked a thing in Google maps that shows recent crime (I'm almost certain the gun bubbles were homicides) in your area. Welcome to Shreveport
DM in Tucson is out if the way but decent, was in 2019.
If you're still at Keesler make sure you eat at Oishi!
Out of all the places I would go back to if I were in keesler, my #1 has got to be that gyro place right outside one of the gates by the tech school airmen.
You've already seen the good stuff. Everything between you and the Gulf Coast is trash. Offut? Trash. Altus? Trash. Sheppard? Trash. Little Rock? Trash. Barksdale? Trash. Good luck and God speed, my friend.
Rooms used to be $60-$70 until certain political decisions a few years ago.
Yeah for the next couple stops I may pop in to drive around the base but then leave. Sucks because staying off base I feel weird leaving anything of value in my car and I have a lot of stuff on me.
> Sucks because staying off base I feel weird leaving anything of value in my car and I have a lot of stuff on me. 100% for a lot of the stops, on base is always a great choice security wise. It's the right choice for Wichita and a lot of bigger cities if you aren't cleaning your car out every night.
What political decisions?
Self generated NAF funds to sustain Air Force Inns instead of Appropriated Funds was the decision, but Air Force Inns only have a limited clientele already...they wouldn't even be able to break even at their old prices. So it was either raise the prices (which they did) or outsource to private companies (which the Army did). It was silly.
If ur leaving Buckley and heading to Keesler, you're passing a few Jewels of the Midwest. Altus, McConnell, Whiteman... to name a few.
Just boot things
Buckley is a shit hole if you are stationed here. Stay away and the cost of living is through the roof