College Visit Guides

Drive guide · 2 days, 2 campuses

Minnesota and St. Thomas in 2 Days: A Twin Cities College Trip

A parent-first plan for seeing the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and the University of St. Thomas in two days: a UMN information session and campus tour on day 1, then St. Thomas in Saint Paul on day 2 before flying home from MSP. Official visit sign-ups, parking at each school, light rail from the airport, a hotel a short walk from UMN, the Weisman and Bell museums for siblings, and Twin Cities weather by season.

Northrop's brick and limestone facade with tall white columns and two flags under a clear blue sky, seen across the lawn of Northrop Mall
Northrop, University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Mar 2010). Photo: AlexiusHoratius · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).

The short version

Trip at a glance

Schools
University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN) · University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN)
Days
2: UMN on day 1, St. Thomas on day 2. Arrive the evening before.
Fly into
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), about 26 minutes from the hotel and 18 minutes from St. Thomas with no traffic.
Best base
Graduate by Hilton Minneapolis, on Washington Ave. SE: about an 11-minute walk to UMN's East River Road Garage and about 9 minutes by car to St. Thomas.
Car or transit
A car is simplest, and St. Thomas parks admissions visitors free. UMN is on the Green Line light rail, and the Blue Line runs from the airport to downtown Minneapolis.
Registration
Both schools take visit sign-ups online: UMN's campus visits portal and St. Thomas's information session and campus tour.

1. Who this guide is for

This plan is for parents with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, who want to compare a Big Ten flagship with a private Catholic university in the same metro: the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus along the Mississippi in Minneapolis, and the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul's Merriam Park neighborhood, between the two downtowns.

The two campuses are about 9 minutes apart by car with no traffic, so one hotel works for both. UMN gets day 1; St. Thomas gets day 2, and it's about 18 minutes from the airport afterward.

Why this order

  • Day 1: UMN's Classic visit pairs a general information session with your choice of an East Bank, West Bank or St. Paul campus tour. Student-led tours last about 90 minutes and are limited to about 15 people.
  • Day 2: St. Thomas starts with a 30-minute admissions presentation, followed by a 75-minute student-led campus tour, with optional academic department appointments afterward. Weekday morning and afternoon options are available.
  • UMN's student-guided tours are offered only as scheduled appointments, so register ahead, and register for only one date.
Two campuses, two ways to park
  • UMN: your confirmation email names your event's location. For Bruininks Hall or Coffman Memorial Union, UMN points you to the East River Road Garage (385 East River Pkwy) first, with the 4th Street Ramp and Washington Ave Ramp as backups.
  • St. Thomas: free parking for admissions visitors is inside the Frey Hall Parking Garage (75 Cleveland Ave. N). Don't use the surface lot; enter your plate and the emailed coupon code at the Frey Hall lobby pay station.
Tour availability varies by season.
  • Dress for the weather: UMN's tour is outdoors and asks visitors to dress for it, and January at MSP averages highs of about 24°F, lows near 9°F and about 11 inches of snow.
  • St. Thomas holds Business and STEM Discovery Days for seniors in November, in addition to its regular weekday visits.

2. The suggested 2-day plan

  • Drive and walk times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, using addresses geocoded with OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Allow extra time at rush hour.

Arrival evening: fly into MSP and check in by UMN's East Bank

  1. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) → Graduate by Hilton Minneapolis (615 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~26 min, 11.6 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    METRO Blue Line from the airport to downtown Minneapolis, then the Green Line east to U of M East Bank Station
  • Metro Transit says Blue Line trains leave the airport about every 15 minutes for most of the day and reach downtown Minneapolis (Target Field) in under 30 minutes. Follow Ground Transportation signs to the tram and the transit station.

Day 1: University of Minnesota Twin Cities, then the Weisman Art Museum

  1. Graduate by Hilton Minneapolis → UMN East River Road Garage (385 East River Pkwy)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~3 min, 0.7 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    ~11 min walk, 0.5 mi

  2. Graduate by Hilton Minneapolis → Weisman Art Museum (333 E. River Road)

    Driving (no traffic)
    Walk
    Driving
    ~14 min walk, 0.7 mi
  • Reserve a Classic visit on UMN's campus visits portal and pick your tour: East Bank, West Bank or St. Paul. The St. Paul campus tour starts in Minneapolis and rides the Campus Connector bus.
  • The East Bank tour typically passes Coffman Memorial Union, a residence hall, Walter Library, Bruininks Hall and the Recreation and Wellness Center.

Day 2: University of St. Thomas, then fly home from MSP

  1. Graduate by Hilton Minneapolis → St. Thomas Frey Hall Parking Garage (75 Cleveland Ave. N, St. Paul)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~9 min, 3.6 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Car recommended; parking is free for registered admissions visitors

  2. University of St. Thomas → Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~18 min, 7.2 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Car recommended
  • Book the Information Session & Campus Tour on St. Thomas's visit schedule. The Admissions Office is on the second floor of the Murray-Herrick Campus Center (Room 256), off Cleveland and Ashland avenues.
  • St. Thomas recommends adding at least 4 hours at the parking pay station. Check out of the hotel before you go, and you can head to MSP straight from campus.

3. Campus by campus

Northrop's brick and limestone facade with tall white columns and two flags under a clear blue sky, seen across the lawn of Northrop Mall
Northrop, University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Mar 2010). Photo: AlexiusHoratius · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Campus

University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN)

Where visits start
  • UMN's Classic visit is a general information session plus your choice of an East Bank, West Bank or St. Paul campus tour. Tours are led by current students, last about 90 minutes and are limited to about 15 people.
  • Student-guided tours are only for scheduled appointments, so register for one date. UMN also offers self-guided walking tours of the East Bank, West Bank and St. Paul campuses, plus virtual tours.
Visitor parking
  • Your confirmation email lists your event's location. For Bruininks Hall and Coffman Memorial Union, park in the East River Road Garage (385 East River Pkwy), or the 4th Street Ramp (1625 4th St. SE) or Washington Ave Ramp (501 SE Washington Ave.) if it's full.
  • For West Bank events at the Carlson School of Management or Hanson Hall, UMN suggests the 21st Avenue Ramp (400 21st Ave. S) or 19th Avenue Ramp (300 S 19th Ave.). For accessibility needs, see UMN's visit accessibility page.
Getting there
  • The Green Line light rail stops at U of M East Bank and West Bank stations. For Coffman or Bruininks Hall, get off at East Bank and walk about 4 blocks west on Washington Ave. SE.
What to know
  • The Weisman Art Museum sits on the East Bank by the Mississippi, across from Bruininks Hall, and admission is free.
Contact
UMN Office of Admissions, 240 Williamson Hall, 231 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455; Visit Office: (612) 625-0000, admissions@umn.edu.

Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.

Official pages: UMN: In-person campus tours · UMN: Driving and parking directions · UMN: Virtual and self-guided tours

The red-brick Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas with its round rose window and columned entrance, framed by evergreens and a green lawn
Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul (May 2010). Photo: AlexiusHoratius · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Campus

University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN)

Where visits start
  • The visit opens with a 30-minute admissions presentation on academics, student life and admission and financial aid, followed by a 75-minute student-led campus tour. You can add an appointment with select academic departments afterward.
  • It's designed for high school students in any grade who haven't applied yet. Seniors can also look at Business or STEM Discovery Days in November, and St. Thomas offers a virtual tour.
Visitor parking
  • Free parking for admissions visitors is in the Frey Hall Parking Garage (75 Cleveland Ave. N), in spots signed for Admissions Visitors, not the surface lot. Enter your plate and emailed coupon code at the Frey Hall lobby pay station, and add at least 4 hours.
  • If Frey Hall is full, use the Anderson Parking Facility at Grand and Cretin avenues, about a 10-minute walk. Garage clearance is 8'2" (some spaces 7'); if your vehicle won't fit, call (651) 962-6154.
Getting there
  • We didn't find transit directions on St. Thomas's visit pages, so plan to drive; parking is free for registered admissions visitors. It's about 9 minutes from the Graduate and 18 minutes from MSP with no traffic.
What to know
  • St. Thomas's St. Paul campus is in Merriam Park, between the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul, near the Mississippi River and Summit Avenue.
Contact
University of St. Thomas Admissions, Murray-Herrick Campus Center, Room 256, St. Paul campus; Visit Office: (651) 962-6154, admvisit@stthomas.edu.

Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.

Official pages: St. Thomas: Information session and campus tour · St. Thomas: First-year visits · St. Thomas: Accommodations

4. Where to stay: two nights on the edge of UMN's East Bank campus

Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.

Hotel · Our pickUpscale

Graduate by Hilton Minneapolis

615 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN

Why here

  • It's on Washington Ave. SE at the edge of UMN's East Bank: about an 11-minute walk to the East River Road Garage, 9 minutes by car to St. Thomas and 26 minutes to MSP with no traffic.
  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 4-star property, so we place it in the Upscale tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.

Good to know

  • Expedia's listing notes a self-parking fee. Confirm parking and amenities on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Hotel · AlternateMid-range

Days Hotel by Wyndham University Ave SE

2407 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN

Why here

  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 3-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
  • It's about 4 minutes by car from UMN's East River Road Garage and a 9-minute walk from the Graduate, on the east side of the East Bank campus.

Good to know

  • Expedia's listing shows free parking. Confirm parking and amenities on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Hotel · AlternateBudget

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Minneapolis-Downtown Convention Center

225 S. 11th St., Minneapolis, MN

Why here

  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 2.5-star property, so we place it in the Budget tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
  • It's in downtown Minneapolis, about 8 minutes by car from UMN's East River Road Garage and 13 minutes from St. Thomas with no traffic.

Good to know

  • St. Thomas lists it among the hotels offering a University of St. Thomas rate to visitors. Confirm parking and amenities on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Two nights at the Graduate put you a short walk from UMN on day 1 and about 9 minutes by car from St. Thomas on day 2. Check out on day 2, drive to St. Thomas and head to MSP from campus.

5. Meals between tours

Hours change, so check before you go.

At and near UMN

Coffman Memorial Union, a stop on the East Bank tour, is UMN's student union, and the Graduate sits on Washington Ave. SE in Stadium Village, a few blocks east.

Near St. Thomas

St. Thomas sits in St. Paul's Merriam Park neighborhood, and its visit page points visitors to explore the Twin Cities around campus after the tour.

6. Things for siblings along the route

With siblings

Weisman Art Museum

333 E. River Road, Minneapolis, MN

UMN's art museum on the East Bank has free admission and parking under the building. It's closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and about a 14-minute walk from the Graduate.

Official page →

With siblings

Bell Museum

2088 Larpenteur Ave. W, St. Paul, MN

Minnesota's natural history museum and planetarium, on UMN's St. Paul campus, is open Wednesday through Sunday. It's about 10 minutes by car from the Graduate or from St. Thomas; check the museum's page for ticket prices.

Official page →

7. Practical tips

Driving, parking and light rail

  • At UMN, start with the East River Road Garage for Bruininks Hall or Coffman Memorial Union events. At St. Thomas, park free in the Frey Hall Parking Garage with your emailed coupon code.
  • UMN's Green Line stations are U of M East Bank and West Bank. UMN warns of occasional bus replacements on the Blue and Green lines, so check Metro Transit before you ride.

Flying in and out

  • MSP is about 26 minutes from the Graduate and 18 minutes from St. Thomas with no traffic.
  • Without a car, the Blue Line leaves the airport about every 15 minutes for downtown Minneapolis, and Route 54 buses run to downtown St. Paul in about 20 minutes.

Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport)

  • Spring: April averages about 57°F highs and 38°F lows, with about 2.9 inches of precipitation.
  • Summer: July averages about 83°F highs and 65°F lows, with about 4.1 inches of rain.
  • Fall: October averages about 58°F highs and 41°F lows, with about 2.6 inches of precipitation.
  • Winter: January averages about 24°F highs and 9°F lows, with about 0.9 inches of precipitation and 11 inches of snow.

Parent checklist

  • Register for both visits online: a UMN Classic visit with your choice of campus tour on day 1 and St. Thomas's Information Session & Campus Tour on day 2.
  • Watch for UMN's confirmation email: it names your event's location, which decides where to park.
  • Save the St. Thomas parking coupon code from your confirmation email for the Frey Hall pay station.
  • Book two nights by UMN's East Bank and ask about St. Thomas's visitor hotel rates; fly in and out of MSP.
  • Dress for the weather on UMN's outdoor tour, especially from November through March.
  • After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.

8. Student-athlete recruiting visits

For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.

Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.

Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.

2 Division I

NCAA basics for parents

  • Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
  • Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
  • Division I (University of Minnesota Twin Cities and University of St. Thomas): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
  • Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.

Planning around the season

  • Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
  • Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.

Student-athlete sources

All checked Oct 26, 2026.

  1. NCAA, 2026-27 Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete (pp. 3, 21–25)
  2. NCAA.org: NCAA Recruiting
  3. NCAA: Division I and II Recruiting Calendars and Guides
  4. NCAA Directory: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
  5. University of Minnesota Twin Cities Athletics (official site)
  6. University of Minnesota Twin Cities Athletics: Compliance
  7. University of Minnesota Twin Cities Athletics: Staff Directory
  8. University of Minnesota Twin Cities Athletics: schedule of events
  9. NCAA Directory: University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
  10. University of St. Thomas Athletics (official site)
  11. University of St. Thomas Athletics: Compliance
  12. University of St. Thomas Athletics: Staff Directory
  13. University of St. Thomas Athletics: schedule of events

Trip planner

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Sources

All checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.

  1. University of Minnesota Twin Cities Admissions: Visit the University of Minnesota Twin Cities
  2. University of Minnesota Twin Cities Admissions: In-person campus tours
  3. University of Minnesota Twin Cities Admissions: Campus visits (official sign-up)
  4. University of Minnesota Twin Cities Admissions: Campus driving and parking directions
  5. University of Minnesota Twin Cities Admissions: Accessibility for your campus visit
  6. University of Minnesota Twin Cities Admissions: Virtual tours and visits
  7. University of St. Thomas Undergraduate Admissions: Campus visits
  8. University of St. Thomas Undergraduate Admissions: First-year visits
  9. University of St. Thomas Undergraduate Admissions: Information session and campus tour
  10. University of St. Thomas Undergraduate Admissions: Visit schedule (official sign-up)
  11. University of St. Thomas Undergraduate Admissions: Accommodations
  12. Weisman Art Museum: Directions and parking
  13. Weisman Art Museum: Hours
  14. Bell Museum: Plan your visit
  15. Metro Transit: Airport
  16. OSRM routing (OpenStreetMap), driving profile
  17. OSRM routing (OpenStreetMap), foot profile
  18. OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocoder
  19. NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 Monthly Normals, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, MN (USW00014922)
  20. Expedia listing: Graduate by Hilton Minneapolis (star class, checked 2026-10-28) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Minneapolis-St-Paul-Hotels-Graduate-Minneapolis.h17728.Hotel-Information)
  21. Expedia listing: Days Hotel by Wyndham University Ave SE (star class, checked 2026-10-28) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Minneapolis-St-Paul-Hotels-Days-Hotel-By-Wyndham-University-Ave-SE.h7779.Hotel-Information)
  22. Expedia listing: Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Downtown Minneapolis (star class, checked 2026-10-28) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Minneapolis-St-Paul-Hotels-Holiday-Inn-Express-Hotel-Suites-Downtown-Minneapolis.h116673.Hotel-Information)