Good afternoon, everyone. In November of 2022, I was in Wisconsin for the weekend of the Green Bay Packers’ 10th game of the 2022 season against the Dallas Cowboys. This was my first ever trip to this state, and to Lambeau Field, ever in my life. It’s been a goal of mine to go to Lambeau for a game ever since I first became a Packers fan. I always loved seeing it in NFL Films highlights and various pictures and videos on the Packers website. After years of watching games from home, I made a goal for 2022 to finally make it to Lambeau Field (and therefore stepping foot in Wisconsin for the first time). When the NFL schedule was released in May, I first thought about going to the first home game against the Bears (which ended up being a 27-10 win for Green Bay). That changed when Mom found a good plane ticket deal for the weekend of November 13th (which ended up being the Cowboys game). Once we decided on that, then I bought the plane tickets while Mom paid for the hotel up in Appleton, where our plane would land. A little later, I went ahead and bought the combo ticket for the Lambeau Field Stadium Tour and the Packers Hall of Fame for the day before the game. Fast forward to October, when I finally bought the tickets to the game itself behind the goal post in the south end zone. They were expensive, but I was going to make the most out of this first Gameday experience at Lambeau. With all of this out of the way, let’s get started with the report.
On Friday November 11, mom and I had a safe 2 and a half hour flight from Sarasota-Bradenton to Appleton. Since our flight was in the evening, the only things that we did after the flight were luggage pickup, getting our rental car, and driving to the hotel. After we woke up and got breakfast at the hotel, we drove the half hour and made it to the Lambeau Field parking lot. We got there in plenty of time for our tour (which started at 10 AM), allowing us some time to explore the Pro Shop and the Lambeau Field Atrium. A detail that I loved on the floor was that the field markers line up exactly with the field outside. I was able to get some pictures of some aspects of the atrium, including the retired numbers. When it was time for the tour to start, we waited in a holding pen until our tour started. The first thing that the tour guide did after introducing himself and welcoming us to Lambeau was ask us where the tour participants were from. There were plenty of states represented, including me and my mom from Florida, and a couple of people from Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Texas. There was even a couple of people from outside the United States.
After the introduction, we were brought up an elevator to the premium seating area. In the hallways, there were gorgeous paintings of classic Packers moments from various eras. Throughout the tour, the guide was very informative while talking about Packers history. After the hallway, we opened a door and went outside in the cold of around 25-30 degrees Fahrenheit. It was cold that weekend, but mom and I were prepared for it. After looking at the field from that point, we went up another elevator to the highest point that people can be at the stadium (as long as they are part of a tour). There was a huge Packers G and also great views of the surrounding area around Lambeau Field, including the Titletown District. Several times during the tour, we chanted “Go Pack Go”, which echoed throughout the whole stadium. After going back down an elevator and into an indoor club area near some private suites, our tour guide gave us a brief history of the Packers franchise from 1919 to the Lombardi era (which was 1959-1967). During that time, the Packers won a total of 11 NFL championships, including the first two Super Bowls. We then went to the club seats over the south end zone, where he told us about how the grass field gets maintained every season to make sure that it’s playable.We then went down the elevator to the “ground level” of the stadium to walk out of the players’ tunnel. Before that, we saw pictures of various victories at Lambeau Field over the years from the 1960s to present day. We were then led out of the tunnel to the field itself. It was fantastic to get great views from the same perspective as the players on the field would get. Obviously, we were not allowed to touch the grass at all as it was roped off. Mom and I were able to get a picture together from the midfield mark before we went up the bleachers back to the atrium. Before that though, I tested out the bleacher seat. It was cold, but I had plenty of layers on me. The tour guide did tell us that we were able to rent seat-backs to cover the aluminum bleacher on game day.
After the tour concluded, mom and I found lunch at the stadium. We each got foot long bratwursts and also shared a big basket of fries (which I ate mostly by myself). I got a water bottle that ended up being a souvenir due to having Lambeau Field on the back of the sticker. After lunch, we then went into the Packers Hall of Fame, which has two floors full of interactive exhibits and photo ops. A few highlights of the Hall of Fame were the recreation of Vince Lombardi‘s office, the Ice Bowl section, and the section dedicated to the many traditions that connect the players with the fans, both young and old. Among them are the Lambeau Leap (created by LeRoy Butler on December 26, 1993 against the Los Angeles Raiders), players riding kids’ bikes to practice during training camp, and the 6 public stock sales. There is a section where everyone that has ever been inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame is shown with their own “locker” of artifacts and a video for each person. Then there was a circle room where you can see all 4 Lombardi Trophies that the Packers have won so far, along with other championship trophies and Super Bowl rings that were donated by various players. After the Hall of Fame was done, we went to the Pro Shop for a second time, where I bought a few things. I got a Reggie White away jersey (which I will wear for the Miami game on Christmas Day), a book about the “Ice Bowl”, a Packers beanie hat to help with keeping my head warm on game day, a calendar for 2023, and a license plate frame (which is for a friend of mine). After exiting the Pro Shop, we decided to walk to the Titletown District, which was a great area that had a playground for kids, a 40-yard dash (which I attempted), a tubing hill, an ice-skating rink, and a full-sized football field that had people freely roam and play on. After walking through that and back, we got back to our car for some warmth and drove back to the hotel. Before that, we went to a Wal-Mart to get blankets for the game and got supper at Cheddar’s. Both mom and I were tired after the adventure on Saturday and got to sleep early for Sunday.
(Hopefully those empty spots are filled soon.)
After waking up and getting breakfast at the hotel, my mom and I left our hotel at around 8:30 in the morning. Even though the game was at 3:25 local time, we might as well get there to beat a lot of the game day traffic. After driving around for a few minutes, we parked in the Titletown area, which was just across the street from Lambeau Field. After sitting in the car for a little bit, we decided to walk around the stadium and the surrounding area for an hour or two. Along the way we walked, we went past the Packers’ practice facility, named after Don Hutson, and also the streets named after Brett Favre and Mike Holmgren, the QB-Coach duo that helped win Super Bowl XXXI in the 1996 season. We then walked back to the car to get all of our stuff, including gloves, scarves, and my cheesehead. Before going back out, we warmed up and listened to music from my phone that was able to be played in the car via Bluetooth. After getting our stuff, we walked near the practice field again. Along the way, we stopped at the Plaza Pit Stop, which is part of the Resch Center. A blog and YouTube channel that I follow called CheeseheadTV got their own beer: Carry the G, which is a cream ale. Not only did I have one can, but I also met a couple of people involved with CheeseheadTV. One of those people was one of its co-founders: Corey Benkhe. I was able to talk to him about being a Packers fan and how I started following CheeseheadTV in 2018 through YouTube and then by reading the articles on the website and mobile app. I was able to get a picture with him with Lambeau Field in the background. I do have to admit that I was a bit dizzy that day from the beer. I kept dropping my cheesehead and the scarf that I borrowed from a friend of mine. When it came close to the gates opening up, we got to the Oneida Nation Gate and lined up. We then got through security, got the tickets scanned, and we were on our way to our seats. A few things had to get done before getting to the seats. First, we had to get the seat-backs to cover the aluminum bleachers, which were not expensive at all. Second, because we did not get lucky with the free food at the tailgate scene, we got food in the stadium. I got a normal sized bratwurst with hot cocoa while mom got a cheddar-wurst and a coffee that she hated. After we ate the food and drank our stuff (plus a bathroom break for mom), we got to our seats. I got confused at first, but I found our seats in section 137, row 44, seats 23 and 24. We stayed in our seats for the whole game, standing up for some parts of it. I already knew that there were going to be some Cowboys fans at Lambeau, but it was crazy how many of them showed up. Looking around the stadium, especially as it got fuller, it was really apparent how many of them were dressed in blue and silver. With that being said, I’m glad that we sat with more Packers fans than Cowboys fans. When all of the offensive starters were introduced, fireworks went off for each player while an instrumental version of Lil Wayne‘s “Green and Yellow” played. When the jets flew over Lambeau Field during the national anthem, they were loud as heck.
When the Packers were on defense, I did my best to contribute to the crowd noise that was supposed to mess up the Cowboys’ offense. The only times that I made any noise when the Packers were on offense were the big plays. Among them were the three touchdown catches by Christian Watson and the OT catch by Allen Lazard that set up the game winning field goal. Before, during, and after the game, there were plenty of “Go Pack Go” chants from everyone in the crowd (other than the visiting team fans). The atmosphere around and in the stadium on game day was great to witness. Other than the win, experiencing Lambeau Field itself was my favorite part of the entire trip. It was satisfying that the Packers came back from 14 points down to win against the Cowboys, who are one of my most hated teams. The win was the perfect ending to my first ever trip to Lambeau Field. We flew back to Florida on Monday afternoon and got back home that night.
Overall, it was an awesome trip that mom and I took. A goal of mine ever since I first became a Packers fan finally came to fruition. It will be a trip that I'll never forget as long as I live. Regardless of whether the Packers make the playoffs or not, I was glad that I witnessed a dramatic win in Green Bay's favor. Hopefully it's not too long before I make another "pilgrimage" to Lambeau Field. Have a great weekend and happy holidays. Go Pack Go!
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