Hallowed Ground at Lambeau Field

Official Review by Jason Murphy, Stadium Journey Correspondent

The approach to Lambeau Field eases you off Interstate 43, guides you through a snapshot of middle class America, and opens to an abundance of game-day parking and the smell of bratwurst. A simple and unassuming trek to the mecca of football. Lambeau Field is the longest hosting stadium in the National Football League, and the hallowed ground inside has been the setting for some of the greatest moments in the history of American sports. Visiting iconic Lambeau Field should be on the short list of any sports fan's bucket list.

Outside the stadium, as is the case at any major sports event in Wisconsin, fans are cooking brats on travel grills in front of tables full of typical tailgating goods. Weave your way through the cars to the stadium as you encounter the friendliest fans in the nation. After your ticket is scanned, you find yourself in a wide open concrete cavern dotted with an endless line of beer and brat stands.

With beer and brat in hand, you squeeze single file through a tunnel that opens gloriously onto the wide bowl of the field. The panoramic, unobstructed, sun-drenched view takes your breath away (or, it might be the ice cold wind, depending on the time of year). Take your seat. Are you up in the wind or down by the players? No matter: every seat features a spectacular view of the field; every seat offers you the game experience you expect from an NFL ticket.

Sit and enjoy. You'll gladly trade being squeezed onto cold aluminum bench seating for the opportunity to bask in the glory of professional football being played on the Hallowed Ground.

Food & Beverage    5

Wisconsin takes its beer and bratwurst seriously, and Lambeau Field lives up to the expectations. There is a different beer stand every dozen yards offering mostly the Wisconsin beers of Miller and Leinenkugel. Between each beer stand is a food stand; brats are the mainstay of a Wisconsin sports diet, but if spicy sausage isn't your thing, pizza, chicken strips, and other typical appetizers are offered. If you'd like more beer choices, you can make your way to the Leinie Lodge, where a huge selection of Leinenkugel brew is on tap.

Grab a brat before the game (and you'll want another later), just be aware that the true brat condiment--spicy brown mustard--is not found at every condiment stand. You may need to venture a few sections down to perfect the German sausage before eating. For a special experience, the best food in the stadium is in Curly's Pub. Enjoy the tasty Wisconsin pub food and interactive game experiences in the near-football-field length restaurant.

Regardless of where you go to please your taste buds, you won't miss the game action: huge flat screens let you keep an eye on the game as the voice of the Packers is broadcast over the concourse speakers.

Atmosphere    5

Picture the steam rising from the frozen ground as players line up for a final goal line push to win the Ice Bowl. Or picture Vince Lombardi pacing the sidelines in a trench coat and zero degree weather. Or picture the trophies lining the case of the football organization with the most championships in the National Football League. All of that football glory surrounds you in Lambeau Field. The players feel it, the crowd feels it, and you can't help but feel it as you watch the latest version of the Green Bay Packers on the field.

If your experience at Lambeau Field doesn't epitomize the ideal National Football League experience, nothing will.

Neighborhood    5

Green Bay is a typical Midwestern city with its single-story neighborhoods lining shopping malls and restaurants. Residents of Green Bay own the team and they display their pride in ownership year round. As you drive through the neighborhood of Lambeau Field, countless signs and flags tout the successes of the city's team. You get the sense that if grass wasn't green, the residents would dye every blade.

Surrounding the stadium, perhaps on Lombardi Avenue or Holmgren Way, are pubs and bars that blast music and Packers talk all game-day long. The neighborhood of Lambeau Field is an extension of the stadium: you cannot escape celebration of the Packers wherever you go.

Throughout the parking lots and driveways of Green Bay, you will also find tailgating galore. Bratwurst cooking over an open flame accompany table spreads of cheese and condiments. Tailgaters eat well in Wisconsin, and they are always willing to lend a hand or a hotdog to passersby. Between eating and cheering, they play lawn games and toss the football around. The party gets started hours before kickoff.

Fans    5

The word "??die-hard"?? might have been invented to describe Packers fans. They literally own the team. And they put their name on a waiting list for season tickets, hoping they will be able to afford them in 950 years--the reported current wait time.

Going to the game as a Packers fan is an obvious celebration with 70,000 like-minded fanatics. As a fan of the opponent, you have nothing to fear but lighthearted jeering. Fans at Lambeau Field have a respect for the history and honor of the game and wouldn't spoil the epic event of attending a Packers game by turning the mood sour.

To add to your game enjoyment, the fans live and die by every meaningless play. A three-and-out is a reason to rag on the coach's play-calling, and a dropped pass invites grumbles of incompetence. Don't let the negatives fool you: they are born of a blood-deep need for victory. That playoff feeling during inconsequential October games against lesser opponents makes Lambeau Field all the more enjoyable.

Access    4

You can access Lambeau Field from any direction through the residential areas that encircle the stadium. As you approach gametime, the traffic slows off the interstate, but once you do find parking (which is very reasonable at $10-$20 at just about any parking lot within walking distance), the stadium is only a few minutes away by foot.

Heated bathrooms are everywhere, but lines do extend through the concourse, especially for the ladies. Food and beer lines also get long at times.

Leaving the stadium takes a short measure of patience and you're on your way.

Return on Investment    5

With a waiting list of more than 80,000 Packers fans vying for a season ticket to this show, there are no doubt some willing to let blood for a chance to watch a Packers game in Lambeau Field. The cost of a ticket is reasonable for an NFL team, and food and parking is a good value. Bratwurst is around $6 and beer around $7. If you're feeding a hungry family of four, you can expect to spend $100 on food and drink. But the quality of your experience at Lambeau Field is worth more than all the beer in Milwaukee.

Extras    4

During a break in the game, you can go revisit the gloried history of the Green Bay Packers by perusing the Packers Hall of Fame located inside the stadium's atrium. Vince Lombardi's office is recreated in the Packers Hall of Fame, which is an interesting nostalgic trip for any football fan. Take home a token of commemoration of your visit by heading to the Packers Pro Shop, also in the Lambeau Field Atrium. Average stadium extras from sponsors are raffled off to patrons throughout the game, too.

Another bonus of watching a Packers home game is that the quality of the organization bleeds through everything Packers. Various food stands are run by volunteers raising money for numerous charitable causes. The field is top-of-the-line and rarely invites criticism even in the nastiest of Wisconsin winter days. And the friendly goodwill of all stadium workers infuses the entire operation.

Special bonus: with certain seats, you get to play catch-a-Packer during a Lambeau Leap.

Now that we know that New York is getting a Super Bowl, shouldn\'t Green Bay, and iconic Lambeau Fie

Now that we know that New York is getting a Super Bowl, shouldn't Green Bay, and iconic Lambeau Field be considered for Super Bowl L? I don't see why not?

by paul | May 25, 2010 04:19 PM

I'm not even a football fan ...

... and I want to see a game here (in Sept). Nice review.

by megminard | Nov 28, 2011 10:45 PM

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