Come for a meeting, soak in the football, and discover the historic sites and bounty of nature attractions in and around Green Bay.
Famous as the home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, Green Bay is a town full of activity. Its characteristic charm and big-city amenities make it a distinctive destination in northeast Wisconsin.
The Packers are a community-owned team with lots of history and local legends.
“There’s such an intrigue and interest in the team,” said Beth Ropson, director of sales at the Greater Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We have people from all over the world come to see the stadium.”
The Packers Hall of Fame is now undergoing renovations and is slated to reopen in 2015; but in the meantime, fans can still take tours of Lambeau Field to see behind-the-scenes areas. The Neville Public Museum is also hosting a temporary exhibit on items from the team archives. Visitors don’t have to stop at a tour; meetings can be held at the stadium for tailgating, receptions and dinners as well.
Other historic sites include the National Railroad Museum, which features locomotives and includes an area for receptions and dinners. The living-history museum at Heritage Hill State Historical Park offers a special look at the area from the late 17th century on, with interpreters in period dress acting out roles such as a blacksmith making a horseshoe or a medical professional working in a hospital.
Get in touch with nature by visiting the New Zoo or the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, with animal exhibits and hiking trails. The Green Bay Botanical Garden has a vast array of flora, interesting architecture and venues, among them the Lux Foundation Upper Rose Garden and the Vietnam Veteran Garden. For meetings at the botanical garden, guests can wander through the green space and explore food stations and bars set up along the way.
There are many active attractions, including the Green Bay Action Sports Organization, which features a skate park, indoor rock climbing and parkour. Little Creek Lodge is a sporting clay facility and bird-hunting preserve with a clubhouse. Vandervest Harley-Davidson has motorcycle rentals, clothing and collectibles.
The Greater Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau also represents Algoma, Wisconsin, about half an hour away on Lake Michigan. Visitors can relax at the beach, walk along the boardwalk, see a lighthouse and enjoy shopping, dining and wineries.
“Algoma complements the city of Green Bay because it offers some things we don’t,” Ropson said.
Another special meeting space now undergoing renovation is the Hotel Northland, which was originally built in the 1940s. The renovation will restore the hotel to its original state and will include a limo from the era to serve as transportation to and from the airport.
“It will show the glitz and glamour of that era, the dress, everything,” Ropson said.
Spotlight on Green Bay:
Primary meeting facilities: KI Convention Center/Hyatt on Main
Other meeting properties: Hotel Northland, Holiday Inn and Suites-Stadium, Kress Inn and F.K. Bemis Conference Center
Largest meeting space: KI Convention Center/Hyatt on Main (80,000 square feet of meeting space)
Total hotel rooms: 4,300
CVB website:
