A Green Bay Girl's Guide to Being a Packers Fan in Sheboygan

Alright readers, to start this blog off, I want you all to get to know me a little more. I was born in Green Bay and raised there my whole life. If we’re being exact, I lived in De Pere for the first 22 years of my life. BTW, I am currently 22 years old, I have only JUST begun a new life NOT living in De Pere and the surrounding Green Bay area.

I attended college at a small Liberal Arts College in De Pere called St. Norbert College. St. Norbert has also always been a big part of my life. Growing up just a few blocks away from the riverside that the campus is nestled on- and having a dad who teaches there- made the campus a home for me long before I was college-aged. As long as I can remember, actually, it’s felt like home. St. Norbert is also the college that hosted the Green Bay Packers training camp every summer up until summer of 2020 when Covid was running rampant and everything was shut down. Did I mention that the St. Norbert Green Knights colors are green and yellow?

Lambeau Field is a 6-minute drive away from home and campus, so as you can imagine, it was a pretty cool place for big Packer’s fans to choose to go to college. All of this is to say, I grew up in the epicenter of the Green Bay Packers. I trick-or-treated at previous Packers Coach Mike McCarthy’s house for crying out loud. When it comes to knowing all the Packer fan stops in my hometown, I know them pretty well and can give you a laundry list of places to stop by.

So I started thinking, this is my first football season NOT in Green Bay, what does the Packer fan scene look like in Sheboygan? A town that is a short one-hour drive from my hometown, what kind of Packers fan opportunities are here, and why might it actually be preferable to stay in Sheboygan if you’re headed up to a home game? Keep reading to hear all the details I have discovered so far about what to do in Sheboygan, whether you’re here to go up and see a game in person, or if you happen to be in Sheboygan on a game day.

Bar 43

A couple of weekends ago I visited Bar 43 during the second half of the Packers vs. Saints game (that ending!!) Bar 43 is a cool lookout-tower bar at the Harbor Center Marina that offers drinks with a view! The bar is located on the second floor where indoor seating is available, but if you go out onto the deck you can sit on the second or third level of the lookout tower gazing at the marina and sitting in front of a gas-lit fireplace. I opted to sit inside so I could see the end of the game that left us on the edge of our seats right up until the last second.

While seated inside, I talked to the bartender and learned that for $15 you can order a s’mores board that includes 8 marshmallows, 4 candy bars, 6 crackers and a pack of cookies, and can be used indoors or outdoors at the firepits. These are available year-round and are the perfect sweet treat while enjoying a crisp autumn weekend and watching the packers play on the TV’s.

The firepits on the deck are also available for customer use year-round so long as weather permits. Once the game had ended, I took my drink outdoors and enjoyed watching boats come and go out of the Harbor while being kept nice and comfortable in front of the flame from the firepit. As a casual Packers fan and watcher, this was an ideal destination to watch the game. Drinks, a view, and firepits to celebrate a win are my kind of football afternoons.

Discovery Bus Packer Shuttle

Growing up in Green Bay, my parents did their best to make it so we never had to leave the house to do errands or anything else on a home game day. My family wanted to stay put and not deal with the stress of traffic while trying to get to and from the bustling grocery stores and streets. And whether you’ve ever seen it yourself or not, it goes without saying there are cars and people everywhere. Even if you aren’t going to Lambeau field yourself to watch the game, our local Piggly Wiggly in De Pere would be swamped with people getting snacks and beer to watch the game and tailgate from the comfort of their own home.

When I was told there was a Game Day Packers Shuttle here in Sheboygan, I thought this was brilliant. With hotels and AirB&B’s filling up left and right, staying in Sheboygan- which is an easy one-hour drive away from Green Bay- and having someone else drive and drop you off so you don’t have to deal with the traffic yourself is a master plan. As a Green bay born-and-raised, I was impressed by this. To me, it’s a win-win. You get to explore and stay in a picturesque little town only a short bit away from Lambeau, yet still get to enjoy the Green Bay experience all within the same weekend. It’s the ultimate getaway, a two-in-one mini vacation, especially if you enjoy football. To top it all off, when you stay at Blue Harbor Resort, you'll get a comp drink and we'll get you to Discovery Coach's Game Day Shuttle. For more information about the Packers Shuttle promotion, click here.

Packers Happy Hour at On The Rocks

For the duration of Packer games (as well as Badgers games) On The Rocks Bar & Grill- located off the lobby- inside Blue Harbor Resort offers its own happy hour in true Wisconsin spirit (no pun intended). You may be wondering; do I have to stay at Blue Harbor Resort in order to take part in Packers game happy hours? No, you don’t! Members in the local community as well as guests at Blue Harbor Resort are welcome to partake. On The Rocks offers craft beers, cocktails, and a food menu to add to your Packer watching experience. Happy Hour deals include $5 craft pints, $4 rail mixers, and $5 call mixers. On the Rocks boasts a daily happy hour 4-6pm, but celebrating a Packers game calls for it's own happy hour here at Blue Harbor Resort.

Football Fan Shopping

Sheboygan might not have the Packers Pro Shop, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still find some awesome clothing pieces and accessories to flaunt your loyalty to your favorite team, or just show love for the sport itself. Downtown Sheboygan is home to many small businesses ranging from sit-down food and beverage, to clothing boutiques, and toy stores. I’ve both online and window-shopped at TLC Casuals, Six Turtles, and Anna’s Unique Boutique in the Downtown area and noticed adorable feminine sweatshirts with sequined footballs patterned on it, as well as more staple Packers attire like t-shirts and hoodies.

My personal favorite find where packers hats for both men and women. Some are more of a cable knit beanie with a pom on top, others are your classic winter hat with the G logo loud and proud on the front. If you’re in the market for a wallet to take with you on game day, Anna’s Unique Boutique has several options that are both fun and practical for repping your favorite team.

If you enjoy consignment shopping like I do, Nikki’s Nex 2 New is also located downtown and has a whole rack of apparel for Wisconsin teams. It’s always fun to sort through and discover what treasures they have that you might not find as easily elsewhere. My favorite part about shopping for unique Packers wear in Downtown is that you never know exactly what you’ll find, and you get to support a local community that shares a love for Wisconsin’s NFL team.

The Green Bay Girl's Final Thoughts

Being a Packer fan in Sheboygan isn’t really all that different from being a Packer fan in Green Bay. Ultimately, if you are looking for a place to stay and visit while planning a trip to watch a home game in Green Bay, Sheboygan is a wonderful place to pick. There are ways to enjoy the Packers culture here, while also offering plenty of new experiences, views, and things to do all while being a short and easy drive up I-43 N to Green Bay. Arguably, from my perspective, choosing to stay at Blue Harbor Resort and take the shuttle up to the game is a great plan. Leave the driving and traffic to someone else and have the luxury of enjoying these two amazing cities that I have been lucky enough to call home. Sheboygan offers some pretty great views and activities that differ from Green Bay, while Green Bay still has a pretty great selection of places to visit as it relates to football, restaurants, and shopping.