Visitors use scooters as quick way to get to the Minnesota State Fair

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - Getting to the Minnesota State Fair can be difficult sometimes, but some visitors have found a new way to make it to the gates.

Rather than sitting in traffic, some have been turning to scooters to make it from their homes or cars to the fairgrounds.

As much as mini-donuts and cookies, sitting in traffic seems to now be a state fair tradition, too.

With parking lots full again early, park and ride lots full also by 10:30 a.m., it’s no wonder that dotting the perimeter of the fairgrounds is the electric evidence of a less stressful alternative.

"I’m riding back to my car from the state fair," said Natalie Vogenthaler.

It's a convenient no-brainer for Natalie Vogenthaler of St. Paul to grab rental scooters when she, her brother and her mom left the fair Friday afternoon to get back to their car. Friday morning, tired of gridlock, mom gave up and parked nowhere even close to the festival.

"The traffic was terrible, so we hopped out. It was a mile and a half, they were unhappy about that, but we walked here, and then she said can we Lime back and I said sure," Sara Erickson said.

With the scooter explosion in the metro area, and the long waits for drivers, it makes sense this has become an attractive way to get here -- especially early in the day when people say they used to be able to easily drive in.

"Today we spent more time finding parking than we did at the fair," one driver told us.

Of course, the range is limited, but the parking is much easier because it’s almost anywhere – there’s no designated spot for the scooters. However, it’s important to note, while you can leave them anywhere, you can’t bring them into the fairgrounds.