Plan a date night that feels like stepping into a time machine! Green Bay is full of spots that celebrate its past, from neon diner signs to historic venues that have seen everything from sock hops to rock legends. Follow our guide for a date night that takes its cues from the Green Bay of yesteryear.
Grab a bite to eat
Al’s Hamburgers
Al’s has been flipping burgers and blending malts since the 1930’s, and this downtown diner still feels like a page straight out of a 1950’s yearbook. Favorite menu items include the classic hamburger, house-made chili, or Al’s Famous Corned Beef Hash. And for dessert, embrace the retro vibe by grabbing two straws and sharing a shake with your sweetie.
Kropp’s Supper Club
Nothing says Green Bay nostalgia like a supper club. Kropp’s delivers everything you would want from a nostalgic supper club experience: warm lighting, classic cocktails, and a menu that reflects traditional supper clubs of the past. The building itself dates back to the early 1900’s, and the restaurant has carried on decades of dining history. Order some Old Fashioneds and pretend you’re regulars who have been coming here for 40 years.
Suster’s Tavern
Suster’s has been part of Green Bay area life since the early 1900’s, and has been family-owned for generations. It blends neighborhood vibes with old-school tavern energy. If you stopped in anytime between 1963 and 2013, there’s a good chance you laced up some bowling shoes and rolled a few frames on Suster’s own lanes during their evening and weekend bowling hours. While the lanes are gone today, the nostalgia absolutely remains. These days, the tradition continues in other delicious ways, like their beloved Friday fish fry, which still draws in locals and visitors alike every week.
The Depot
The Depot sits inside one of Green Bay’s most recognizable landmarks, the Chicago & Northwestern Train Depot, originally opened in the late 1800s. Today, the space blends city history with cozy dining, serving classic favorites like chili, pizza, sandwiches, and burgers. It’s the perfect stop for a relaxed meal surrounded by 130 years of history.
Kroll’s East & West
You simply can’t talk about nostalgic Green Bay dining without talking about Kroll’s.
Kroll’s West, located in Ashwaubenon just steps from Lambeau Field, is a true Green Bay landmark. For decades, it has been the go-to stop for charcoal-grilled butter burgers, broasted chicken, and, of course, Friday fish fry. Family-owned and rooted in tradition, Kroll’s West has become part of the game-day ritual and post-game celebration for many locals and out-of-towners.
Kroll’s East, located on Main Street, offers a healthy dose of nostalgia, too. Inside, you’ll still find original green tile and mirrors behind the back bar—imported all the way from Italy—along with historic black, red, and yellow tile that once covered much of the building. Order their famous broasted chicken and enjoy a piece of Green Bay’s past.
Date night activities
The Automobile Gallery
Housed in a beautifully restored mid-century Cadillac dealership, The Automobile Gallery offers a step back into the past with vintage classics, rare antiques, and even a certain time-traveling DeLorean (which you can take a photo inside!).
Riverside Ballroom
Opened in 1936, the Riverside Ballroom is one of Green Bay’s most legendary venues, featuring beautiful Art Moderne design and sparkling crystal chandeliers, and known for its amazing performances throughout the years. It played a role in music history as one of the final stops on the Winter Dance Party tour in 1959, just days before Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper tragically passed away. (Fun local trivia: These three music icons grabbed a bite at Kroll’s West while they were in town!)
The Riverside has also hosted countless concerts over the decades, including a particularly infamous Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1989, when the band wore nothing but tube socks on stage (we’ll let you figure out where they wore them). The raucous concert ended with police involvement, and the band was told to get out of town and never come back (and they haven’t been back since).
The Tarlton
Another icon of Green Bay, The Tarlton is the city’s historic hometown Art Deco drafthouse cinema and performing arts venue. Originally built in the mid-1920’s, the building has lived many lives—first as an automobile dealership, then later transformed into a single-screen movie theater in the early 1940’s by Midwest architect Perry Crosier, known for shaping the region’s iconic Art Deco and Art Moderne cinemas.
Despite changing ownership over the decades, the theatre has remained Green Bay’s longest-running cinema. Today, The Tarlton hosts an eclectic mix of performances, including jazz shows, comedy, movies, drag performances, and unique live entertainment.
Packers Hall of Fame
Green Bay nostalgia at its finest, the Packers Hall of Fame brings more than a century of Green Bay Packers history to life with immersive exhibits and interactive displays. Sit at Vince Lombardi’s desk and relive iconic plays that spark your favorite Packers memories, whether that’s a game at Lambeau or just watching fuzzy highlights on TV as a kid. Spread across two levels and thousands of square feet, the Hall of Fame lets you explore decades of tradition and triumph.
Bay Beach Amusement Park
Bay Beach is basically a rite of passage for anyone who’s ever grown up in the area. What started in the late 1800’s as a simple lakeside dance and recreation area has grown into the beloved amusement park we know today. Today, it features more than 20 rides, snacks, picnic areas, playgrounds, and that unmistakable summer-in-Green-Bay feeling.
And don’t forget about the Zippin Pippin! Originally built in 1912, this wooden roller coaster has traveled across the country before settling into its permanent Bay Beach home in 2010. It was famously Elvis Presley’s favorite roller coaster, and riding it today feels like sharing a small piece of the city’s storied history.
RIVERSIDE BALLROOM NOSTALGIC PLAYLIST
1950 – Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra – Polka Dots and Moonbeams
1959 – Link Wray – Rumble
1959 – Bill Haley & His Comets – Shake, Rattle and Roll
1959 – Dion & The Belmonts – A Teenager in Love
1962 – Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison Blues
1977 – Matrix – Wizard
1982 – Vassar Clements – Black Mountain Rag
1985 – Dead Kennedys – Soup is Good Food
1985 – Capital Punishment - Roadkill
1986 – Black Flag – Annihilate This Week
1986 – Violent Femmes – Blister in the Sun
1987 – Hüsker Dü – Makes No Sense at All
1988 – Vinnie Vincent Invasion – Dirty Rhythm
1990 – Savatage – Gutter Ballet
1995 – Fugazi – Waiting Room
1996 – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Kinder Words
1996 – Rusted Root – Send Me On My Way
1997 – The Verve Pipe – The Freshman
1998 – Less Than Jake – History of a Boring Town
1998 – Ann Beretta – Forever Family
1998 – Mad Caddies – Road Rash
1998 – Our Lady Peace – Superman’s Dead
1999 – Susan Tedeschi – It Hurts So Bad
1999 – The Verve Pipe – She Loves Everybody
1999 – Arlo Guthrie – Moon Song
2000 – Dark Star Orchestra – Box of Rain
2000 – Less Than Jake – All My Best Friends Are Metalheads
2000 – The Suicide Machines – I Never Promised You A Rose Garden
2000 – Disturbed – The Sickness
2000 – Kenny Wayne Shepherd – In 2 Deep
2000 – Sevendust – Bender
2000 – P.O.D. – Southtown
2000 – Fu Manchu – King Of The Road
2001 – Cold – Give
2001 – Dope – Everything Sucks
2001 – Flaw – Only the Strong
2001 – B.B. King – The Thrill is Gone
2001 – Reel Big Fish – Somebody Hates Me
2001 – Big Brother and the Holding Company – Piece of My Heart
2001 – Professional Murder Music – Slow
2001 – MxPx – My Life Story
2002 – Night Ranger
2002 – Eddie Money
2002 – Steve Forbert
2002 – Dashboard Confessional – Hands Down
2002 – Hot Rod Circuit – Hi-Tech Lip Gloss
2002 – Piebald – Grace Kelly With Wings
2002 – Rhett Miller – Things That Disappear
2002 – Primer 55 – Lou Evil
2002 – O.A.R. – Night Shift
2002 – The Clarks – Caroline
2002 – NOFX – Puke on Cops
2002 – Mad Caddies – Easy Cheese
2002 – Frenzal Rhomb – Runaway
2002 – Fabulous Disaster – Gia
2003 – The Clarks – All The Things I Wanted
2003 – AFI – Bleed Black
2003 – The Figgs – Supreme Fashion
2003 – Todd Snider – New Connection
2003 – O.A.R. – Anyway
2003 – Pseudopod – Village Fool
2003 – Marc Broussard – The Wanderer
2003 – Indigo Girls – Closer to Fine
2003 – Kim Richey – Girl in a Car
2004 – Alter Bridge – Watch Your Words
2004 – Superjoint – Waiting for the Turning Point
2004 – Earshot – Wait
2004 – Much the Same – Conclusion
2004 – 15 Minutes Late – Michigan Calling
2004 – Todd Snider – Beer Run
2004 – Lucky Boys Confusion – Hey Driver
