Mike’s Travelogue: Nothing ‘Cheddar’ than Green Bay

SPONSORED – It’s time! Time to go back to Green Bay for a football game. And this is the perfect year to do it because the temperatures should be a lot warmer in August and the prices a little cheaper for a preseason tilt.

There are a number of ways to get to Green Bay for a football game. You can fly to Chicago and make the three hour trek north. Or you can fly through Milwaukee and shave an hour off that drive. Either way, Alaska Airlines can get you there without a problem.

And when you get there…wow. Green Bay is unlike any other “city” that has a professional sports team. I mean, only 100,000 people live there, and 81,441 fit into the stadium on gameday. So yes, Lambeau Field holds roughly 80% of the entire population of Green Bay.

And preseason is the perfect time to go, provided you know the lay of the land. I have a friend who traveled there for a pre-season game and went out at night only to find it empty. “Where is everyone?” he asked the bartender who laughed and told him, “First weekend of hunting season. Everyone is in the woods!”

So, plan accordingly.

Whether you are coming back from a day in the woods or gearing up for a night of cheering on your team, the thing to eat in this area is the Wisconsin Fish Fry. It comes in various styles. You have a choice of what fish you want to use – options include smelt, walleye, cod, perch, bluegill or even catfish. You also have a litany of sides to choose from. Everything from potato pancakes to baked beans to cole slaw to potato salad are options. Some add rye bread or French fries.

Unless you know someone who is inviting you over for fish fry, you can try it at Maricque’s Bar (1517 University Ave) or Highland Howie’s Pub and Grill (3605 Humboldt Road).

There are other options though. How about Rustique Pizza (13201 Velp Ave, Suamico, WI), which operates out of an old cathedral? They have brick-oven pizza that tastes like the recipe is as old as the building.

Or in Appleton, try Carmella’s (716 N. Casaloma Drive) for Italian food. Ignore the strip mall location — get the ricotta raviolis, but make sure you save room for a cannoli after dinner!

But one of my favorite Wisconsin delicacies is a little fast food joint called Culver’s. There are three in the area, and they specialize in delicious food and friendly service. I recommend the butter burgers, fried cheese curds, and a frozen custard “Concrete Mixer” with bananas and peanut butter cups!

You can also get curds at Cheesesteak Rebellion and then eat them while playing some old arcade games (I’m pretty sure they have Big Buck Hunter).

There are a bunch of ways to structure a trip to Green Bay. You can stay in Chicago, Madison or Milwaukee and just spend game night near the stadium. Or you can stay close by and see the Packers Hall of Fame (their history is pretty impressive and it’s fine to respect what they did before Seattle entered the league). There is also a beautiful botanical garden and a children’s museum if you bring the kids.

There’s no wrong way to do a game in Green Bay. But it’s a bucket list item everyone should check off!

Stadium: Lambeau Field
Stadium Food: Cheese Curds at 1919
Seattle haunt: Uh….no.

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