Nonfootball attractions
Northeast Wisconsin Zoo. Green Bay's 43-acre zoo is home to 90 different species of animals, some very rare. The NEW Zoo, as it's known, also features a giraffe feeding area and dual zip lines that offer side-by-side racing on a 1,000-foot course. Open 365 days a year. $7 adults, $5 for kids and seniors and free for ages 2 and under. 4378 Reforestation Road., Green Ba. 920-434-7841, newzoo.org.
Green Bay Botanical Garden. Open all year, the garden's 47 acres capture the beauty of northeast Wisconsin. Come the holidays, the WPS Garden of Lights shines with nearly a quarter-million twinkling lights on display. More than 35,000 awed visitors pass through the garden each holiday season. $9 adults, $7 students and seniors, and $5 kids under 13. 2600 Larsen Road, Green Bay. 920-490-9457, gbbg.org.
National Railroad Museum. The only official national railroad museum (recognized by Congress) features 30,000 square feet and 33 acres to roam. See rare engines and take a 25-minute train ride. Open year-round. $11 adults, $10 seniors, $8.50 children ages 3-12 and free for those under 2. 2285 S. Broadway, Green Bay. 920-437-7623, nationalrrmuseum.org.
Titletown Brewing Co. No trip to Wisconsin is complete without a trip to a brewery. Titletown Brewing is located in an old railroad depot from which the Packers used to depart for road games before the age of air travel. Now, it's a restaurant and Green Bay's craft brewery. In October, Titletown opened a new tap room where you can try samples and see beer being bottled. Open daily. 200 Dousman St., Green Bay. 920-437-2337, titletownbrewing.com.
IF YOU GO
Getting there
Delta Airlines has two daily nonstop flights to Green Bay’s Austin Straubel Field, a few miles from Lambeau Field and most of the attractions. American and United offer easy connections to Green Bay through Chicago.
Stay
Comfort Suites Green Bay. Large, modern rooms greet guests in this locally owned hotel, which also features high-tech Seura televisions in many of the bathrooms and showers, so you won't miss any of the football action. 1951 Bond St., Green Bay. 920-499-7449, comfortsuitesgb.com.
Under the Lights of Lambeau House. Want to stay in the shadow of Lambeau Field? You can have that opportunity on a game day or any other day of the year at this Packer-themed house. Located steps from Lambeau Field, the house is perfect for tailgating, and it sleeps eight. Rates are $1,799 to $2,499 for game weekends and $150 per night for four people on weekdays and during the offseason. 1845 S. Oneida St., Green Bay. 920-217-3632, underthelightsoflambeau.com.
Island Resort & Casino. You also can stay in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Located about two hours from Green Bay, in Harris, Mich., the Island Resort & Casino offers Vegas-style gaming, top entertainment acts and 300 hotel rooms and suites. During the spring, summer and fall, you can play Sweetgrass Golf Club, one of the best golf courses in the Midwest. Rates start at $59 for weekdays and $118 per night on the weekends. W399 U.S. 2, Harris, Mich. 1-800-682-6040, islandresortandcasino.com.
Visitor information
Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau. 1901 S. Oneida St., Green Bay. 1-888-867-3342, greenbay.com.
Atlanta Falcons fans have made road trips in 2014 to such popular tourist destinations as New York, Baltimore and even London, for a game at Wembley Stadium.
But, if you ask any Falcons fan who has a sense of the history of professional football, the one road game this season they are most looking forward to attending is the Dec. 8 Monday night NFL tilt in Titletown against the Green Bay Packers (8:30 p.m., ESPN).
A long weekend in Green Bay, Wis., offers a chance to take a tour of the newly renovated and modernized Lambeau Field, visit the 21,500-square-foot Packer Pro Shop, or experience a trolley ride that will show you around a city that eats, sleeps and breathes football, 365 days a year.
If you need to take a break from football and the Falcons’ up and down season, Green Bay offers a local brewery as well as culture in the form of a world class zoo, museums, public gardens and even diverse culinary options.
You also can get up-close and personal with the one object every Falcons fan desires, the Lombardi Trophy awarded to Super Bowl winners — since the Packers own four.
The oldest city in Wisconsin invites you to bring a coat, gloves and a scarf, because this is Wisconsin in December. Unlike Atlanta, whether there is a dusting or piles of snow, roads and all the attractions you want to explore will be open and ready for out-of-town football fans to enjoy.
Lambeau Field Stadium Tour
The Green Bay Packers are the only nonprofit, community-owned professional sports franchise in the United States, so the team has a special relationship with its fans-owners. Take a tour of their state-of-the-art home, Lambeau Field, beginning in the spacious Lambeau Field Atrium. See the Club Level for a look at the Legends Club and a Lombardi Trophy. Venture down to the field to see the “Frozen Tundra” for yourself. You will learn it’s not frozen, and it’s not tundra; it’s a synthetic-real grass blend that is wired together to stay in place. Run through the players tunnel and out on to the field. Tour tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. each day or 7:30 a.m. the day before a home game. Tickets cost $11-$28 for adults, depending on the length of the tour. Discounts are offered for kids, seniors and military.
Packers Pro Shop
Having just opened in July, the new Packers Pro Shop provides gear for quarterbacks of all ages. "We have a lot to celebrate and so do Packers fans," said Kate Hogan, the Packers' director of retail operations. Get all your Packers and NFL memorabilia in this new addition to the lower level of Lambeau Field. Open daily; check packersproshop.com for hours.
Packers Heritage Trail Trolley Tour
Board a restored trolley to see all of the spots Packers fans and true football aficionados should know about. Tour stops include City Stadium (home to the Green Bay Packers from 1925 to 1956), downtown Green Bay, and the spot where Curly Lambeau founded the Packers. Tours lasting 90 minutes run daily; check candmpresents.com/packers-heritage-trail-tours for tour times and to buy tickets.
Green Bay Packers Walk of Legends
Navigate a one-mile walk featuring 24 engraved granite and steel obelisk statues honoring Packers players and teams of the past. This is a self-guided tour that begins just south of Lambeau Field on Lombardi Avenue.
Brett Favre’s Steakhouse
Many people forget that Packers great Brett Favre began his career as an Atlanta Falcon. For more than 10 years, Brett Favre's Steakhouse has served hungry football fans for late lunch and dinner. Southerners will notice Favre's Mississippi roots (he played college ball at the University of Southern Mississippi) influencing the menu, with bayou pasta and sweet potato soup. Open at 3 p.m. daily. 1004 Brett Favre Pass, Green Bay. 920-499.6874, brettfavresteakhouse.com.
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