The Minnesota State Fair runs Thursday, August 27 through Labor Day, Monday, September 7, 2026 — twelve straight days, no days off. It is the reason a lot of people come to the Twin Cities in late summer, and it is also the reason rooms get scarce. Here is the honest version of where to stay, and what it is actually like to do the Fair without a car in the driveway.
First, where the Fair actually is
The fairgrounds sit in Falcon Heights, roughly midway between downtown Minneapolis and downtown Saint Paul. That midpoint is the useful part: you do not have to stay in Saint Paul to do the Fair. Staying on the Minneapolis side keeps you close to the museums, theaters and restaurants you would actually want on the other ten hours of your day, and still puts the Fair within an easy ride.
The grounds are open 6 a.m. to midnight daily, though individual vendors, attractions and Grandstand shows keep their own hours. Check the official site for the current Grandstand lineup and ticket details before you lock in your dates — some nights sell out well ahead.
Book earlier than you think you need to
Fair weekends are among the tightest nights of the Minnesota year, and the last weekend — Labor Day, when the Fair closes — is tighter still because it collides with everything else people do on a long weekend. If your dates are fixed, book them now and sort out the rest later. If your dates are flexible, the weekdays in the middle of the run are calmer, cheaper and, frankly, a better day at the Fair. Tuesday at the Fair is a different experience from Saturday at the Fair.
What staying at 300 Clifton is like during the Fair
We are a bed and breakfast in the Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion, an 1887 house on the National Register in Loring Park, a block from the park itself and a short walk from the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. It is a quiet place to come back to after a day of crowds, which during Fair week is not a small thing.
A few things that make the Fair easier from here:
- A four-season garden hot tub, which after nine hours of walking on pavement is the most persuasive amenity we own.
- Gertrude’s Cistern, the speakeasy in the basement, for a nightcap that is not a plastic cup.
- A $20 dining voucher for the historic Pillsbury Club for every night of your stay, good on anything on the dining room menu.
- A $20 voucher toward a Minneapolis Trolley tour, if you want a day that involves sitting down.
Doing the Fair from Minneapolis
Driving to the grounds and parking nearby is possible and frequently miserable. Most locals do not. The Fair runs express bus service from park-and-ride lots around the metro during the run, and rideshare drop-off is straightforward if you are willing to walk the last stretch. Check the official Fair site for this year’s routes and lots, since they shift year to year.
Our friends at Minneapolis Trolley Tours put together a fuller guide to dates, tickets, Grandstand shows and getting there from Minneapolis — worth reading before you go.
Give yourself one non-Fair day
Twelve days of Fair is a lot of Fair. The best version of this trip has a day in it that is not deep-fried. The Sculpture Garden is free and open year-round. The Walker is across the street from it. And the city has quietly become one of the country’s more interesting places to eat — National Geographic named Minneapolis one of the world’s best food destinations this year, which is worth a dinner reservation or two.
If you need more room, or you are staying long enough that a hotel starts to feel like a hotel, Oakland’s on 9th rents furnished downtown studios by the month.
Check availability for Fair week at 300 Clifton — and bring comfortable shoes.