Since moving to Chicago, I’ve always wanted to drive up to Green Bay, WI to attend a Bears vs Packers game but logistically it can be a nightmare. This is a big rivalry game and Green Bay is such a small town there aren’t enough accommodations for everyone that comes up from Chicago. People end up staying in Appleton if they’re willing to pay inflated hotel prices or driving all the way back to Chicago after the game if they aren’t. I decided to go for Option 3. Camping. Here’s how it went.

If you tent camp like I do, you’ll probably want to go early in the Season before it gets too cold. This year’s game was the home-opener on a Sunday night so we drove 3.5 hours up to Green Bay on cool yet sunny Saturday morning. After doing a bit of research, our destination was Bay Shore County Park. We picked this campground for two reason. 1) It was on the water. 2)  It was only about a 25 minute drive to Lambeau Field.

Note: There are parking lots around Lambeau Field that sell overnight RV parking but you’re not guaranteed hookups and cannot have a fire. Who camps without a CAMPfire?!

I wasn’t able to make a reservation for a rustic campsite and I wasn’t positive an Uber could pick us up from the campground but if we ended up sleeping in the car or driving straight back from the game, so be it. Time to let go of planning and take a leap of faith.

When we pulled up to the camping area of the park there was a welcome sign with some envelopes to leave money and indicate which spot you were taking and for how long. Our spot cost us $20/night. You could also purchase wood and ice here.

The rustic sites were first-come first-serve and because of the cool autumn weather, only about half were occupied. The rustic sites also provided more privacy and tree cover than the larger RV sites with cement plots and electric hookups.

We picked a site with as few neighbors as possible. So of course, as soon as we stepped out of the car a neighbor approached us with a bone saw asking if we’d like to borrow it for getting wood. We politely declined.

On Sunday, we made our breakfast and wandered around the campground. There were a few swings where you could sit and look out over the Bay and if you hiked down a small steep trail you could reach the boat launch and beach.

The campgrounds were very well kept and the bathroom/shower facility was surprisingly clean. We took hot showers and got cleaned up before the game which was a bonus I hadn’t counted on.

The moment of truth came when it was time to call our Uber. It took our driver Lisa about 15 minutes to get to the park from the east side of Green Bay. She dropped us off right at the stadium and we made plans to meet up with her after the game to get a ride back. That Wisconsin hospitality! :) We learned that a ton of Uber drivers descent on the town for Packers-Bears weekend so there isn’t usually trouble finding a ride. Lisa told us that some people even Uber all the way back to Chicago and Milwaukee!

It was very dark and quiet when we got back to the campsite after the game but we made a fire to use up the rest of our wood (and make s’mores obviously) and turned in for the night.

My only blunder was not taking enough photos to show you all how peaceful and beautiful the campground was. I guess I was enjoying being away and unplugged for a while. I went into the weekend thinking it wouldn’t be as easy as just showing up and hoping things worked out but it couldn’t have gone better! It goes to show that sometimes all you have to do is GO and DO, it’s the only way you’ll start checking off that list of things you’ve been wanting to do.

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