Kids & Family

Vegans Pig Out At 2012 Minnesota State Fair

Patch has what you need to know to enjoy the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

Vegans at the Minnesota State Fair have a lot to contend with if they want to get theirs on a stick like less discriminating fairgoers. Many food stands are filled with meat-this and meat-that, leaving the non-carnivorous stranded when it comes to food outside the International Bazaar.

Fortunately, a brave soul has stepped forward to investigate the fair's myriad dining options, seeking the truly vegan food. Over the last several years, food blogger Jenniefer Cortez has assembled a list of her go-to joints at the Great Minnesota Get-Together on her website, Midwest Vaygun

But eating aside, what else is going on?

Find out what's happening in Southwest Minneapoliswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

It's Seniors and Kids Day at the fair, and ticket prices are discounted by $3 for those over 64 and under 13. The rides at Mighty Midway and Kidway have a one ticket discount all day. Drug-sniffing K-9 dogs, rollover simulations, airbag deployments and the specialty vehicles and units of the Minnesota State Patrol will be on West Dan Patch all day. The Happy Together tour‚featuring The Turtles with Flo & Eddie, The Monkees lead singer Micky Dolenz, Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, The Grass Roots and The Buckinghams—hits the grandstand at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18. Check out the fair's website for a schedule of the day's activities and events.

 

Find out what's happening in Southwest Minneapoliswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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 older pay $10, and children younger than 5 are admitted for free. Promotional days are offered throughout the fair. Pre-fair discount admission is available for purchase through Aug. 22.

Transportation

If you gotta drive: Take 35W north to I-94 east. Exit on Snelling Ave., then turn left and head north. Or take 35E north to I-94 west. Exit on Snelling Avenue, then turn right and head north. 

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. 22 at Cub Foods or the State Fair Box Office. (Motorcycle parking is offered for $6 on Como Avenue.)

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 2011, the park and ride program gave more than 900,000 rides.

If you want to avoid the car: 

  • Bike! Google Maps offers bicycle-friendly directions, and 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. Southwest Minneapolis Patch's favorite ways to get there look can be found on this map (if you don't mind hils, 8.7 miles), or on this map (if you hate hills, 11.4 miles). Both use Martin Luther King, Jr. Park as a convinient starting point.
  • Bus! 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. 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.
  • Park and Ride! A brand-new park-and-ride location oppened up very close to Southwest Minneapolis, at the Best Buy campus in Richfield. You'll also be able to hop a ride from the Parade Ice Garden or from the Dunwoody College of Technology, since it's a weekend.

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.

Navigating the fair
The state fair’s website has downloadable maps of the grounds and daily activity schedules

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.


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