The Minnesota Wild open a rare back-to-back homestand at Grand Casino Arena on Friday, November 6 against the San Jose Sharks and Saturday, November 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning — two nights of NHL hockey just across the river from downtown Minneapolis. If you’re building a weekend around it, the smarter move isn’t chasing a hotel room next to the arena in St. Paul. It’s basing yourself in Loring Park, where a historic Minneapolis mansion, a four-season hot tub, and a speakeasy nightcap are waiting between games.
Where to Stay for a Minnesota Wild Weekend in Minneapolis
300 Clifton sits in Loring Park, on the Minneapolis side of the river, roughly a ten-to-fifteen-minute drive or rideshare from Grand Casino Arena in downtown St. Paul (longtime Wild fans still know it as Xcel Energy Center). Two consecutive home games on a Friday and Saturday is the kind of schedule that fills up nearby hotels fast — a two-night stay on the Minneapolis side gives you a calmer basecamp and a much nicer place to land after the final horn than a chain hotel off the highway.
If you’d rather not drive both nights, check the current routes and timing on the Metro Transit trip planner before puck drop — a rideshare across the river is usually the simplest option on game night, but transit connects Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul if you’d rather leave the car at the mansion.
The mansion itself sits a short walk from Loring Park, so if either game day brings a mild November afternoon, there’s an easy walk around the lake to burn off pre-game nerves before you head across the river.
Something Better to Come Home To Than a Hotel Hallway
Two nights of hockey is a lot of cold arena air and concrete concourses. 300 Clifton’s four-season garden hot tub is open under the stars whichever night you get back first, and it’s exactly the kind of thing a downtown arena hotel can’t offer. Between games, settle into Gertrude’s Cistern, our speakeasy-style lounge with heated reclining seats, for a quiet nightcap before the second game — a much better rematch prep than another lobby bar.
Each of our guest rooms — from the Crystal Mansion Room to the Blacksmith’s Forge in the Carriage House — has its own character, so a two-night hockey weekend doubles as a chance to actually enjoy the 1880s Georgian architecture the mansion is known for, rather than just crashing between games.
Use Your Vouchers Before the Puck Drops
Every direct booking at 300 Clifton comes with a $20 dining voucher at the Pillsbury Club and a $20 Minneapolis Trolley voucher, both good per stay. With two nights in town, there’s time to use both: a pre-game dinner at the Pillsbury Club mansion on Friday before the Sharks game, then a Saturday-morning trolley ride through the city’s historic neighborhoods before you head back across the river for the Lightning game that night.
Book Early for a Back-to-Back Weekend
A boutique mansion has far fewer rooms than a downtown convention hotel, and a Friday-Saturday Wild homestand is exactly the kind of weekend that books out early on both sides of the river. If November 6–7 is the weekend you’re planning around, it’s worth locking in your room well before puck drop.
Looking for something else while you’re in town? Prefer skating a bit closer to home first — see our guide to Gopher hockey at 3M Arena at Mariucci — or check the full Wild schedule directly with the team before you finalize plans.
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