First-Timer's Guide to Target Field

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The quick read

Two things trip up first-timers here. There is no re-entry once you scan in, and every register in the building is cashless, so a pocket full of bills buys nothing at the gate. Handle those two and the rest is straightforward: a lenient bag rule, an outside-food allowance that is fan-friendly, and a light rail stop that puts you at the ballpark door.

The rules that catch people

The bag rule is lenient, but it draws a hard line at backpacks. Single-compartment bags, max 16 by 16 by 8 inches: purses, clutches, totes, clear bags, drawstring bags, single-compartment soft coolers, fanny packs. Diaper bags and medical bags are the exception and may have multiple compartments. Backpacks, multi-compartment laptop bags, and duffels stay outside the gate. Target Field is not a clear-bag park, so don’t assume the rule from some other stadium carries over here.

Every point of sale is cashless. Cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay only, everywhere in the park. Show up with bills and you’ll want a reverse ATM, which turns them into a prepaid card at no charge. There are five: one at the top of each Terrace escalator, right field and left field; one at the Treasure Island Home Run Deck near Section 231; one in the elevator lobby by Gate 3; and one at Gate 29 on the Main Concourse. For cash out rather than a reload, the park’s single traditional ATM is on the Main Concourse near Section 112.

Once you scan in, you’re in for the day. Target Field does not allow re-entry. Make the pre-game bar stop, grab anything left in the car, and settle anything else outside the gates before your ticket gets scanned.

Don’t count on a specific inning for last call. The Twins’ own policy guide doesn’t publish an alcohol cutoff at all, and the “end of the 8th” figure floating around is three-year-old news coverage of a pitch-clock-era rule change, not a current team statement. At least one of the other teams that made that same move has since reverted to stopping after the 7th, so treat the group as unsettled rather than a rule you can bank on. Ask at the concession stand, or just watch for the last-call announcement over the PA.

Outside food is allowed, within limits. Bring what fits in your bag, plus a sealed bottle of water, 32 ounces or less. Hard coolers, Thermoses, and other hard containers stay outside, and the allowance doesn’t carry into the bar, restaurant, and suite areas. Sealed single-serve juice or milk for kids is fine too.

There is no roof over any of this. Target Field is open-air, so weather is the planning variable here, not just the rulebook. April games run cold enough for real winter layers, and the forecast is worth a check the morning of no matter the month. The full month-by-month read lives on the when-to-visit page.

Gates and timing

Enter at whichever gate is closest to wherever you’re coming from. Each one carries a retired Twins number, so orientation is easy once you know the names: Gate 3 (Killebrew) at 5th Street and 3rd Avenue, Gate 6 (Oliva) on 5th Street next to Target Field Station, Gate 14 (Hrbek) on 7th Street behind home plate, Gate 29 (Carew) on Target Plaza off 7th Street, and Gate 34 (Puckett), the largest of the five, also on Target Plaza. Anyone riding the METRO light rail in lands at Gate 6 or Gate 29.

Gate open times, straight from the team’s own table:

• Monday through Thursday evening games: gates open 1 hour before first pitch.
• Weekday afternoon games: gates open 1.5 hours before first pitch.
• Friday, Saturday, and Sunday games: gates open 2 hours before first pitch, regardless of start time.

The arrival and the statue lap

The ballpark sits inside the North Loop and Warehouse District, with the bars, breweries, and restaurants a two-to-four-block walk from the gates. Cowboy Jack’s is right across the street. A downtown stay puts a real neighborhood between the hotel and the ballpark instead of a parking lot.

Do the statue lap before you scan in. The statues stand outside the gates on Target Plaza, and with no re-entry, a ticket scanned early is a lap missed. Budget about 20 minutes at a browsing pace. Most of the bronzes are players: Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, and Joe Mauer, whose statue went up in April 2025. Two are not. Carl and Eloise Pohlad share one. The other is Tom Kelly, who ran the dugout for both World Series wins, and he is the one people walk past without knowing why he is out there. Each statue marks a different chapter of a franchise that traces back to the 1901 Washington Senators, and the history page covers the careers behind them.

With kids

Target Field runs Kids Run the Bases for ages 12 and under after Sunday games. The line forms at the North Ramp near Section 130 after the 7th inning, and because there’s no re-entry, getting in that line means staying through the end of the game regardless.

Before the game, Graze Food Hall by Travail, the North Loop food hall with multiple vendors under one roof, is a non-alcohol option with enough vendor variety to cover pickier eaters in the group.

Know Target Field better than we do? Tell us what we got wrong, or where we should be sending people instead.