Wild Game Night: Getting to Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul
TL;DR: Getting to and from Xcel Energy Center for Wild games in St. Paul. Free street parking after 5 PM in St. Paul is a key advantage over Minneapolis venues.
Xcel Energy Center is in downtown St. Paul on West Kellogg Boulevard. It's a different animal than the Minneapolis venues - smaller downtown, fewer ramps, tighter streets. But also fewer people, which actually makes parking easier than you'd expect.
Parking
Xcel Energy Center has more nearby parking options than most people realize.
RiverCentre Parking Ramp is the closest - connected to the arena. Game day rates typically run $15-25. It fills up fast, so arrive early or prepay through ParkMobile or SpotHero.
Surface lots and smaller ramps within a few blocks run $10-20. The further you walk, the cheaper it gets. Five blocks out, you can find $8-10 spots.
Street parking in downtown St. Paul is free after 5 PM on weekdays and all day on weekends. For a 7 PM puck drop on a Tuesday, free street parking is available if you know where to look - side streets south of Kellogg and along Wabasha. Get there 45 minutes early and you'll find something.
That's the St. Paul advantage. Minneapolis charges meters until 10 PM. St. Paul doesn't.
Metro Transit
The Metro Transit Green Line runs from Minneapolis through downtown St. Paul. The closest stop is Central Station, about a 10-minute walk to Xcel Energy Center. Not as convenient as Target Field Station, but it works.
Fare: $2.00 off-peak, $2.50 peak.
The walk from Central Station to Xcel is fine in September. In January, a 10-minute walk at 6:30 PM in -5 wind chill is a different conversation. Dress for it or skip it.
Rideshare
The TNC (rideshare) pickup/drop-off zone for Wild games is at Gate 4 on 5th Street. Uber and Lyft work well for Xcel - St. Paul has decent driver availability and post-game surge is usually mild. Wild games draw about 18,000 fans, which is manageable for the rideshare pool.
Car Service
Hockey games have a unique rhythm that makes car service practical:
- Puck drop is predictable. 7 PM or 7:30 PM, almost always. Your driver knows exactly when to be there.
- Games end at roughly the same time. 9:30-10 PM for regulation, maybe 10:15 for overtime. Easy to schedule a pickup.
- The crowd clears fast. Hockey fans move. The arena is mostly empty within 20 minutes of the final horn. Your driver can be staged on 5th Street and you're gone before the ramp line starts.
For season ticket holders, a car service is worth considering on a per-game basis. Parking at $20/game times 41 home games is $820/season. That's before gas and the wear of driving downtown in winter 41 times. A car service for selected games - weekend games, playoff games, the nights you don't want to deal with it - is a reasonable luxury.
Tips Locals Know
Park at Science Museum of Minnesota. The Science Museum ramp on the riverfront, about a 7-minute walk south, often has availability on game nights and charges less than the ramps immediately adjacent to Xcel. The walk along Kellogg Boulevard is straightforward.
Eat in Lowertown before the game. St. Paul's Lowertown neighborhood (just east of Xcel) has a growing restaurant scene - StormKing, Handsome Hog, Keg and Case Market. Park near your restaurant, eat, walk to the game. Same strategy as North Loop for Twins games.
Use Shepard Road to avoid the I-94 merge. After the game, everyone funnels onto I-94. If you're heading south or west, take Shepard Road along the river instead. It runs parallel to 94, has almost no traffic, and connects to I-35E south without touching the interstate congestion.
The 7th Street exit off I-94 is fastest. Coming from Minneapolis, take the 7th Street exit (not the 5th Street exit that GPS sometimes recommends). 7th drops you right at Xcel with fewer turns.
The St. Paul Difference
St. Paul is easier to navigate than Minneapolis on game nights. Fewer one-way streets, less construction, lighter traffic overall. The post-game exit is simpler too - jump on I-94 or Shepard Road and you're out.
The biggest hassle is honestly finding Xcel Energy Center the first time if you're not familiar with downtown St. Paul. GPS sometimes routes you through residential neighborhoods. The straightforward approach: take I-94 to the 5th Street exit, follow signs to RiverCentre. Done.
| Option | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RiverCentre Ramp | $15-25 | Connected to arena, fills early |
| Surface lots | $10-20 | Short walk |
| Street parking | Free after 5 PM | Weekday games only |
| Green Line + walk | $2.50-5 | 10-min walk from Central Station |
| Uber/Lyft | $12-25 | Mild surge, Gate 4 pickup |
| Car Service | Contact for quote | Best for winter, groups, playoffs |
NS Limo provides game day transportation to Xcel Energy Center, U.S. Bank Stadium, Target Field, and all Twin Cities venues. Book online or call (320) 223-8146.
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