The Pillsbury Club is easy to find and easier to park at than almost anywhere else you will go out in Minneapolis, which surprises people who assume a mansion with stone lions on the gateposts must come with a valet and a headache. It does not. Here is exactly where we are, how to arrive by car, rideshare, bus or trolley, and what to do with the half hour we hope you give yourself before your reservation.

Where the Pillsbury Club is

The Club is inside the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion at 100 East 22nd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55404, in the Whittier neighbourhood just south of downtown. The easiest landmark is the Minneapolis Institute of Art at 2400 Third Avenue South, a few blocks away; if you can find Mia, you can find us. Look for the carved stone lions on the 22nd Street gateposts and the steep gables behind them. The neighbourhood is old money turned artsy, with Eat Street’s restaurants a few blocks west along Nicollet Avenue, so it is a good part of town to arrive in early and leave late.

Parking: complimentary, and there are two kinds

Parking for Club guests is complimentary. The first option is free public street parking on the surrounding neighbourhood streets, wherever it is posted as permitted. The second is the designated guest lot directly across the street from the Club. Between the two, we have never had a guest circle the block twice. The only rule is the obvious one: read the signs. Guests are responsible for observing posted parking regulations, and the Club is not responsible for vehicles parked on the street or in public areas. The full wording is on our Plan Your Visit and Club Policies pages.

One winter note, because this is Minneapolis: when the city declares a snow emergency, street parking rules change for three days and the towing is not theoretical. If snow is falling on the night of your reservation, use the lot across the street or check the city’s snow emergency parking rules before you leave the car.

Rideshare, taxi and being dropped off

Uber and Lyft both know the address, and drop-off and pick-up is at the front entrance on 22nd Street. This is the way to arrive if the evening involves the bar and dining room, and it is the way most downtown hotel guests come: the ride from the theatre district or the convention center is short. If you are staying at 300 Clifton in Loring Park, you are only a few minutes away and your stay includes a Pillsbury Club dining voucher, so the trip pays for itself.

By bus

Metro Transit buses serve the Whittier neighbourhood, with frequent service along Nicollet Avenue a few blocks west of the mansion and other routes on the avenues nearby. Rather than guess which route number will still be right next year, plan the trip on Metro Transit’s trip planner with our address as the destination; it will give you a stop within a short walk. The light rail does not come this way, so from a Blue or Green Line station you will transfer to a bus or take a short rideshare.

By trolley, which is the point

Every Minneapolis Trolley Tours departure boards here, at the mansion: the Candlelight Ghost Tour, the True Crime Tour, the Gilded Age Mansion Tour and, in the holiday season, the Holiday Light Ride. That means the arrival instructions above are also the arrival instructions for the trolley, and it means the smartest evening in the neighbourhood is a tour that starts at our door and a drink that ends at our bar. Give yourself the time to do both; the Experiences & Tours page lists what is running.

What to do with the half hour

We ask guests to arrive 30 to 45 minutes before a scheduled experience. That is not padding. The mansion is the reason people come, and the best of it, the carved staircase, the library fireplace that survived the Great Fire of London, the ancient glass in the windows, is on the way to wherever your reservation is. Use the time to check in, browse the Market for Minnesota-made gifts, and order something at the bar. Casual personal photos are welcome as long as they do not get in anyone’s way; anything staged or professional needs a photo reservation first. Smoking and vaping are not permitted anywhere on the property, and outside food and drink stay in the car.

Before you set out

Remember that the Club is open only to guests with a reservation for a tour, dining, an event or another scheduled experience, so book before you drive over; our post on whether you need a reservation explains how that works, and what to expect on a first visit covers the rest. If you have accessibility questions about a historic house with stairs, email info@pillsburyclub.com ahead of time and we will sort it out. Then point the car, the app or the bus at 100 East 22nd Street, and look for the lions. Make your reservation and we will see you at the gate.

Keep reading: Why Did the King of Belgium Write to a 12-Year-Old in the Pillsbury Mansion in 1916?