Spring Break 2011 in Green Bay, WI

Spring Break 2011, Green Bay, WI

In the time of expensive airfares and limited time away from work, we decided to head out of the dreary, snowy Chicago and North to Green Bay, WI.  We weren't exactly heading out of the dreary, snowy weather - just out of Chicago.  Either way, it was a break from the day-to-day and a new experience for the kids.   At 200miles/3.5 hours (i.e. 2 kids movies) - it's not a bad drive!

Accomodations: We stayed at the Hotel Sierra.  HS was converted from an Embassey Suites, therefore, it had a seperate bedroom/living room with a kitchenette.  This was nice for Mom & Dad so we could stay up past 7p and play cards/watch movies, etc. after the kids hit the sack. They also had a very nice pool with a seperate "Splash Zone" for the littlest ones. 

Activities:
Of course, the big draw was the tour of Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers.  I'm not only not a Packers fan, I don't really even care that much about football - however, it was interesting for everyone in our group.  You go up into the sky boxes, down onto the field, etc.  For any little (or adult) football fans, this would be super fun. 

We traveled with a family that really enjoys homebrewing, so we made a stop at a local brewery housed in an old train station.  We tweeted the people at Titletown Brewing company before we left and they arranged a private tour for us of their brewing facilities.  (I'm always one for a good factory tour - this fit the bill as we got to see how things were made, even if the "brewery" part of it was about the size of my master bedroom.)  At the end of the tour, the Ps got to taste the fresh beer and the kids got to have fresh root beer.  We all enjoyed the beer and I have to say, the root beer was probably the best I've ever had.  I can't believe we left there without a growler of it!  Titletown also has a very good restaurant where we stopped for a bite after our tour.

Once the snow began to fall during our "Spring" break, we spent a few hours at the National Railway Museum.  This museum houses the largest steam locamotive and has over 70 pieces of equipment on display - much of which you can climb into and explore.  The outdoor barn, which houses many rail cars in various states of repair, is also an interesting stop.  My three year spent about an hour pulling levers, turning wheels, pushing buttons and checking gauges on an old locamotive!  It was fun to see her completely in her element while the big boys checked out the rest of the restored trains. 

While the little one and I stayed back at the hotel for a nap, DH took the big boys to the Neville Public Museum.  This museum seems to have a lot of great temporary exhibits. For only $5 for adults and $3 for kids 6+, this is worth a look-see for sure! 

We were only there for a few days, but there are tons of things to do in Green Bay.  With my little friends, we would have loved to hit the zoo and will definately visit their new Children's Museum which is scheduled to open in April 2012.