Road Construction Alert!
Please plan extra time for your commute to Northrop.
- Hwy 280 Ongoing Closures through August 19.
- For more up to date information visit 511mn.org.
Learn more about current parking and transportation news.
Parking
Northrop is located in the heart of the vibrant, active University of Minnesota (UMN) Twin Cities campus; other scheduled events often impact traffic and parking availability.
- Prepaid parking will not be offered for commencements or with subscription orders and has been discontinued. See below for more information.
- Parking spaces fill quickly when there are other on-campus events happening at the same time as those at Northrop. See the Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) Calendar and a full list of UMN Twin Cities Campus events for any activities that may impact traffic and parking.
- Note: If any parking facility is listed as “Reservation Only” you will not be able to park there without a reservation.
- Plan to arrive early: Make sure you have plenty of time to navigate traffic around UMN parking facilities and get to the event on time. Some events will have specific recommendations as the date approaches. Be sure to check the Know Before You Go section on the event page in advance.
- Parking is subject to availability and may be limited.
Below are the most commonly used parking facilities for attending events at Northrop.
Church Street Garage
80 Church St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Approx. 5 min walk to East Entrance.
Nolte Center Garage
14 Church St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
(Contract Only - unless noted for event parking)
Approx. 8 min walk to East Entrance.
Fourth Street Parking Ramp
1625 4th St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Approx. 10 min walk to East Entrance.
East River Road Garage
385 East River Parkway
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Approx. 12 min walk to East Entrance.
Washington Avenue Parking Ramp
501 Washington Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Approx. 15 min walk to East Entrance.
Current alerts can be viewed on the Parking and Transportation Services website.
The safety and security of students, faculty, staff and visitors is a top priority for Northrop and the University of Minnesota. Learn about UMN's approach to public safety as well as public safety initiatives and resources.
Northrop will no longer be offering prepaid parking reservations.
Over the last few years, we have listened closely to patron feedback regarding their experiences with prepaid parking reservations, parking availability, traffic flow, and the stress these processes can cause getting to Northrop for events. After exploring and testing numerous solutions with our partners at University Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) and University of Minnesota Police Department (UMPD), we agreed that prepaid parking was not always providing the convenience we had hoped.
As a result, Northrop will no longer be offering prepaid parking reservations. Northrop, PTS and UMPD came to this solution together and believe this change will improve the experience of getting to and leaving Northrop. Our location at the heart of a bustling campus, combined with technological limitations between two ticketing systems and overlapping campus events, created consistent challenges that prevented us from providing prepaid parking with the ease and assurance patrons deserve.
- Northrop event parking will still be available at Church Street Garage, Fourth Street Ramp, Nolte Center Garage, Washington Avenue Ramp and East River Road Garage on a first-come, first-served basis.
- PTS and UMPD will continue to direct traffic and manage entrances to Church Street and Nolte Garages, as well as the Church Street turnaround for rideshare and accessible drop off and pick up.
- Once a facility reaches capacity, they will direct traffic to the next available facility until that fills and so on. Because staff won’t have to verify parking passes, traffic should flow more quickly and smoothly.
- The best parking will be available early. Come enjoy a drink or pre-show food at the Bistro, or check the website for preshow activities like lobby activations or pre-show talks.
- Rest assured, we’re committed to making your visit as smooth as possible. Please head to our Parking & Directions page and the PTS website to plan your route. Both contain a wealth of information on parking, as well as info on alternative methods of transportation to Northrop.
If you wish to contact UMN Parking and Transportation Services directly with questions, you can reach them by phone: 612-626-727
Know Before You Go
We are looking forward to welcoming you to Northrop. If this will be your first visit here — or you have questions — we invite you to view our informational videos for helpful details about where to park, how to arrange accessibility services and what to expect while you’re here.
"Know Before You Go: Getting to Northrop (With Embedded Captions)" on Youtube
Getting to Northrop
"Know Before You Go: Inside Northrop (With Embedded Captions)" on Youtube
Inside Northrop
Being on a lively campus means that there are a wide variety of easy ways to get to Northrop. You can drive and park on campus, take the bus to any of the nearby bus stops or ride the Green Line to the East Bank stop, which is only a five-minute walk away.