Target Center is nothing if not versatile: As home to the Timberwolves and Lynx basketball teams, it can welcome almost 18,500 fans; but an innovative floor-to-ceiling curtaining system allows the arena to be partitioned, so audiences as small as 3,000 can feel like they're in a full house. As a result, the Target Center calendar includes intimate concerts, and corporate and family events, alongside top-tier sporting events and the biggest names in music.

A Parent's Room is available so parents can remain on-site - without having to purchase a ticket - while their children attend a concert. Must be prearranged; Call 612.673.1300.

Expect diaper bags to be thoroughly searched upon entry, but they are allowed in, the sole exception to the rule prohibiting backpacks and large bags. And since mashed peas don't pose a threat to concession sales, baby food and snacks (and breastmilk!) are also exempt from the no-outside-food-or-beverages rule. A peanut-free zone is offered for some events to accommodate kids with allergies; call for details on availability.

Tours: Free arena tours are offered every Thursday at 2pm. Meet the guide in the Main Lobby. Tours for more than 20 people, or at other times, may be arranged for a fee; Call 612.673.1300.

tips:

For basketball games and most other events, children under two do not need a ticket as long as they sit on a ticket-holding parent's lap; the most kid-centric events, however, such as Sesame Street Live, require tickets for all kids ages one and up.

getting there:

In the Warehouse District of downtown. The best places to park are the ABC Ramps, each of which is within two blocks of the Target Center, connected to it on the Skyway system, and accessible from city streets and Highways 94 or 394.