stage microphone
The art of stand-up comedy is alive and well in Minnesota, giving the state's residents a variety of places to get some laughs after a day of enjoying one of their "10,000 lakes." Whether it be a full-time comedy club or a weekend room offering comedy on a regular basis, comedy clubs can be found in some of the larger and smaller cities across the state.
Twin Cities
The Minneapolis-St. Paul area, being the largest metropolitan area in the state, serves as the hub for Minnesota comedy, with a number of comedians getting their start here and a few clubs for them to perform in. The longest-running club is the Acme Comedy Co., located in downtown Minneapolis and featuring an intimate atmosphere even though it seats nearly 300. Its newest competition---the Joke Joint Comedy Club---offers two locations, in Bloomington and St. Paul, featuring local acts and national headliners every Thursday-Saturday. Also in the cities are St. Paul's Comedy Gallery, located in the Holiday Inn and bringing in four different comedians each weekend, and the relatively new (opened in 2009) MinneHaHa Comedy Club in the southern suburb of Burnsville, located in the lower level of Anthony's Parkway Grille and featuring a national headliner every Friday and Saturday.
Acme Comedy Co.
708 N. 1st St.
Minneapolis, MN 55401
612-338-6393
acmecomedycompany.com
Joke Joint Comedy Club
2300 E. American Blvd. (Ramada Inn)
Bloomington, MN 55425
612-327-0185
jokejointcomedyclub.com
Joke Joint Comedy Club
801 Sibley Memorial Hwy.
St. Paul, MN 55118
612-327-0185
jokejointcomedyclub.com
Comedy Gallery
2201 Burns Ave. (Holiday Inn)
St. Paul, MN 55119
612-961-4242
comedygallery.com
MinneHaHa Comedy Club
251 W. Burnsville Pkwy.
Burnsville, MN 55337
612-860-9388
minnehahacomedyclub.com
South/Central Minnesota
Some of the smaller cities in the southern half of Minnesota also have thriving comedy clubs, featuring two or more professional comedians every weekend. One of the more well-known is Goonies in Rochester, connected to McGoon's Taxi Co. Pub and Restaurant, with shows every Friday and Saturday. Doing shows the same nights are the long-running Rum Runners in St. Cloud, which has featured comedy among its other nightclub activities through numerous name changes, and the brand new (as of 2010) Benton Station in its northern suburb of Sauk Rapids. The MinneHaHa Comedy Club also operates a satellite location in the Tavern on the Ave. in the college town of Mankato, doing shows on Saturday nights.
Goonies Comedy Club
7 Second St. SW
Rochester, MN 55902
507-288-8130
gooniescomedy.com
Rum Runners
102 6th Ave. S.
St. Cloud, MN 56301
320-654-1040
rumrunnerscomedy.com
Benton Station
303 N. Benton Dr.
Sauk Rapids, MN 56379
320-252-2410
bentonstationbar.com
MinneHaHa Comedy Club
1120 Madison Ave.
Mankato, MN 56001
507-345-3308
minnehahacomedyclub.com
Northern Minnesota
The northern half of the state has few large population areas, but the ones that it does have still make room for live comedy. The biggest of these is Courtney's Comedy Club, located in the AmericInn in Moorhead, on the Minnesota side of the Fargo/Moorhead metro area and bringing in national acts every Thursday-Saturday. Across the state, on the shore of Lake Superior, is Duluth's Dubh Linn Pub, an Irish Pub/Sports bar that has a small room in the back featuring stand-up comedy every weekend.
Courtney's Comedy Club
600 30th Ave. S. (AmericInn)
Moorhead, MN 56560
218-287-7100
courtneyscomedyclub.biz
Dubh Linn Irish Pub
109 W. Superior St.
Duluth, MN 55802
218-727-1559
dubhlinnpub.com
Tags: Comedy Club, MinneHaHa Comedy, MinneHaHa Comedy Club, Joint Comedy, Joke Joint
