SportsQuest
All games

Week 9, Sun, Nov 8, 4:25 PM local

Green Bay Packersat New England Patriots

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough. Fly into BOS.

Build the quest

Kickoff slot

Late afternoon

The best slot for a traveling fan.

Lots open

12:00 PM

Local time on game day.

Where to stay

In the city

Tailgate from 12:00 PM, then the game.

The matchup

Form, ESPN's model and the stat leaders
Form

The Packers are 1-2 after 3 games, 4th in the NFC North.

They are 1-1 on the road.

The Patriots are 1-2 after 3 games, 3rd in the AFC East.

They are 1-0 at home.

What we know about Gillette Stadium

Where visiting fans stay

Checked at the source
  • Patriot Place, Foxborough. 5 min by walk. The rare NFL stadium with a real hotel cluster at the gate. Two hotels sit 0.2 miles away, the Renaissance Boston Patriot Place and the Hilton Garden Inn Foxborough/Patriot Place. Both are official stadium hotels inside a shopping and dining complex. It has casual and sit-down restaurants, a cinema, a Trader Joe's and the Patriots Hall of Fame. You can walk to the game and walk back. The catch: only two hotels for 65,000 people. They sell out early and cost more on game weekends.
  • Downtown Boston. 60 min. MBTA Commuter Rail Patriots event train, South Station to Foxboro. Good choice if the trip is about Boston as well as the game. Stay near South Station and take the $20 round-trip event train to Foxboro station. It sits at the far end of Lot 4. A pedestrian walkway runs under the access road to the north end of the stadium. Watch the timetable, not the distance. There is usually one train out, about 2.5 hours before kickoff. Returns leave 30 and 45 minutes after the final whistle.
  • Providence, RI. 45 min. MBTA Commuter Rail Patriots event train via the Northeast Corridor, Providence to Foxboro. Cheaper than Boston, with its own restaurant scene. The same MBTA Patriots event train runs from Providence Station. The airport is 20 minutes away. Best base for a fan whose trip is just the game.

Around the stadium

From a specialist guide
Patriot Place is a real mixed-use complex next to the stadium. Two hotels sit 0.2 miles from the gates. It has a range of restaurants, a pharmacy, a Trader Joe's, a cinema and the Patriots Hall of Fame. Parking at Patriot Place is free on game days, but the Patriots patrol it to stop non-ticketed drivers from using it. This is one of the few NFL stadiums where staying near the stadium is a real option, not just a highway motel.

Getting in from the airport

From a specialist guide
BOS Boston Logan International, 20 minutes via Silver Line SL1 bus or Blue Line subway to downtown Boston

Getting to the stadium

Checked at the source
MBTA Commuter Rail Patriots event train, about 60 min. Foxboro station sits at the far end of Lot 4, next to the stadium. A pedestrian walkway runs under an access road to the north end of the stadium. MBTA Commuter Rail Patriots event train (Providence branch) to Foxboro station, next to the stadium. Franklin/Foxboro Line scheduled service to Foxboro station, next to the stadium.

Tailgating

From a specialist guide
Tailgating happens in the lots, starting four hours before kickoff, but it is a car activity. Lot re-entry is banned, there is no walk-up tailgate village, and no ticketed public tailgate exists. The carless substitute is strong, though: Patriot Place's bars and restaurants sit a two-minute walk from the gates and work as the pre-game gathering spot. Remember, there is no stadium re-entry at Patriots games, so eat and drink before you go through the turnstiles.

Getting in

Checked at the source
  • Bag policy: Three bag formats are allowed: a one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag no bigger than 11 by 11 inches; a clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bag no bigger than 12 by 12 by 6 inches; or a small wristlet or handheld wallet no bigger than 6.5 by 4.5 inches. The clear-bag size order differs from the usual NFL phrasing of 12 by 6 by 12 inches. For medical supplies or dietary needs, email at least 48 hours ahead; breast pumps are named as an example.
  • Re-entry: Two separate bans apply. No stadium re-entry at Patriots and Revolution games. No parking lot re-entry at any stadium event. Rules for other events vary by event.
  • Prohibited items: Banned items: umbrellas of any kind; selfie sticks or any stick or pole; seat cushions with pockets or zippers; portable folding or standalone chairs; GoPros, video cameras, tripods and monopods; strollers, except at Revolution games; outside food or drinks, coolers, cans and bottles; noisemakers, bullhorns, air horns and vuvuzelas; balloons and beach balls.

Touring the stadium

Checked at the source
Gillette runs no stadium tours, on game days or any other day. The official A-Z guide says so directly and points visitors to the Patriots Hall of Fame instead.

After the final whistle

From a specialist guide
30 minutes by train, 90 to 180 by car. The train is the whole reason to go carless here. The first return train leaves Foxboro 30 minutes after the game ends. On games with a second Boston train, it leaves about 15 minutes later, but not every game has one. Event trains run on a set timetable, so you cannot linger. By road it is worse. Gillette empties onto US Route 1 with State Police running contraflow. A parking guide records waits of 1.5 to 3 hours when the crowd leaves at once. The free lots across Route 1 are hit hardest. Many fans wait an hour in the lot on purpose rather than sit in that line.

One thing to avoid

From a specialist guide
Do not assume a 'Boston' hotel sits near the stadium. Foxborough is 22 miles out, and there is no subway. A hotel in the northern or western Boston suburbs gives you the worst of both: no city, no stadium, no train. If you cannot get Patriot Place, book downtown Boston near South Station or Providence, not somewhere in between.

Bars near the stadium

Checked at the source

  • The Harp

    200 Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA 02035

    The Foxborough Harp is the country cousin of a Boston institution. The original opened on Causeway Street, across from what is now TD Garden, in 1993, and the Briar Group has run it for three decades.

    Away fans: mixed

  • Six String Grill & Stage

    275 Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA 02035

    The Briar Group, which also runs The Harp, opened this spot in May 2019. The dining room is 19,400 square feet with a large patio.

    Away fans: mixed, a concert venue as much as a bar

  • Mass Appeal Draught House & Grille

    250 Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA 02035

    This is the newest spot in the district, opened June 2026 in the old Wormtown Brewery taproom. It serves Massachusetts craft beer and New England food, a good pick if you want local drinks instead of a national brand.

Sidequests in Foxborough

In the order they happen. Each one earns points.

  1. Landmark65 points

    The Lighthouse observation deck

    Elevator ride to a 360-degree deck, 22 stories up. Boston and Providence skylines on a clear day. $5 for adults, free for kids 10 and under, but it closes for ticketed events, so go the day before.

    $. The day before

  2. Outing40 points

    The Patriots Hall of Fame presented by RTX

    Team museum next to the stadium with Super Bowl trophies and rings. Open daily 10 AM to 5 PM, $10 for adults, $5 for ages 5 to 12, under 5 free. Hours can shift on game days.

    $. The day before

  3. Eat65 points

    Dinner at Lafayette House, a 1784 tavern

    Foxborough restaurant on Route 1 south of the stadium, running since 1784 as a tavern and inn. Dining rooms with fireplaces and a pub. Dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 4pm, Sunday from noon.

    $$$. 19 hours before kickoff

  4. Drink25 points

    The Greatest Bar, official Patriots fan club bar

    Multi-floor sports bar near TD Garden and North Station in Boston, listed by the team as the official home of its Patriots fan club. Good for the night before if staying in Boston.

    $$. 18 hours before kickoff

  5. Eat65 points

    Breakfast at The Commons Neighborhood Eatery

    Diner-style breakfast in Foxborough center, about two miles from the stadium. Omelets, Belgian waffles, corned beef hash and eggs Benedict. Open until 2pm, from 7am on Sundays.

    $. 5 hours before kickoff

  6. Landmark65 points

    Nature Trail and Ocean Spray Cranberry Bog

    Half-mile trail around a working seven-acre cranberry bog, planted in 1929. Behind Bass Pro Shops at Patriot Place, free, dawn to dusk. Signs explain how cranberries grow, and the bogs turn red in fall.

    Free. 4 hours before kickoff

  7. Eat65 points

    Lunch at Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse

    Boston-based steakhouse at Patriot Place, a few minutes' walk from the gates. Handmade gnocchi and steaks, opens 11:30am daily with Sunday brunch 11am to 1:30pm. Book ahead on game days.

    $$$. 3 hours before kickoff

  8. Tailgate65 points

    Patriot Place outdoor refreshment zones

    Two open-container zones sit in the Patriot Place North Marketplace: Bar Louie to the Grand Staircase, and by the hotels to Six String Grill. Takeout drinks come in sealed cups with food, daily noon to 9:30pm.

    $$. 2 hours 30 minutes before kickoff

  9. Photo25 points

    Tom Brady statue in the Patriot Place plaza

    Twelve-foot bronze of Brady, fist raised, unveiled August 8, 2025. It stands outside the Patriots Hall of Fame at the base of the Lighthouse. Free to see, but lines build on game days.

    Free. 2 hours before kickoff

  10. Ritual25 points

    Ride the MBTA event train to Foxboro station

    Special trains run from South Station, Back Bay, Dedham and Providence. $20 round trip on the mTicket app, arriving about an hour before kickoff. Stadium's a quarter-mile walk from there.

    $. 1 hour 30 minutes before kickoff

Seats and views

Where each part of Gillette Stadium sits, and what you see from it.

100 Level, end zone100 Level, corner, home side100 Level, home sideline100 Level, corner, home side100 Level, end zone100 Level, corner, visitor side100 Level, visitor sideline100 Level, corner, visitor side200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, end zone200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, corner, home side200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, home sideline200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, corner, home side200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, end zone200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, corner, visitor side200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, visitor sideline200 Level and Cross Insurance Club, corner, visitor side300 Level, end zone300 Level, corner, home side300 Level, home sideline300 Level, corner, home side300 Level, end zone300 Level, corner, visitor side300 Level, visitor sideline300 Level, corner, visitor sideHomeVisitors
100 Level101 to 143200 Level and Cross Insurance Club201 to 240, club sections CL6 to CL13300 Level301 to 340Tap any part of the stadium to see its view.