TRAVELERS’ CHECKS

When you think of Green Bay, Wisconsin, your first thought might be the Green Bay Packers. But there’s more to the city than football. A lot more. In the last two years, Green Bay has transformed from a city of 104,000 people, as recorded in the 2014 census, to an innovative, affordable, family-friendly vacation spot.

For the railroad enthusiasts, Green Bay is home to The National Railroad Museum, 2285 S. Broadway. The museum is open year-round with indoor and outdoor exhibits. It houses the largest steam train ever built, the Union Pacific Big Boy Locomotive 4017, which weighs 1.1 million pounds and measures nearly half a football field. It was designed to haul heavy freight for the Union Pacific railroad over mountainous regions of Utah and Wyoming. There were initially 25 Big Boys built from 1941 to 1944. Eight of those locomotives have been donated to museums across the U.S., but the one housed at Green Bay is the only one inside a climate-controlled facility.

Another notable train inside the building is the Dwight D. Eisenhower, an A4 locomotive designed by Sir Nigel Gresley in Great Britain, which pulled Eisenhower’s command train during World War II. It sits indoors and is open to tour room by room.

The Pullman also resides inside and is open for touring. The Pullman Company reinvented railroad travel with the introduction of the Pullman Palace Car, a luxury passenger car that traveled American railways for decades. To attend to the mostly white passengers’ high-end needs, the company, head by George Pullman, hired thousands of attendants, many of whom were former slaves, to work on sleeper cars.

The porters tended to be the most knowledgeable about current events, as they picked up newspapers and overheard passengers’ discussions before the news made its way around the country. In the 1930s, the establishment of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters changed the way the workers were treated. The union fought for rights of the porters and maids on the railroads, and because the porters and maids were largely of African decent, fighting for their fair treatment was instrumental during the Civil Rights movement. After the union was established, porters turned in their coveralls for Pullman uniforms, which included a button-down navy jacket and a matching cap with the words “Pullman Porter” etched on a gold plate.

Many other trains are open inside and outside the facility, so step inside each cab and step back in time and learn how the railroad was a huge part of the Civil Rights movement.

After the museum, you The National Railroad Museum: 2285 S. Broadway, Green Bay, Wisconsin, www.nationalrrmuseum. org/ , 920-437-7623. Not By Bread Alone : 940 Hansen Road, Green Bay, Wisconsin, www.notbybread.com, 920-429-9422. Bay Beach Amusement Park : 1313 Bay Beach Road, Green Bay, Wilsconsin, greenbaywi.gov/baybeach/. Zesty’s Frozen Custard : has three locations in the Green Bay area. Two locations, 508 Greene Avenue and 2639 Lineville Road, offer indoor seating and are

may have worked up an appetite. A popular lunch spot you’ll want to hit is Not by Bread Alone. The bakery owners’ faith is very important to them, giving the eatery its name from Matthew 4:4, which states, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” The eatery bakes all of its own bread and uses only fresh ingredients. The specials include fresh coffees, wraps, sandwiches and rolls. The counter-serve bakery features daily and monthly specials. You’d be missing out if you didn’t try its specialty, the Sausage Bread, which pairs well with breakfast or lunch. Its most popular white, loaf, the Sausage Bread is round and filled with small sausage bites and gooey mozzarella cheese, topped with seasoning.

Perhaps after Not by Bread

Hyatt Regency Green Bay : 333 Main St., Green Bay, Wisconsin, https://greenbay.regency.hyatt.com/ , 920-432-1234. The Cannery : 320 N. Broadway, Green Bay, Wisconsin, thecannerymarket. com/, 920-432-3300. Titletown Brewing Company : 200 Dousman St., Green Bay, Wisconsin, www. titletownbrewing.com , 920-437-2337.

Alone, you’ll take the short trip to Bay Beach Amusement Park , which is celebrating its 125th birthday this year and is a great way to have lots of fun while spending little of money. The park sits on the mouth of Fox River, which flows right into Green Bay and is home to Elvis Presley’s favorite ride and one of the oldest wood roller coasters left in the United States, The Zippin Pippin. The Zippin Pippin was first built in the former East End Park in Memphis, Tennessee, in the early 1900s. However, when park popularity declined, the coaster was dismantled and relocated in Montgomery Park. At one point, it was incorporated as an attraction in the now-closed Libertyland amusement park. During that time, Presley rented Libertyland on August 8, 1977 from 1:15 a.m. until 7 a.m. to entertain guests. On this day, “The King” rode The Zippin Pippin repeatedly for two hours and lost his huge belt buckle with turquoise studs and gold chains on the ride. It was found, however, and returned to him the next day. The Libertyland rental became Elvis’ last public appearance before he died April 16. Following Libertyland’s closure in 2005, Green Bay purchased the blueprints for the ride and had it installed at Bay Beach.

Many places in Green Bay are dedicated to creating local, fresh foods for visitors and natives alike. One such place is Zesty’s Frozen Custard, which claims to have the purest frozen custard recipe from the 1970s and uses only Wisconsin milk. Both the chocolate and vanilla frozen custards are gluten-free, as well.

They encourage samples when the custard is being churned, because, as coowner of Zesty’s Ted Zieman will tell you, “It’s best when it’s fresh.” All of the custard is made fresh at least every three hours.

“On a busy day, the custard continues to churn all day,” Zieman says.

If you love root beer floats, you’ll be amazed at Zesty’s Sno-Cap root beer float. The sno-cap root beer on tap is brewed locally at Titletown Brewery, and it pairs well with the vanilla frozen custard from Zesty’s. Almost every aspect of the custard comes locally, down to the machines that churn the custard. There are three