Santana Dotson doesn't need to look at a calendar to know that training camp is open.

Six years removed from his final season as a pro football player, Dotson can recognize the telltale sign that a new season is starting.

"It's the smell of fresh-cut grass that always gets me," the former Green Bay defensive lineman said last week while attending ceremonies surrounding former teammate LeRoy Butler's induction in the Packers Hall of Fame.

"In the middle of July, I smell that grass and I know that it's getting close. My wife thinks I'm crazy. But, I can just tell. That smell makes me think of football."

Football is in the air again in Wisconsin.

The Packers' 62nd training camp opened on Saturday and runs through August as the team prepares for its season opener against Philadelphia Sept. 9 at Lambeau Field.

In recent years, Packers pre-season workouts have become a popular destination for fans and tourists. According to the Packer Country Visitor and Convention Bureau, more than 100,000 spectators from around the nation and as many as 20 foreign countries watch practice and pump an estimated $60 million into the local economy.

More than two dozen Packers practices will be open to the public this season. If you're planning on making the trip to Green Bay, here are some hints that may help. Be sure and visit the team's official camp site -- packerstrainingcamp.com - - for schedule information and news updates.

Practice schedule: In good weather, the Packers practice at Hinkle Field, located just west of the Don Hutson Center adjacent to Oneida St. Bleacher seating for roughly 600 people is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Parking is available in the Lambeau Field lot, where tailgating is permitted. Food and beverages are available for purchase near the practice field.

Practices will be conducted in full pads or "shells," which are smaller shoulder pads worn with helmets and shorts. Second-year coach Mike McCarthy's schedule differs from that of his predecessors. Rather than having a morning and late-afternoon practice each day, McCarthy rotates the workouts. Two-a-day workouts are often followed by a single practice the next day. On three Wednesdays during camp, McCarthy will conduct film study and meetings instead of on-field work.