The Great Minnesota Get-Together is almost here. From Thursday, August 27 through Labor Day, September 7, 2026, the Minnesota State Fair serves up twelve days of fun — one of the largest state fairs in the country, with a brand-new crop of fair foods, nightly fireworks, the Mighty Midway, and a Grandstand lineup that reads like a festival poster.
Here’s the part most visitors figure out too late: the fairgrounds sit between Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the ordinary hotels nearby fill up (and price up) fast. The better move? Base yourself at 300 Clifton, a historic mansion bed and breakfast in Minneapolis’s Loring Park neighborhood — about 15 minutes from the fair gates, and a world away from the crowds when the day is done.
A Grandstand Lineup Worth Planning a Trip Around
This year’s Grandstand concert series is reason enough to book the trip:
- Bonnie Raitt opens the fair Thursday, Aug 27
- “Weird Al” Yankovic brings the Bigger & Weirder Tour Friday, Aug 28
- Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Homecoming: A Celebration of the Minneapolis Sound — Saturday, Aug 29
- Rod Stewart with Richard Marx — Tuesday, Sept 1
- Brad Paisley (Sept 3), HARDY (Sept 4), and TLC and Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue (Sept 5)
- CeCe Winans closes it out on Labor Day, Sept 7
That Saturday-night celebration of the Minneapolis Sound hits differently when you’re sleeping in a landmark of Minneapolis history yourself. And if your dates line up, Tame Impala plays Target Center downtown on August 28 — we covered that show and five others in our Target Center summer concerts guide.
Why Stay at a Mansion Instead of a Fairground Motel?
300 Clifton is the Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion — on the National Register of Historic Places and considered the finest example of Georgian architecture in Minnesota. Instead of a beige room off a highway exit, you come home to hand-painted murals, carved fireplaces, English gardens, and guest rooms with real character: the Crystal Mansion, the Grand Edwardian, the Georgian, the rustic Blacksmith’s Forge and Hayloft, and more. Peek at our specials and packages — a midweek fair visit can be a downright bargain.
You’ll also be in Loring Park, one of the city’s loveliest neighborhoods — steps from the park itself, the Walker Art Center, and downtown’s restaurants. Fair by day, city by night.
After the Fair: A Hot Tub Under the Stars
Twelve hours of Midway rides, barn visits, and bucket-of-cookies consumption calls for a proper landing. Our four-season garden hot tub bubbles under the open sky every night of the fair — the single best cure for fairgrounds feet we know of. Then descend into Gertrude’s Cistern, our speakeasy and haunted video lounge with heated reclining seats, for a nightcap with a side of playful mystery. (Curious about our resident spirits? That’s a whole story of its own.)
Getting to the Fairgrounds from 300 Clifton
The drive from Loring Park takes about 15 minutes outside of peak times, and the fair makes car-free easy too: roughly 30 free Park & Ride lots ring the Twin Cities, and Metro Transit runs express buses straight to the gates. Check the fair’s Get Here page for 2026 lots and routes before you go.
Make It a Full Minneapolis Getaway
Bookend your fair days with the city’s other treats: ride with Minneapolis Trolley Tours for ghost stories and lake views, raise a themed glass at the haunted Pillsbury Club, or — if the fair is your excuse for a longer Minnesota stay — check the furnished studios at Oakland’s on 9th downtown. Coming earlier in August? The Twins and Vikings both play home dates just before the fair — see our Minneapolis sports getaway guide.
Book Your State Fair Stay Now
Fair-week rooms go quickly everywhere in the Twin Cities — and there’s only one mansion. Check availability and book direct at 300clifton.com and make the Great Minnesota Get-Together the year you did it right: deep-fried everything by day, starlit hot tub by night.