How to get around Minneapolis
When it comes to catching a game at Target Field, understanding how to get to the ballpark is going to help make your visit a lot easier. Whether it’s walking, taking the light rail, driving, or using taxis or rideshare services, here’s everything you need to know to get to Target Field on gameday.
Where Target Field is located
Just to remind you, Target Field is located in downtown Minneapolis, which is the cultural and business heart of the city. There are about 40 hotels within a 20-minute walk of the ballpark, and it’s easily accessible by light rail as well.
The most obvious transit method: Walking
Minneapolis Skyway
If you are staying at pretty much any downtown hotel that shows it’s within a 15-20 minute walk to the ballpark, then walking is definitely your best option. Downtown Minneapolis is a safe city. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have random instances of crime, as any urban city center might, but we consider it to be completely appropriate recommending that visitors walk to the ballpark from pretty much any downtown hotel, even at night. So if you’re the type who is fine with walking, hands down, that’s your best transit method for getting to/from the ballpark.
Downtown Minneapolis also has an indoor skyway system connecting its buildings, allowing you to traverse the city safe from the elements (just look up from the street and you can probably see it from anywhere you are). However, using it to reach Target Field often isn’t efficient. Depending on your starting point, it might take double the time and distance as you take left turn after right turn after left turn—it can actually be a little disorienting, and it’s not nearly as obvious as you might expect it to be, especially since they don’t do a great job with signage. Some skyway sections also close after business hours or on weekends.
Navigating the skyway can be tricky, and even Google Maps isn’t always accurate inside it, so we’d say to only bother with it if there is inclement weather, or someone in your party has a specific need to be indoors.
Getting to Target Field by Light Rail
After walking, the easiest way for getting to and from Target Field is the light rail. When we say it stops steps away from the entrance, we mean it—just take a look at the pictures above. Even a city with a subway stop built underneath an arena wouldn’t be as close from train to turnstyle as Target Field is. And it’s so convenient that even if you’re staying at a downtown hotel but don’t want to walk, you can just jump on the light rail for a couple of stops (if you’re riding within the downtown zone of US Bank Stadium to Target Field, the one-way fare is only $.50, so it doesn’t get much cheaper than that). And for all of the stops on the light rail, the stations are above ground, right on the street. So you don’t even need to climb stairs or “enter” a station… it’s all right at street level, which makes it incredibly easy.
The two primary light rail lines serving Target Field are the Blue Line and the Green Line.
The Blue Line serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America, which are to the south of downtown. If you’re coming from either of these locations, simply board a northbound Blue Line train and exit at the Target Field Station, which is the last stop on the route, so you can’t miss it.
The Green Line, on the other hand, connects downtown Minneapolis with downtown St. Paul, passing through the University of Minnesota campus along the way. To reach Target Field from St. Paul or other points to the east of downtown Minneapolis, board a westbound Green Line train and disembark at the Target Field Station, which, like on the Blue Line, is the last station on the route.
Regardless of which line you’re on, be sure to have your light rail ticket in hand when you disembark the train, as the transit police will check before letting you proceed to the stadium. See our notes below about “Paying Your Fare.”
TSI TIP: Once you are in the downtown area, the Blue and Green lines will converge at the U.S. Bank Stadium station and will then both follow the same route towards Target Field. This means that if you are staying in the downtown area, when you leave Target Field, you can take either the Green or Blue line as long as you intend to get off of the train on or before the U.S. Bank Stadium station. Conversely, if you are staying near or west of the U.S. Bank Station, you can board either a Blue or Green line train to get to the ballpark.
Buying a full-fare ticket will cost $2 per person and $2.50 during rush hour, but if you are only riding the light rail in the downtown sections (between US Bank Stadium and Target Field), the fare is only $0.50 per ride.
Is the light rail safe?
The light rail system in Minneapolis is widely considered to be safe and reliable. That’s even more the case when riding the train to/from events at Target Field, where there’s a strong security presence and, as you would expect, hundreds of fans on the train at the same time. We at TSI believe this is a very safe, effective, and efficient way to get to and from the stadium, and we are very comfortable recommending it to you.
The trains are well-maintained, and security measures are in place to ensure the well-being of passengers. However, it’s always advisable to remain vigilant and take standard safety precautions while using public transit.
A note on paying your fare
You’ll notice when you take the light rail, regardless of what station you board at, that you don’t actually need to swipe your ticket anywhere to get on the train. That’s right—we use the honor system around here… sort of. Yes, it’s certainly possible that you could get on the train at MSP and get off at the stop for your hotel, without paying, and, perhaps, nothing might happen. But here are two things to know:
- Transit police may stop you on the train and ask you to show them your ticket. If you don’t have one, you could be cited $35 for a first offense.
- When taking the light rail to Target Field, the transit police will be standing at the exit to the station, and they WILL demand that you show them a valid ticket for your ride. If you can’t produce one, they will ticket you right then and there. This is essentially a guarantee: you cannot get away with riding the light rail for free to Target Field.
So just because we’re “sorta” on the honor system around here, that’s not a reason to leave your honor at home. When using the light rail, buy your ticket, keep it with you, and be prepared to show it if asked. Aside from not getting fined and ending up with an unnecessary expense, and a bummer feeling to walk into the ballpark with, buy your ticket because that’s how we pay for an amazingly clean, efficient, and convenient light rail system around here. The light rail is cheap—but that doesn’t mean you should be! It’s less than $3 to ride the rail, so just pay for it!
Taking the bus to Target Field
There’s a bus system that can connect you to the light rail, but you’d have to be staying somewhere pretty random for this to be relevant to you. If you are staying in the downtown area, there is no appropriate/relevant reason that you should end up on a bus to get to Target Field … or anywhere, really.
Driving to and parking at Target Field
Downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota at sunrise
If driving to Target Field is your preferred choice, you can either park in the lots run by the Twins, or in a private lot or garage in the downtown area.
The team-operated parking garages (called “ramps” here), A, B, and C, provide convenient parking near the stadium. The rate is $20 (plus $1.40 in fees), and trust us — it’s just better to pay for it in advance. These spots are the most convenient, as they are only a 5-minute walk from Target Field, and are connected to the ballpark via the indoor Skyway.
The Minnesota Twins website recommends using the SpotHero app to find parking for games, but you can also use the ParkWhiz app, as both provide essentially the same service. Both apps list available spots in the Target Field ramps A, B, and C next to the stadium. They will also show parking options in the surrounding parts of the city.
Note: While SpotHero identifies the team parking garages as Ramps A, B, C, ParkWhiz doesn’t identify the ramps by name. So if you’re using ParkWhiz, here are the corresponding ramp names and addresses:
- Ramp A: 101 N. 9th St.
- Ramp B: 516 N. 2nd Ave
- Ramp C: 318 N. 2nd Ave
If you don’t mind walking, you can often find spots in the private garages for under $10 on either of these apps. But with the team lots only priced at $16, there’s not much reason to go bargain hunting for a cheaper spot, unless you want to go out after the game and would prefer parking closer to the bars/restaurants. But if not, we’d suggest taking the Twins up on their cheap parking prices and making it easy on yourself. But if you are going to park in the private lots, do yourself a favor and just book a spot on an app so you don’t waste a lot of time driving around downtown looking for the “right” garage. From our perspective, they’re all essentially the same: pick the cheapest one that is closest to the ballpark.
Taking a taxi/rideshare to Target Field
For those opting for a taxi or rideshare service, Target Field has a designated dropoff/pickup zone on Twins Way between 7th and 10th streets near Gate 29 (closest to the right field gate). This works most of the time, but it depends on what else is happening downtown, especially at nearby Target Center (home of the Timberwolves).
Rides often have to drive through the busy downtown district to reach the designated rideshare area by the stadium, so rush hour or ballpark traffic could slow them down. Honestly, there’s no specific reason to be dropped off there: you’re better off being dropped off on the east side of the ballpark if you’re arriving from the east. That way you’ll also be closer to the bars and restaurants around the ballpark, and you can avoid unnecessary extra traffic.
For scheduling a pickup after the game, you can go to the pickup zone, or you can walk a few blocks into downtown and order the ride to any hotel location (just pick one). If there are a lot of people ordering rideshares, this may make the experience a little easier. But either option works fine.
Map courtesy of Google Earth, altered to showcase ridesharing zone
Bottom Line
No matter your preferred mode of transportation, getting to Target Field is remarkably easy. Whether walking, driving, taking public transportation, or using rideshare services, the ballpark’s central location makes it easy to get to. And if you’re staying downtown and can handle a 20 minute walk, then there’s pretty much no hotel in the city center that you can’t stay at.
