How Get To Eleven Days Of Fun On A Stick

Ah, the State Fair. The time where a menagerie of Minnesotans descends on western St Paul. Where you can eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner on sticks. Where you can recount the endless cliches associated with the one of the few Minnesota gatherings whose attendance rivals only rush hour traffic jams in construction zones.

Southwest Patch will be bringing you daily updates from the fair all this week and next. Every morning, we'll give you five things you need to know about the fair, or see if you're visiting. We'll also bring you stories of the Southwest High School marching band as they play in the daily parade, of Linden Hills-based longtime fair vendor Rainbow Ice Cream, of the Washburn High School Robotics Team's competition against other Minnesota schools, and of one Southwest resident who knows a thing or two about llama competitions.

Stay tuned, and share your State Fair stories in the comments sections of our site, or post your stories and photos on our Facebook wall.

Nearly two million people are expected to descend on the Minnesota State Fair’s 320-acre grounds in the next 12 days for concerts, contests, cows and corn dogs. Here’s Patch’s rundown on what you need to know to get to the fair and find your way around:

Admission

Hours
Admission gates open daily at 6 a.m. Ticket sales end at 10 p.m. (9 p.m. on Labor Day). Grounds close at midnight (10 p.m. on Labor Day). Most buildings are open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Cost
Adults (13-64) pay $12, seniors and children 5 and over pay $10, and children under 5 are admitted for free. Promotional days are offered throughout the fair, Pre-fair discount admission is available for purchase through Aug. 24.

Transportation
The Minnesota State Fairgrounds are located at 1265 North Snelling Ave. N. in St. Paul. Maps and directions are available on the fair’s website. Note that light-rail construction on University Avenue will slow traffic flow; the fair’s website has tips on how to avoid the congestion.

Here’s a breakdown of various transportation options:

Car
Fairgrounds parking
State fair parking lots cost $12 and can be accessed off Larpenteur, Snelling, or Cleveland avenues. Discount tickets can be purchased in advance through Aug. 24 at Cub Foods or the State Fair Box Office. (Motorcycle parking is offered for $6 on Como Avenue.)

Free park and ride
Free parking is available at 34 locations around the fairgrounds. Complimentary buses leave every 20 minutes from 8 a.m. to midnight to pick up fair-goers. In 2010, the park and ride program gave 920,000 rides.

Bike
Free bike racks are offered at the Como-Snelling and Hoyt-Snelling gates and at Commonwealth-West Dan Patch from 6 a.m. to midnight daily.

Bus
Regular bus routes
Three buses service the fair and accept cash or transit passes. Route 960 goes from Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis to the fairgrounds in about 15 minutes. Route 84 travels along Snelling Avenue. Route 3 connects downtown Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul along Como Avenue.

Express bus service
State Fair Express buses operate from 17 Twin Cities locations on 15- and 30-minute loops. Check the fair’s express bus website for more information.

Navigating the fair

Maps
The state fair’s website has downloadable maps of the grounds and daily activity schedules. You can also keep checking Patch for a daily rundown of the top five things to see and do at the fair.

Smart phones
The state fair is also smart phone accessible, with a mobile website and stand-alone apps for iPhones and Android phones that include a manipulable map and the ability to search listings of events, merchandise and food.