Janet Hedy, of Willmar, Minn., was the first passenger to board a State Fair express bus at the County Road 73 Park and Ride in Minnetonka on Thursday Aug. 25, 2022. She arrived at 7 a.m. to catch the bus, which left 2 hours later. (Tim Harlow, Star Tribune file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Looking for a way to get to Minnesota's State Fair? There's plenty of options to choose from.

This fair runs from Aug. 24 to Sept. 4. , and from new food to live music on the Grandstand Stage, there's something for everyone.

Regular admission tickets range from $16 to $18, but pre-fair tickets are also on sale for $15 online. Additional tickets for grandstand shows and rides and attractions are sold at separate prices.

Public transit systems are preparing extra services to get people to and from this year's fair.

Taking the bus

Metro Transit State Fair Express Bus Service: Metro Transit is providing State Fair Express buses everyday during the fair, according to its website.

Fairgoers can park in lots in Blaine, Minnetonka, Bloomington and Cottage Grove where buses will run every 30 minutes to the fairgrounds.

Service begin at 9 a.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. weekends. The last bus returning leaves the fairgrounds at midnight.

It costs $6 cash to buy a roundtrip pass on the bus, or $5 if the ticket is bought online or via the Metro Transit app.

Lot locations include:

Blaine: 95th Ave. Park and Ride, NW corner of I-35W and 95th Ave. NE
Minnetonka: I-394 and Co. Rd. 73 Park and Ride, Southwest corner of I-394 and County Road 73
Bloomington: 30th Ave. Park and Ride, Northwest corner of 30th Ave. and 82nd St.
Cottage Grove: Cottage Grove Park and Ride, along Hwy. 61 on West Point Douglas Road between 80th St. and Jamaica Avenue.

Regular bus routes with stops near fair gates include: Route 3 and Metro A Line.

Minnesota Valley Transit Authority Express Bus Service: Direct bus service from Burnsville, Eagan, and Shakopee.

Buses will run every day of the State Fair. Roundtrip tickets can be bought for $6 at on-site vending machines, or $5 if purchased on the RideMVTA app, according to the MTVA.

The locations of the stations are:

Burnsville Transit Station, Hwy. 13 and Nicollet Ave.
Eagan Transit Station: Yankee Doodle and Pilot Knob Rd. at I-35E
Southbridge Crossings Park and Ride, 1401 Crossings Blvd.

Buses run between every 15 minutes to an hour depending on pick-up location. Service starts early as 7 a.m. at the Burnsville station. and 10 a.m. at the Eagan and Southbridge Crossings locations.

Return service from the fair for all three bus stops will run from noon until 11:30 p.m.

More information and special Labor Day hours can be found on MVTA's website.

SouthWest Transit Express Bus Service: People traveling from Eden Prairie, Chanhassen and Chaska can use SouthWest's direct bus service to the State Fair.

Buses will operate Aug. 24 to Aug. 27 and from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3 between 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and arrive every 20 minutes. The last bus to the fair leaves at 7 p.m., and the last bus from the fair leaves at 11 p.m.

Roundtrip tickets cost $6.

Stops are at the following locations:

SouthWest Station in Eden Prairie, 13500 Technology Drive
SouthWest Village in Chanhassen, 650 SouthWest Village Drive
East Creek in Chaska, 2120 Chestnut St. N. Chaska

Free Park and Ride: Fairgoers can park at one of 31 locations and ride a bus to the fairgrounds at no cost.

Buses will run between 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., and arrival times vary based on crowds.

A map of Park and Ride's locations and a parking updates page are available on the State Fair's website.

Rideshare and Taxi

For those wishing to take Uber or Lyft, there are two drop-off and pick-up locations:

Northeast end of the fairgrounds near Snelling and Hoyt avenues (outside North End Gate #2.)
In parking lot south of Como Avenue, across from Gate 7.

Taxi drop-off and pick-up is located at Loop Gate #9, on Como Avenue.

Parking

The State Fair also has on-site parking for cars, bicycles and motorcycles.

Fairgrounds parking lots open at 6 a.m. and cost $20. Lot locations can be found on the fair's website and operate on a first-come first-serve basis.

A motorcycle lot is also available on Como Avenue and costs $15.

Bikes and scooters

Bikes or scooters with license plates have to park in the motorcycle lot or general parking lots.

People who travel via a non-licensed bike or scooter can park for free in one of three fair bike corrals starting at 6 a.m. Bike corrals are located at: