Titletown District Park: It’s So Much More than a Playground!
I only live about a mile from Lambeau Field. I can hear the crowd roar when the Packers score. I can see the Jumbotron from my bathroom. So when the Packers announced their plans for the Titletown district, I knew it would impact my life. I was excited about the public plaza part, but aside from the football field and sledding hill, I thought it would just be another park. I’ve seen the parks the Pack donated to local schools. I figured it would be a slightly larger version of one of those.
I was so wrong. This isn’t just a playground. It’s a place to be, and it’s not even finished yet.
THE FIELD
It’s an artificial surface, so it is always well-maintained. Also, it’s a bit softer than a traditional grass surface, so when your kid takes a dive reaching for that perfect spiral, it won’t hurt them like a hard, cold field. It also won’t stain! The field is very large, with plenty of room for lots of people to play catch, practice field goals, run sprints, tackle their moms…ya know, typical football practice.
“Clockwise from upper left: football field, agility hoops, climbing wall, slides between playground levels”
THE PLAYGROUNDS
A flat field not your thing—or your kid’s thing? Hit the playground. Or should I say, hit one of the three playgrounds. The playground area is divided into three areas: a player’s training theme, a climbing theme, and the kid’s “Cheese land” theme. The training theme has apparatuses like agility hoops (to climb through), tackling dummies, incline jumping ramps (think Ninja Warrior), springing balance beam, climbing wall and so much more. The general feel is that of a player’s workout facility; practice being a Packer! It really keeps with the feel of the Packers.
Between the training themed area and the climbing themed area is a slight slope; perfect for a couple of slides and climbing ropes. My daughter loved the roller slide…I know I loved those as a kid!
“The giant climbing football and climbing apparatus.”
The climbing themed area has a few climbing challenges. The most obvious is a very large climbing net, shaped like a football. It’s quite large (probably nearing 10’ tall in the center), so plenty of kids can climb at one time. There’s also an apparatus with a climbing wall and climbing ropes. It’s more geared towards older kids; I had to give my four-year-old a boost to get her started.
“Clockwise from upper left: Cheese land with toddler area to right, the other side of Cheese land, the spinning bucket, outlet post.”
The third area is what we called the “Cheese land.” It’s a more traditional playground area, with a little kid friendly play structure. It even has a low to the ground interactive area for toddlers. My daughter’s favorite part of this area: the spinning bucket. It’s a bucket seat angled out of the ground that spins. Older kids can easily get themselves going by kicking off or swinging their legs; younger kids love getting a good push. And I got to pretend I was spinning the Wheel of Fortune wheel. Definitely a big win!
Each play area is unique, but they share some great commonalities. They are extremely accessible. The training themed area is artificial turf and the other two areas are a soft, rubberized surface. No woodchips for toddler to faceplant into or wheelchairs to get stuck in. There are lots of ramps and sidewalks so everyone can get around. Also, there are these really cool outlet posts around the park by benches. There are outlets for USB chargers as well as full 3-prong outlets. Because it sucks when your kids are being cute, but your phone doesn’t have enough battery for pictures. Also, you can bring your laptop to get some work done and not be limited by the battery life.
THE PLAZA
The fun doesn’t stop at the end of the playground, though. There’s a large plaza along and in front of the sledding hill that is filled with awesome things to do! There are large games: ping pong, bocce ball, shuffleboard, foosball, and a horseshoe pit. They provide the balls, paddles, everything except horseshoes.
More of a board game kind of person? Believe it or not, they have those, too! There’s a cart filled with all sorts of games, from little kid games like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders to older kid games, like Sorry and Battleship. There’s even more adult games, like Scrabble and Monopoly. We had so much fun that we played game after game after game.
“Games upon games! Also, check out the art cart and book stands.”
Want to get creative? There’s an art cart! They have a cart filled with all sorts of craft supplies: paper, crayons, glue, scissors, markers, water colors and so much more. I made a flower with pipe cleaners and card board and my daughter drew a beautiful picture. It’s so nice to sit outside on beautiful day, just creating. Seeing her adorable face all scrunched up while she focuses on her art just made my day.
If your favorite way to spend a beautiful day is with a good book, the Packers have you covered. They have two book carts, one for kids and one for adults. The kid cart has everything from the simplest board books for toddlers to young adult books. The adult shelf has classics (I think I saw The Odyssey on there) to modern bestsellers. There’s also a periodicals rack with newspapers and magazines.
MORE TO COME
Once winter comes along, I’m sure some of these features will disappear. (Who wants to play Monopoly in a snowstorm?) But once the snow flies, the sledding hill will open. It’s tall enough to get some good speed, but not so tall that climbing it is a tremendous chore. Even better: there will be a tow rope to bring the sleds up for you! Also, the skating rink will open, and in the middle of it will be a fire pit to warm cold hands.
Food is coming, too. On the bottom floor of the sledding hill will be a bistro called 46 Below. First, the temperature of the infamous Ice Bowl was 46 degrees below 0. Also, it’s 46 feet below the top of the hill. It’ll have food year round. Hot cocoa and sledding? A cold soda with outdoor board games in the summer? Count me in!
FINAL THOUGHTS
So far, so awesome. I planned on bringing my daughter here for one hour, maybe two. We spent almost all day there. We even went to get some lunch and brought it back there to eat it. It was so beautiful out and there was so much to do that we just couldn’t leave. I’m excited about what the commercial development may bring. Maybe a sandwich shop for a quick summer bite? Maybe an ice cream shop for a break from the heat? Who knows! I’m excited to see what the future brings for the Titletown district and to take a trip down that sledding hill!
Chryssy is the owner of WellRoundedMom.com, a site dedicated to helping parents make the most of life. She lives in Green Bay with her husband, four-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.
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