Free Parking

The United Center is not as well served as other event venues by public transportation so many of you will end up driving to an event here.  Luckily though, the United Center is one of the few Chicago area venues that actually has a ton of free parking nearby!  Check out free United Center Parking options with this handy map here.  In many cases the free parking on the street is actually closer than many of the pay lots.  The picture in this here post is of cars parking on Wolcott without restriction and for free.  There are many different areas just a few blocks from the stadium where you can park your car for free.  Simply save the map to your email or on your mobile phone, print it and then be free to park away!  That said, the neighborhood while having significantly improved is not the greatest nor safest in Chicago.  If you are uncomfortable with leaving your car unattended on the streets you can always opt for a pay lot which is attendended for the during of the Bulls or Blackhawks game.

Paid Parking Lots with Attendents

To see available options for paid parking lots see United Center Parking.  There you'll be able to see different parking spaces available at different lots with their descriptions and prices.  There is also the United Center official lots and map available at the link to see.  These spots are the biggest and best option for those with larger vans and SUVs.  That said, you could be stuck waiting half hour (OR MORE!!!) to get out after the game.  Traffic clogs and people pour from the stadium and into the official lots.  The paid lots that aren't considered "official" are close just being a block away.  They are also cheaper but the spots are a bit smaller than the official parking lots through the United Center.  These official lot prices range from $20 to $37 vs $18 to $27.50 for the other paid lots.

Many parking options!

1. You've got Free parking!
2. You've got discounted paid parking!
3. You've got official paid parking!

Each option has its pros and cons but at least there are a lot of options.  Many of you will be driving to a Bulls or Blackhawks game so it's nice to be "in the know"!  

Mark Lawrence is the Co-Founder of SpotHero, a Chicago parking website that provides parking tips and parking reservations to Chicago motorists.