Getting to Canterbury Park and Running Aces (Without Worrying About the Drive Home)
TL;DR: Getting to Canterbury Park in Shakopee and Running Aces in Columbus. Both venues are 25-45 minutes from the metro in locations where late-night rideshare availability is unreliable.
Canterbury Park in Shakopee and Running Aces in Columbus are the Twin Cities' two horse racing and card room venues. Both draw crowds for live racing, simulcast betting, poker, table games, and events. Both are in suburban locations where the drive home after a long evening of entertainment - and possibly drinking - is a real consideration.
Canterbury Park
Location: 1100 Canterbury Rd, Shakopee (25-30 minutes southwest of Minneapolis)
What's there: Live horse racing (May through September), simulcast year-round, card room (poker and table games), restaurants, and a concert/event venue. The summer racing meets draw big crowds, especially on weekends and for special events like Claiming Crown and Canterbury Million.
Getting there by car: Take I-35W South to Hwy 169 South, exit at Canterbury Road. The parking lot is massive (12,000+ spots) and free. On regular racing days, parking is easy. For major events and concerts, arrive early.
The drive home problem: Canterbury is in Shakopee, which means most attendees are driving 25-45 minutes back to wherever they live in the metro. After an evening of racing, drinks, and maybe some card room action, that's a long drive at 11 PM or midnight. I-169 North back to 35W is dark, semi-rural in spots, and has deer crossing areas.
Running Aces
Location: 15201 Zurich St NE, Columbus (30 minutes north of Saint Paul)
What's there: Live harness racing (seasonal), simulcast, card room, and the Aces Bar & Grill. Running Aces has a smaller, more local feel than Canterbury. The poker room has a loyal following.
Getting there by car: Take I-35E North to Forest Lake, exit at Hwy 97. It's past the northern edge of the metro suburbs - the drive goes from suburban to genuinely rural over the last 10 miles.
The drive home problem: Even more acute than Canterbury. Running Aces is further from population centers, and the drive south on I-35E at midnight goes through stretches with minimal lighting and no cell service. For anyone coming from Minneapolis, St. Paul, or the southern suburbs, it's a 35-50 minute drive.
Why Groups Book Car Service for Track Days
The designated driver dilemma. A day at the track involves drinks. Not necessarily heavy drinking, but enough that someone needs to stay sober for the drive home. In a group of 4-6, losing one person to DD duty changes the dynamic. A car service means everyone participates equally.
The timeline is unpredictable. You go to Canterbury for the afternoon card and stay for the evening races. What was supposed to be a 3-hour visit becomes 6 hours. Now it's 10 PM and you're 30 minutes from home. Having a driver on call means the extended stay doesn't create a logistics problem.
Group outings. Canterbury and Running Aces are popular for birthday celebrations, work outings, and friend group days. A Suburban picks everyone up, makes the drive part of the experience, and gets everyone home safely.
Concert nights. Canterbury hosts concerts during the summer racing season. Post-concert crowds combined with racing crowds mean the parking lot is packed and I-169 is a crawl. A driver staged outside the congestion zone shortcuts the exit.
Poker Night Logistics
Both venues have active poker rooms that run late - cash games often go past midnight on weekends, and tournament play can run until 2-3 AM.
If you're a regular poker player who drives to Canterbury or Running Aces once or twice a week, the drive home at 1 AM gets old fast. A car service on poker nights means you can focus on the game instead of watching the clock and calculating whether you're too tired to drive.
For the serious players: the cost of a car service for a poker night is small relative to the stakes at the table. And it's a lot cheaper than a DUI or falling asleep on I-35E.
The Quick Breakdown
| Venue | Distance from Minneapolis | Parking | Late Night Drive Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canterbury Park | 25-30 min SW | Free, large lot | I-169 dark stretches, deer |
| Running Aces | 35-45 min N | Free, adequate | I-35E rural, minimal lighting |
Both venues are far enough from the metro core that rideshare availability thins out, especially late at night. Requesting an Uber Black from Shakopee at midnight? Maybe. From Columbus at 1 AM? Unlikely.
A car service guarantees the ride home exists regardless of how late the poker game runs or how far off the metro grid the venue is.
NS Limo provides transportation to Canterbury Park, Running Aces, and entertainment venues across the Twin Cities. Book online or call (320) 223-8146.