About Green Bay, Wisconsin:
The French explorer Jean Nicolet was the first known European to discover Lake Michigan and what is now the state of Wisconsin. He visited the area in 1634 and because of the greenish color of the water, it was given that name (La Baye Verte). By 1655 a fur-trading post had been established, and Green Bay became the gateway to a trade route that connected the Fox, Wisconsin, and Mississippi rivers. Due to the French Catholic influence, Catholicism took root here and became the predominant religion in Green Bay and throughout Wisconsin.
Today, Green Bay is also known for the home of the Green Bay Packers football team; but due to the legacy of these early French explorers, it has many places of interest for Catholics.
Catholic places of interest in the Green Bay, Wisconsin Area:
Champion: National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion (only approved Marian Apparition Site in the U.S.A.)
De Pere: National Shrine of Saint Joseph at Norbertine Abbey.
Traveling to Green Bay, Wisconsin:
By plane: The nearest airport is Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB) in Green Bay and is served by several commuter airlines (mostly originating in Chicago). Other airports include Appleton International Airport (ATW), located in Appleton, Wisconsin, about 60 miles from Shrine.
By train: While there is no direct train service from Green Bay, the The Green Bay Transportation Center provides Amtrak Thruway bus connections to nearby stations, most notably Milwaukee’s Downtown Station, which is approximately a 3-hour bus ride away from Green Bay. This allows passengers to access the Hiawatha Service between Chicago and Milwaukee or longer routes like the Empire Builder heading west toward Glacier National Park and the Pacific Northwest.
By car: Interstate 43 and Interstate 41 converge in Green Bay.