Target Field

Target Field is a baseball park in the historic warehouse (or North Loop) district of downtown Minneapolis. It is the home ballpark of the Minnesota Twins, the state’s Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise. It also has served as the occasional home of Minnesota Golden Gophers baseball, and other local and regional baseball events.

General information

Arena capacity: 39,029 spectators

Address: 1 Twins Way, Minneapolis, MN 55403, USA

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 44.9818° N, 93.2775° W

Year of construction: April 12, 2010

Construction cost:  $545 Million

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 339-L, 377-LC, 411-C, 365-RC, 328-R

Seating plan of the Target Field

Champions Club

Champion’s Club seating at Target Field offers fantastic home plate views, in-seat wait service and complimentary food and beverage (excluding liquor and premium beer and wine). In addition, you will have access to the private Champion’s Club, a private entrance to the ballpark and private restrooms.

All Champions Club seats are over-sized, extra-padded, and come with a cupholder. You’ll also enjoy extra legroom and some seats are closer to home plate than the pitcher is!

Legends Club

Legends Club seating at Target Field offers fans extra-wide padded (bottom only) seats and access to a climate-controlled lounge with dining and bar areas. In addition, Legends Club ticket holders have a private entrance to the ballpark and private restrooms.

The enclosed Club concourse also has non-reserved seating behind glass windows that come with a rail for you to dine or eat while keeping an eye on the game.

CATCH

Aiming to be be one of the hottest areas at Target Field, CATCH is a new (for 2016) all-inclusive seating area in center-field. Limited to just 120 patrons, this private club features an up-scale bar, bar-style seating and two rows of reserved seating a drink rails. Fans will also have the option to enjoy CATCH from cabana-style lounge seating – perfect for relaxing before or after the game.

Ticketholders will be treated to tapas-style concessions from a menu that changes daily. Food and beverage are both included in the ticket price, making this one of the most desirable areas for a Twins game and an ideal place to host a guest or client.

Where to buy tickets?

The main Target Field Box Office is located on Target Plaza. On non game-days during the season, the Target Field Box Office is open from 9:00am – 5:00pm on weekdays, and 10:00am – 4:00pm on Saturdays. On game days, the Target Field Box Office will open at 9:00am and remain open until 30 minutes after the conclusion of that game. Tickets may also be purchased online at www. twinsbaseball.com, by phone at 1-800-33-TWINS or 612-33-TWINS.

Advance tickets

Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets well in advance of game-day, at the Target Field Box Office, by phone, online, and during any game at the ticket booths near sections 103 and 204. Tickets may also be purchased at the ticket kiosks near each gate at Target Field.

Season tickets

The Minnesota Twins offer full season tickets, two 40-game plans, four 20-game plans, and Flex Plan, all of which include a fantastic roster of benefits. Please contact the Ticket Sales & Service Department at 612-375-7454 for more details about season tickets.

Student Day tickets

Presented by Rasmussen College, Ballpark Access tickets are just $5 for students every Wednesday–now available through mobile delivery! Students will be able to purchase tickets through the MLB Ballpark app. Text STUDENT to 51655 to receive Student Day offers, or visit ww.twinsbaseball.com/student.

Ticket Resale

To avoid problems with counterfeit, stolen, or void tickets, purchase tickets only at the Target Field Box Office or from an authorized secondary-market ticket outlet. The official secondary-market ticket partner of MLB is Stubhub. Stubhub is the only authorized secondary-market provider for all MLB teams, and may be reached online at www.stubhub.com. The resale of Minnesota Twins tickets is strictly prohibited on Target Field property. Anyone doing so will be immediately removed from Target Field property.

How to get there?

No matter where you live, there is an easy way to drive to Target Field. Use this page to help plan your best route to downtown Minneapolis.

Before you go, it’s a good idea to check real-time metro traffic congestion and current information on road construction and delays by going to the Minnesota Dept of Transportation site.

From the north (Forest Lake, Hinckley, Duluth)

Travel southbound on I-35 and follow I-35W at the divide. Merge onto I-94 West and exit on Olson Memorial Highway (Highway 55). Turn right (East) after exiting then another right onto North 7th Street (Highway 55). You will see Target Field on your left.

From the south (Lakeville, Owatonna, Albert Lea)

Travel northbound on I-35 and follow I-35W at the divide. Take the downtown exit and follow once it turns into 5th Ave S. Turn left at 7th Street S. and Target Field will be just beyond the Target Center and numerous parking ramps.

From the east (St. Paul, Woodbury, Hudson)

Travel westbound on I-94 and exit on Olson Memorial Highway (Highway 55). Turn right (East) after exiting then another right onto North 7th Street (Highway 55). You will see Target Field on your left.

From the west (Wayzata, Litchfield, Willmar)

Travel East on I-394 and exit on either 6th Street North or 4th Street North. You will find yourself a couple blocks from Target Field and ample parking in ramps and surface lots in the area.

From the northwest (Elk River, St. Cloud, Alexandria)

Travel eastbound on I-94 and exit on Olson Memorial Highway (Highway 55). Turn left (East) after exiting then another right onto North 7th Street (Highway 55). You will see Target Field on your left.

From the southwest (Shakopee, St. Peter, Mankato)

Travel North on 169 and take I-394 East. Exit on either 6th Street North or 4th Street North. You will find yourself a couple blocks from Target Field and ample parking in ramps and surface lots in the area.

Parking

There are several options for parking in downtown Minneapolis including 7,000 parking spaces conveniently adjacent to Target Field in the ABC and Hawthorne ramps, nearly 25,000 parking spaces in parking lots/ramps throughout downtown.

Reserve Parking

The Twins are excited to provide our fans with an easy way to pre-book a parking spot before driving to the game. View the closest parking options to Target Field and reserve your space today.

Ramps and Surface Lots

You will find ramps and surface lots that provide parking for thousands across downtown Minneapolis. Though there is ample parking close to Target Field, it is best to plan ahead and arrive early to find the parking spot that best matches your desired experience.

ABC and Hawthorne Ramps

There are nearly 7,000 parking spaces conveniently adjacent to Target Field in the ABC/Hawthorne ramps. If you’re planning to come early to the game and stay later after the game to enjoy the downtown amenities, the A B C Ramps may be your best bet.

Accessible Parking

Accessible parking is in the handicapped spaces in either the A Ramp or B Ramp. Both facilities have direct connections to Target Plaza and Target Field.

Parking Tips:

1. Come early, stay late and enjoy the amenities downtown Minneapolis has to offer.
2. Use the ABC and Hawthorne ramps for convenient access to Target Field
3. Pay attention to dynamic messaging signs throughout downtown for the most up-to-date parking information
4. Plan ahead and consider all transportation options available to you
5. “Keep your junk in your trunk.” Protect yourself from vehicle break-ins. Never leave your items in plain view.

By bike or on foot

Cedar Lake Trail

The Cedar Lake Trail provides bike and pedestrian access to Target Field. This popular trail features a pedestrian lane and two separate one-way lanes for bike traffic. It runs from downtown Minneapolis and connects to other popular bike and pedestrian trails in the city and western suburbs.

Bike Parking

Target Field features hundreds of bike parking spaces. In addition, the city of Minneapolis has hundreds of bike parking spaces within blocks of Target Field.

Pedestrian Routes

Target Field sits just on the other side of I-394 from the heart of downtown. Fans using 6th Street will enjoy a direct connection between the Historic Warehouse District and Target Plaza, the dynamic new gathering space that serves as a gateway to Target Field. In addition, both 5th Street and 7th Street bridge the interstate and provide pedestrian access to Target Field. All streets have sidewalks and intersections have crosswalks with “walk” and “don’t walk” signals.

Tips: Allow yourself about 10 minutes if walking from within 4 blocks to Target Field, as time spent waiting at crosswalks can add up. For anywhere else in downtown, give yourself 15-20 minutes to walk to the game.

Skyway

Minneapolis boasts an elaborate network of several miles of enclosed walkways that connect most buildings in the downtown area. Most skyways follow the Uniform Skyway Hours:

1. M-F – 6:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.;
2. Sat – 9:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.;
3. Sun – Noon – 6 p.m.

Maps can be found at various places around the skyway network.

Public Tranportation

Served by light rail, more than 20 bus route and Northstar Commuter Rail line. Target Field is more accessible by public transit than and other ballpark in America. Use this page and plan ahead as public transit has become the preferred method of transportation to downtown events.

Bus Routes

Metro Transit operates over 125 interconnected bus routes throughout the Twin Cities. Many routes provide direct access to Target Field and downtown Minneapolis.

Light Rail

The METRO Blue Line and Green Line offer fast, quiet light-rail service directly to Target Field Station from Minneapolis, St. Paul and Bloomington.

Northstar Commuter Rail

Northstar offers direct service to Target Field from stations in Big Lake, Elk River, Ramsey, Anoka, Coon Rapids and Fridley. Northstar Link bus service from St. Cloud and Becker is scheduled to connect with trains at Big Lake for every game.

Plan My Trip

The Trip Planner allows you to find individualized route and schedule information by entering start and end points as well as the time you want to travel.

Want personal help planning your transit trip? Call Metro Transit at 612-373-3333.

Design

Exterior of Target Field, including a view of the commuter platform at Target Field station.

Designed by Populous with Bruce Miller as principal lead, Target Field is a modern take on other Populous-designed stadiums such as Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, PNC Park in Pittsburgh, and AT&T Park in San Francisco.

The architects tried to avoid creating a replica of the old-style brick Camden Yards or modern urban design of the new Nationals Park (both also designed by Populous). Instead, the design for the stadium employs local limestone, heated viewing areas and a heated field. The stadium does not have a roof, but there is a canopy above the top deck. The stadium is integrated with the intermodal Target Field station which connects the METRO Blue and Green Line light rail service with the Minneapolis terminus of the Northstar commuter rail line leading from the northwest. Walter P Moore served as the structural engineer for the stadium and canopy.

The stadium does not have a retractable roof, though one was considered initially. Such a roof was cited to add $100 million to the total budget and none of the parties (Twins, Hennepin County or Minnesota Legislature) were willing to pay for that cost. Much like other northern cities with outdoor professional baseball (i.e. Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Cleveland, New York), the weather in Minneapolis during a 162-game baseball season and playoffs can vary from early-spring snow to rain and hot, humid weather.

The Metrodome was climate-controlled, and thus, protected the baseball schedule during the entire time that it had been the venue for the Minnesota Twins. However, many Twins fans and baseball purists argue that this same sterile, climate-controlled environment creates a less-than-desirable atmosphere for watching baseball. The architect also tested the feasibility of heated seats.

The site is about the same size as that of Fenway Park, and the ballpark holds roughly the same number of seats. The site is bounded by 3rd Avenue (southeast, right field, across from Target Center); 5th Street North (northeast, left field); 7th Street North (southwest, first base); Hennepin Environmental Recovery Center [garbage incinerator] and 6th Avenue North (northwest, third base).

3rd Avenue is a westbound one-way street which dips down under the right field seats and serves as a ramp to I-394 westbound. A separate, small westbound segment of 3rd Avenue, connecting 7th Street North with Glenwood Avenue, was renamed “Twins Way”. The ballpark’s street address, “1 Twins Way”, is at the “foot” of the renamed street.

Construction

The location is bordered by 7th St. N (overpass on left), the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, 5th St. N (overpass on the right side), and the 394 exits and downtown parking ramp (foreground). The tall red building is the Ford Centre.

Mortenson Construction of Minneapolis built the stadium. Metropolitan Mechanical Contractors completed the mechanical contracting. Danny’s Construction Company erected the structural steel. Subcontractors involved in the concrete work include CECO Concrete Construction, Gephart Electric, E&J Rebar, Ambassador Steel Corporation, Amsysco Inc., and Nordic Construction/Cemstone.

The first concrete slab was poured on December 17, 2007. The concrete portion of construction was completed in November 2008 with a roof deck pour for the Twins administration building. In March 2009 Tekna Kleen (commercial cleaning company), started doing the finishing cleaning touches to Target Field. In late August, 2009, the playing field was installed.

The Twins received the certificate of occupancy from Mortenson Construction on December 22, 2009. The Twins staff moved in on January 4, 2010.

Target Field was initially awarded LEED Silver Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, the second LEED-certified professional sports stadium in the United States, after AT&T Park. It is one of 3 baseball stadiums with LEED certification (the other being Nationals Park). In 2017, Target Field was recertified LEED Gold, the first sports site in the nation to be so designated.

Upgrades

On February 12, 2008, the Twins announced $22.4 million in upgrades to the original design, and increased the Twins ownership stake in the ballpark to $167.4 million, bringing the total ballpark cost to $412 million. The upgrades were mainly based around increasing fan experience and comfort. The upgrades included an enlarged canopy soffit (the largest in baseball), protecting fans further from the elements, in light of the stadium not having a roof.

The Twins also upgraded the scoreboard – the fourth-largest in Major League Baseball – from standard definition to a high definition display from Daktronics measuring 101 feet (31 m) long and 57 feet (17 m) high. Other upgrades included warming shelters, changing 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) of the exterior surface to Kasota stone, and increasing the number of restrooms and concession areas.

The park features a modernized version of the original “Minnie and Paul Shaking Hands” logo used on the team’s original uniforms. When a Twins player hits a home run, the Minnie and Paul sign lights up with strobe lights surrounding the Minnesota state outline and Minnie and Paul shake hands, akin to the Liberty Bell used at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

The original flagpole from Metropolitan Stadium – completely restored – is located on the right field plaza. The flagpole was located at the American Legion post in Richfield after Metropolitan Stadium’s closing, and was donated back to the Twins by the Legion as a gesture of goodwill.

On November 10, 2010, the Twins announced a number of upgrades to Target Field, all of which were completed in time for the 2011 season. Highlights among the upgrades included a scoreboard in right-center field and the “Twins Tower” (a 100-foot (30 m) tall illuminated tower), next to the new scoreboard. Other changes include free Wi-Fi service for fans, expanded concession stand menus, and the addition of more radiant heaters and artwork around the ballpark. In total, the changes were expected to cost the Twins $4–6 million.

Additionally, the 14 black spruce trees located in the batter’s eye were removed, following hitters’ complaints that the trees interfered with the ability to see pitches as they would sometimes sway in the wind. The batter’s eye wall itself was covered in a black material designed to reduce glare.

Features

The stadium

1. The popular left-field Budweiser roof deck features mostly standing room and the only bonfire in the Majors.
• Take a look at the freebets offered by the bookmaker.
2. The bullpens are “double-decker” style in left-center field. The Twins’ pen is farthest from the field, with the opposing team’s pen below it, closest to the field.
3. The batter’s eye featured 14 young black spruce trees (each about 6 feet high) the first year. After criticism from Twins and opposing players concerning the shadows that they cast, the trees were removed prior to the second year. Some were auctioned to fans and ticket holders while the rest were donated to Minnesota state parks.
• What can you bet on today? The answer is here.
4. Kasota limestone is used in much of the stadium and is from Kasota, near Mankato.
5. The admission gates are numbered according to former Twins legends and roughly located near to the positions that they played;
6. Left field gate is #6 honoring Tony Oliva (with his bronze statue nearby)
7. Centerfield gate is #3 for Harmon Killebrew
8. Target Plaza gate (in right field) is #34 in tribute to Kirby Puckett
9. Right field gate is #29 in tribute to Rod Carew
10. Home plate gate is #14 in honor of Kent Hrbek (featuring his bronze statue)

Target Plaza

Target Plaza is the gathering area behind the right field gate (Gate 34). On the wall of the adjacent parking garage facing the ballpark is a wind veil that makes waves as the wind blows. At night, color-changing lights add to the effect. Near the wind veil there are 9 topiary frames each 40 feet (12 m) high shaped like baseball bats with hops growing on them.

They are lit up every night with the same color changing scheme as the veil, however, during games they are lit up red, in sequential order, to denote the current inning. In this plaza are statues of former players Kirby Puckett, Rod Carew, Kent Hrbek and Harmon Killebrew, as well as former owners Calvin Griffith, Carl Pohlad and his wife, Eloise Pohlad and Twins mascot TC Bear.

A large “Golden Glove” sits in the plaza in recognition of all Twins players to win the Gold Glove Award. The statue can be sat on and is a popular photo attraction. It is located exactly 520 feet (160 m) from home plate, the distance of Harmon Killebrew’s longest home run at Met Stadium (although his was hit into the left field upper deck).

There is also a monument that shows all the venues that Minnesota-based baseball teams played in. On the rails of the pedestrian skybridge are pennants that contain the rosters of all the Twins teams, and pennants of players, coaches, front office people, and other contributors who have been elected to the Twins Hall of Fame.

The field

The main flagpoles are in right field near the Plaza. The largest pole, which flies the Stars and Stripes, is the original pole used at Metropolitan Stadium. It was relocated to the Richfield Legion Post 435 after the Met was demolished, and, after being cut in half and refurbished, was re-installed for baseball at Target Field. The first flags–both US and POW/MIA–donated by Post 435 were raised at the first Twins exhibition game by veteran and flagpole historian B.W. McEvers of Bloomington. On September 6, Jim Thome hit a solo home run against the Kansas City Royals that hit the flag pole.

The championship banners fly on small flagpoles located on the upper rim of the stadium beyond left field. Each pole recognizes each division, league, and world championship. On the stadium’s upper rim in right-center field are small flagpoles that fly the flag for all the teams (including the Twins) in the division. The order that the flags fly are determined by the divisional standings.

Home plate is the same one used at the Metrodome. After the Twins’ final dome game (Game 3 of the 2009 ALDS), the plate was dug up and later installed at Target Field. In addition, several handfuls of dirt were taken from the sliding pit and pitcher’s mound areas from the Metrodome and scattered near their counterparts at Target Field.

Twins bars and restaurants

At Target Field, there are three prominent bars and restaurants:

1. The Town Ball Tavern is located on the upper concourse by the left field corner, and is famous for serving the Jucy Lucy burger. The wood flooring is the same used on the basketball court at the Minneapolis Armory during the NBA Minneapolis Lakers stay, before leaving for Los Angeles.
2. Hrbek’s is located on the main concourse behind home plate, and is named after former Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek.
3. There are two bars located on the upper concourse behind home plate, collectively called the Two Gingers Pubs. In one of these bars, fans can watch the Target Field organist, Sue Nelson, perform during games. Out of these three bars and restaurants, the Two Gingers Pub (formerly known as the Twins Pub) is the only one that does not serve food, however it is the only one in which the field is visible from inside.

Concessions throughout also include several Minnesota favorites like walleye, wild rice soup, Kramarczuk’s sausages, as well as a “State Fair Foods” stand where many items are served “on a stick”, such as the J.D. Hoyt’s pork chop.

In 2018, PETA declared Target Field number one on its annual list of vegan-friendly ballparks, thanks to the availability of foods like tofu vindaloo, vegan Sriracha Brats and Italian Sausages, Daiya cheese pizza, and Field Roast burgers and dogs.

Minnie and Paul logo

A large version of the Twins’ original “Minnie and Paul” logo (designed by local artist, Ray Barton) stands in center field. It shows two players wearing the uniforms of the two minor-league teams that played in the Twin Cities before the Twins’ arrival, the Minneapolis Millers and St. Paul Saints, shaking hands across the Mississippi River. During various points in the game, the strobe lights surrounding the logo flash. This sign was a concept designed and illustrated by RipBang Studios but built by others.

When the Twins score a run by any means other than a home run, the strobe lights trace the border from the bottom-left corner for each Twins player that crosses home plate, symbolizing that a Twins player rounded the bases. For each strikeout, the corners of the sign flash to portray the strike zone.

The strobe lights will flash at the end of the top of an inning if the Twins do not surrender a run during the inning. After a Twins home run, the strobe lights flash, Minnie and Paul shake hands, and the Mississippi River flows. After a Twins victory, the “T” and “s” in “Twins” will blink to show the message “Twins win” in addition to the animation shown following a Twins home run.

METRO and commuter rail connections

The stadium is well-connected to the city’s transit network, being immediately adjacent to the “A” and “B” parking ramps of the large ABC Ramps complex at the end of Interstate 394, which include two major transit bus terminals and link to the rest of downtown Minneapolis via skyway. Over 8,000 people typically arrive to each game via the METRO Blue Line and METRO Green Line, both of which terminate at Target Field Station, just 10 yards from the park’s Gate 6. For fans arriving from the northwest suburbs, the Northstar Line commuter rail terminates in downtown Minneapolis with a station underneath the ballpark.

Park firsts

The first “soft event” at Target Field was an open house held for season ticket holders on March 20 and 21, 2010.

First Pitch at Target Field, thrown by Jordan, Minnesota native T.J. Oakes of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers on March 27, 2010.

The first baseball game at the new ballpark took place on March 27, 2010, with a college baseball game between the University of Minnesota and Louisiana Tech attended by 37,757 fans.

The Twins played two preseason games against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 2 and 3, while the stadium’s inaugural regular season game was on April 12, 2010 against the Red Sox.