This post continues my notes on Green Bay, Wisconsin, the smallest U.S. city to host an NFL team.
On game days and all days, locals and visitors flock to Kroll’s West, across the street from Lambeau Field, for its famous butter burgers served in a plain white wrapper (often listed on national “best burger” lists), booyah (a soup that’s a bit like southern Indiana burgoo but always made with chicken), and throwback atmosphere.
The superlatives continue at Uncle Mike’s Kringles, the North American Kringle Champion and winner of the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin.
Five breweries operate in Green Bay. At Badger State Brewing I was impressed with its brewing facilities, tasting room, terrific special event space, beer garden/patio – and of course the beer.
Our group (travel journalists) visited Anduzzis Sports Bar for one reason: the Ultimate Bloody Mary, a perfectly prepared bloody plus extras — one hamburger slider, one Buffalo chicken slider, two boneless and two traditional wings, three mini corndogs, three shrimp, pickles, olives, peppers, onions, mushrooms, beef sticks, meatballs, and cheese.
The 44th parallel north is a circle of latitude that passes through some of Europe’s best wine making regions — and Green Bay, Wisconsin. The city is home to an award-winning winery bearing the same name as the latitude circle: Parallel 44, where wine is made with their own grapes.
An unexpected and cool attraction is the Automobile Gallery, located in a historic Cadillac dealership in downtown Green Bay. Founder and president William “Red” Lewis believes “the automobile is the art,” allowing the public to view a wide range of automotive excellence. My favorite car was a sweet baby blue Metropolitan.
The Green Bay Botanical Garden, open year-round and covered with lush vegetation, once was a forgotten orchard dotted with telephone poles and power lines. The 100 percent community funded garden easily is one of the best botanical gardens I’ve visited.
If you’re waiting for an opportunity to attend a Packers’ game to visit Green Bay, your wait could be long. But as I learned, the city is far from a singular sensation. Add Green Bay to your urban destination list and see for yourself.
