A couple of weekends ago, the men of my family ventured up to Green Bay to see the Packers play the Minnesota Vikings. As Bears fans, we hate both of these teams, but Lambeau Field is a historic stadium and the second-oldest NFL stadium (behind Chicago’s Soldier Field), so we were excited to see it.

First, we made a little side trip on Saturday to see a friend perform in Waukesha, Wis. Before the show, we enjoyed a delicious chicken pizza at Marty’s in nearby Brookfield. They serve a unique rectangle pizza that was so good we wanted to hit the restaurant on the way back to Chicago. After dinner, we watched my friend Chazz Moretti in some live theater.

ID 80136739 © Paul Morgan | Dreamstime.com

On Sunday we arrived early at Lambeau Field for some tailgating with the enemy. Contrary to popular belief, Packers tailgating consists of much more than cheese, brats and beer (although there was plenty of that). The fans were very hospitable, even to us Chicago fans.

Despite an amazing effort by the Vikings running back, the Packers won 23–14.  The crowd of over 73,000 were lively and fun throughout the game.

Lambeau Field is nicknamed “the frozen tundra,” which stems from a game in 1967 where the temperature was -15°F. With a game-time temperature of around 55, we didn’t experience that element, but we did soak in the history of “Titletown USA.” There is just something magical about watching an event in a venue with such a rich history. This is the house Lombardi built!

It seemed natural we would go to Brett Favre’s Steakhouse for dinner. We had a virtual feast of seafood, highlighted by delicious crab cakes. I also must mention the sweet potato soup.

At the Aloft Green Bay, we hit the re:charge gym to work off our meal. There was a good mix of weights and machines. Then, we hit the re:mix lounge to relax and watch the Sunday night game. It was the perfect end to a great day.

We asked the locals for a breakfast suggestion, and the Pancake Place was the unanimous choice. The locals were right; this was no generic pancake house, it was almost like eating at your grandmother’s. The food is fresh, tasty and plentiful.

We returned home on Monday saddened the Packers and Bears were now tied for first place. We still hate the Packers, but we had a great time and have great memories of our trip north of the border.

— John Wroblewski, online contributor