Stadiums, arenas, and raceways across the state offer fun outings for groups

Mention football and images of green-and-gold Green Bay Packers gear immediately come to mind, as the northeast Wisconsin city is inextricably identified with one of pro football’s most storied franchises. The NFL has bestowed Green Bay the honor of hosting the 2025 NFL Draft in April.

While most Wisconsinites are passionate Packer backers who become stricken with football fever every fall, the state offers opportunities for enjoying a wide range of spectator sports year-round, from baseball and basketball to hockey, soccer, and auto racing. Depending on the season, group tour organizers have many options for including an afternoon or evening of competitive action in their itineraries.

In Green Bay, behind-the-scenes tours of Lambeau Field, the third-oldest major-league sports stadium in continuous use, let guests pass through the players’ tunnel (to a recording of cheering fans) and onto the track that circles the turf. At the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, they hear players describing crucial games in their own words and scroll through touch screens to click on audio segments and game video clips. On display are game-worn jerseys, helmets, and shoes of all-time heroes like quarterbacks Bart Starr, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers. Exhibits also honor legendary Head Coach Vince Lombardi, who led the Packers to five NFL titles in the 1960s, and there’s a replica of his office.

Groups at Lambeau Field also will want to check out the Packers Pro Shop, which sells every kind of logo gear/wear imaginable. The stadium’s 1919 Kitchen & Tap is open year-round for lunch and dinner.

For a look at Packers history in downtown Green Bay and beyond, visitors can follow the Packers Heritage Trail, which is marked by 25 commemorative plaques. The best photo op is the ensemble of bronze sculptures at a Washington Street plaza that enshrines the city’s affection for the Green and Gold.

The Bucks and Brewers are enjoying success

In Milwaukee, the big-time draws are the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers, the National League’s Central Division champs in 2024. The Bucks play at downtown’s Fiserv Forum, also home to Marquette University’s men’s basketball team, the Golden Eagles.

Tours of the Brewers’ American Family Field, a retractable-roof stadium that allows play in any kind of weather, include things like a visit to the opposing team’s dugout and clubhouse, a luxury suite, the playing field, Brewers bullpen, press box and Bob Uecker’s broadcast booth. Game day fun includes the Famous Racing Sausages, a squad of sausage mascots that run around the field before the bottom of the sixth inning. Prior to the game, fans have a chance to whoosh down the twisty yellow slide used by mascot Bernie Brewer every time the team hits a home run.

Milwaukee also has professional hockey. The American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals (the farm team for the NHL Nashville Predators) take to the ice at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, home to the university’s Panther men’s basketball and Milwaukee Wave indoor soccer team.

A hockey match featuring junior teams may fit into a group itinerary in other Wisconsin cities. The North American Hockey League’s Janesville Jets compete at the Janesville Ice Arena (and will move into the brand new Woodman’s Sports and Convention Center in late 2025).  In the United States Hockey League, the Green Bay Gamblers play at the Resch Center, while the Madison Capitols draw crowds to Legacy20 Arena in Middleton. The Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings, a United States Premier Hockey League franchise, face off at the South Wood County Recreation Center.

Madison is a fabulous college town

Madison, home to the University of Wisconsin’s main campus and its 23 Badgers teams, offers spectator sports year-round. On game day during football season, Badger fans are wearing bright red jerseys and striped overalls. They pack Camp Randall Stadium, creating a vibrant home-field advantage. The UW Badgers women’s volleyball team, one of the best in the U.S., competes at UW Field House, while there is UW men’s and women’s soccer at Dan McClimon Memorial Track/Soccer Complex, and Badgers basketball action takes place at the Kohl Center. For USL soccer action, catch a Forward Madison FC match at downtown Madison’s historic Breese Stevens Field, just blocks from the State Capitol.

Minor league and collegiate-level baseball offer another possibility for injecting a sporting element into your itinerary. With between-inning activities, theme nights and affordable group packages, ballparks provide an affordable, family-friendly option on a summer afternoon or evening.

At Appleton’s Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium, groups can cheer on the Midwest League’s Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The league’s Beloit Sky Carp, High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, play at ABC Supply Stadium. Both teams play a collection of Midwestern MLB affiliates, such as those of the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins.

Some of the nation’s best collegiate baseball talent spends their summer in Wisconsin as part of the Northwoods League. The Eau Claire Express, for example, plays at 1937 Carson Park, which boasts a long list of Major League alumni, including Hank Aaron, Bob Uecker and Joe Torre. Other Northwoods teams include the La Crosse Loggers, Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, Green Bay Rockers, Wisconsin Woodchucks (Wausau), Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, Lakeshore Chinooks (Menomonee Falls) and Madison Mallards.

A great motorsports state

If roaring engines and screeching tires figure into your plans, Wisconsin abounds with opportunities to experience the thrill of motorsports.  A number of tracks schedule weekly racing on Friday or Saturday nights, plus special events at other times.

La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem offers weekly Saturday action from April to September on its NASCAR-sanctioned asphalt track. Oktoberfest Race Weekend is one of the largest racing events in the Midwest.

Milwaukee Mile Speedway, a mile-long oval track at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, is the oldest operating motor speedway in the world, dating back to 1903; it has seating for 35,000 spectators.

Other auto racing venues include Madison International Speedway in Oregon, Shawano Speedway, Tomah-Sparta Speedway, Marshfield Motor Speedway and Dells Raceway Park in Wisconsin Dells.

For competition of a different kind, consider the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show in Wisconsin Dells or Scheer’s Lumberjack Show in the Minoqua resort area. Some of the best lumberjack competitors in the world demonstrate the logging skills associated with the dangerous work of falling and preparing trees for domestic use. Events include log rolling on water, chopping, crosscut sawing and axe throwing. You’ll see lumberjacks using specially-built speed axes to cut through wood in a matter of seconds.

Waterski shows offer thrills as well. In Minoqua, the Min-Aqua Bats, the oldest continually running amateur water ski show in the country, have been performing for more than 70 years. Janesville’s high-flying Rock Aqua Jays, a 22-time national champion water ski show team, will be celebrating their 64th season this summer on the banks of the Rock River.

Surfing, another water sport, is one of Sheboygan’s claims to fame. In fact, it’s nicknamed the Malibu of the Midwest for the giant waves that attract surfers to its Lake Michigan shores. Here in the Fresh Water Surf Capital of the World, the peak season is September to March. In summer, you’ll see kiteboarders, windsurfers and stand-up paddle boarders, along with surfers, riding the awesome swells.