New Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley Operating Downtown And Across River
Those bells you hear clanging along the streets of downtown Minneapolis on Friday and Saturday nights now are from the Minneapolis Trolley Tours, a brand new way to explore nine different sections of downtown, including North Loop.
The refurbished trolley made its debut runs last weekend, with riders paying $15 to hop on at one location–for example, Ground Zero nightclub in Northeast– then getting off at The Hewing Hotel, exploring North Loop bars or shops for an hour or two before hopping back on the trolley and heading to another area. Their $15 pass is good for the entire evening. (NOTE: It’s currently dropping off/picking up passengers on the 3rd Avenue side of The Hewing across from Monte Carlo during road construction).
The trolley runs from 4pm-midnight, Fridays and Saturdays, and riders can follow the Trolley Tracker online to see in real time how close it’s getting to their location.
The trolley’s nine stops* are: 1) Loring Park near the 300 Clifton Bed & Breakfast, 2) Loring Greenway, near Roxy’s Cabaret and the Hyatt Regency, 3) Convention Center, near Hotel Ivy, 4) Mill District, Park and Washington by the Canopy by Hilton Hotel, 5) Gateway District, Washington and Hennepin by the Four Seasons Hotel, 6) Northeast, 4th St NE by the Stray Dog, Masu and Whitey’s, 7) North Loop, 3rd and Washington by the Hewing Hotel, 8) Theatre District, 9th and Hennepin, 9) Nicollet Mall, 10th and Nicollet by The Local, Dakota and News Room.
*Don’t ask the driver to pull over between any of these stops. That’s what Uber, Lyft and Metro Transit are for.
As they approach each stop, a video monitor will show riders a video with some of the highlights of the neighborhood they’re entering.
“Almost all great cities that have good history and a good downtown core have other modes of transportation,” said Minneapolis Trolley co-owner Norman Kulba, “and I think this could change how people are going out and exploring the downtown area.”
After getting started with the Downtown Loop, Kulba hopes to start offering other loops in the coming weeks, for example a brewery loop and a history loop.
By Mike Binkley, North Loop volunteer