Parking at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds is a headache. Don’t do it.
Typically, Metro Transit’s free Park and Ride shuttle lots fill up quickly, some days before 11 am.
So how the heck do you get to the Great Minnesota Get Together? Here are some out-of-the-box options.
1. Express bus from the suburbs
Metro Transit’s Express service lots from the suburbs have much more parking. However, your trip to the Fairgrounds will be a lot longer. If you buy your ticket when you board, it’s $6. If you purchase them on Metro Transit’s app, it’s $5. Get a list of the Express lots here.
2. Look for a regular Metro Transit route
There are a couple regular Metro Transit routes worth looking into. You can take the Green Line Light Rail to Metro Transit’s A Line rapid bus line, which goes up and down Snelling Avenue. You can leave your car along University Avenue and take the train to the Snelling Avenue station. The bus will drop you off right at the main gate.
3. Take a taxi
There is a taxi stand outside of gate 9 at the south end of the Fairgrounds. That’s the gate I walk out of each day, and I see a slew of taxi drivers ready to take Fairgoers home.
4. Take a motorcycle
The State Fair has a motorcycle parking lot of south of Como Avenue where parking is $15. Motorcycles can park in any State Fair lot, but the $15 rate is only valid in the motorcycle lot; otherwise it is $20 to park.
5. Take a hotel shuttle
Make it a fun weekend and book a hotel room that offers a shuttle to the Fairgrounds. They’ll drop you off at Gate 9 at the south end. The State Fair has a list of area visitors bureaus posted here.
If you would like to stick with the free Park and Ride option, know that you can get dropped off at a Park and Ride, even if the lot is full. The buses run to the lots, even if they’re full. People on my Facebook page warned folks that you need to be careful parking in neighborhoods around Park and Ride lots as some have received parking tickets.
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