General
A half hour south (southwest) of
Green Bay,
Wisconsin. Small town, numbering about 65,000. Most of the industry is based around
Kaukauna's paper mills, as well as hosting the
NFL teams that play the
Green Bay Packers.
Local Scene
Seen as the "liberal" town in the
Fox Valley, many outsiders* will come to realize "liberal" is a relative term. College Avenue provides much of the weekend entertainment. Others include:
The Skyline Comedy Cafe and the
Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. In winter you can find
Outdoor Ice skating at Erb Park, Jones Park and Holland Town. Everything else is indoors due to frigid temperatures. One of the oddities I have noticed since moving here is the great love of
Volleyball. Most larger bars either have a
bar team or have several
Volleyball Courts.
The Bars
Note this is far from an exhaustive list
The Wooden Nickel: Right on College Ave., south side, three blocks west of
Lawrence University. Nice quiet atmosphere, friendly staff. Good food - one of the few
bars where you can get good food in downtown.
Jim's Place: Two doors east of
The Wooden Nickel. Reportedly one of the oldest bars in Wisconsin, it has some nice woodworking and there is a line to get in on occasion. Say hi to Stan (the
bouncer) and ask him to point you in the direction of "the South Park guy".
Cleo's: Located 6 blocks west of Lawrence University, south side of College Ave.
Eccentric and generally tacky decorations make this bar a whirlwind of activity. I would say that the decorations are hideous, but the sheer overwhelming number of them make it a
festive atmosphere. Popular with a lot of the
middle-aged crowd as well as some of the college students.
Route 66: Across the street from the
Paper Valley Hotel sits a large dance club. I have only been there once, but it has ample bar space (3 of them) and plenty of dance floor. If you like
dance/
hip-hop this is the place. Also check out the dentist-shot chair.
Park Central: Located on the north side of College Ave. 1/2 block east of the
Paper Valley Hotel. Actually a collection of bars. I have only been in there once, and they have recently opened a new bar in there that is
smoke free.
Dr. Jekyls: Located 1 block west of Lawrence University on the north side of College Ave. Cramped is the first thing I thought. The back area actaully opens up a lot, and it seems to be popular with the College students. Most likely because they can trip out the door and hit their nose on their dorm room door.
Houdini's: Located 1/2 block south of College Ave. on S. Appleton St, 5 blocks west of Lawrence University. A new favorite of mine. There is a line on occasion, but a neighbor told me it can get pretty wild there come closing time.
*by outsider I mean anyone from a large city outside of the Fox Valley. I was an 'outsider' and consider Appleton to be very conservative.