The countdown is on! The 2025 NFL Draft will take place in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Thursday, April 24 through Saturday, April 26. Only a short 40-minute drive away, Manitowoc is located south of Green Bay on the coast of Lake Michigan. While in the area for the big event, visit Manitowoc for winning attractions, restaurants that could feed a whole football team, and comfortable lodging options for when you need to take a break.
Lodging
Whether it be a vacation rental to house the whole team or a full-service hotel complete with a pool and meeting rooms, you can find accommodations that fit the unique dynamic of your group. Check out our Places to Stay page to see all available lodging options that are sure to fit your group huddle.
Sports Bars
Residents and visitors always come together when rooting for their teams and favorite athletes. Experience the camaraderie at area sports bars such as Time Out, Manitowoc’s largest sports bar with plenty of TVs, bar space, a private room and restaurant seating. Other options include Tower Tavern, Green Bay Packers-themed bar The Linebacker and Legend Larry’s for their delicious chicken wings.
Things to Do
Don't fumble your visit to Wisconsin! Stay a few extra days to touch down at the area’s best attractions. April tends to be a cooler month, but there's still plenty to do outside. Take in the beauty of Lake Michigan’s shoreline by tackling the Mariners Trail by bicycle or foot. Other outdoor activities this time of year include disc golfing at the "30th Best Free Disc Golf Course in the World," Silver Creek Park, which earned this title from its 36 groomed holes of woody area, hills, plains and water hazards.
Indoors, check out the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. Here, you’ll find several exhibits for all ages on the history of the Great Lakes and the ships that traversed it. You can also tour the USS Cobia, a real WWII submarine preserved in the Manitowoc River.
Manitowoc is also home to the Sputnik IV crash landing site. In the 1960s, a chunk of Russian space debris landed smack dab in the middle of one of Manitowoc’s busiest streets. Snap a picture at this historic site right in front of the Rahr-West Art Museum on the corner of 8th Street and Park Street, then head inside the popular admission-free museum for an exhibit on the event and works of fine art from big names such as Pablo Picasso, Georgia O'Keeffe and Andy Warhol.
