When is the Minnesota State Fair Held?
The Minnesota State Fair runs for twelve days, ending on Labor Day.
Where is the Minnesota State Fair Held?
The 320 acre Minnesota State Fairgrounds are in between the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The main entrance to the Fairgrounds is on North Snelling Avenue, just north of the intersection of North Snelling and Como Avenues.
What is there to see and do at the Minnesota State Fair?
Farm animals and their babies, horses, farm machinery, live entertainment, music, parades, sporting competitions, fine arts, local crafts, butter sculptures, rides and fireworks.
What is there to eat at the Minnesota State Fair?
Just about anything you can imagine either sugar dusted, deep-fried, served on a stick, or all three: perhaps you may like to try deep fried s'mores on a stick. Fair food includes many things you couldn't imagine how they could be served on a stick. Hotdish on a stick, for example.
Plus many foods not served on a stick, such as the very popular fresh baked cookies, sold conveniently close to the all-you-can-drink milk stand.
How Can I Save Money at the Minnesota State Fair
A trip to the Minnesota State Fair can get expensive once you've paid for transportation to the fair, then admission, rides, food and entertainment for you and your family. Here's some ways to save money at the fair.
Saving on Admission to the Fair
Buying tickets in advance is cheaper than buying them at the gate. Tickets may be bought before the first day of the fair at the fair's website, or at a participating retailer in the Twin Cities.
When buying tickets at the gate, look for discount days. Discount days vary each year. There's usually a Senior Day, a Kids' Day, and dates like "Thrifty Thursday" where everyone receives a few dollars off admission.
Saving on Everything Else
The Blue Ribbon Bargain book is a book of coupons for attractions, food and merchandise at the fair. The book costs a couple of dollars and usually pays for itself.
Getting to the Minnesota State Fair
Around 150,000 people attend the Minnesota State Fair every day. and there is not parking available for everyone.Parking at the fair is available, but is expensive and lots can fill up fast. There are parking restrictions in surrounding neighborhood streets to prevent fair visitors parking in local streets.
Park-and-ride lots with free shuttle buses to the Minnesota State Fair are located in several locations, mostly in St. Paul and Roseville. Express buses run to the fair from locations around the Twin Cities and suburbs. These buses require a fare.
Metro Transit operates a number of regular bus routes that serve the Minnesota State Fair.
The Minnesota State Fair offers free bicycle parking.
