Charter Bus Parking & Dropoff Guide to Hammond, Indiana Sports Venues & Arenas
Whatever your game-day plans look like, getting a crowd out of Northwest Indiana and through I-90 Chicago Skyway or I-80/I-94 Borman Expressway traffic takes a real game plan. Because Bus
Call (219) 407-0040 for Sports Venue Shuttle Buses in Hammond
Soldier Field (Home of the Chicago Bears)
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Major Roadways to Soldier Field
Driving north from Hammond, the fastest route for charter buses is taking the I-90 West (Chicago Skyway) to the I-94 West (Dan Ryan Expressway) before merging onto I-55 North (Stevenson Expressway) to exit directly onto U.S. Route 41 / DuSable Lake Shore Drive. If you want to avoid Skyway tolls, your driver can take I-80/I-94 West to I-94 West (Bishop Ford Freeway) heading north into the city. Once on DuSable Lake Shore Drive, follow signs for the 18th Street Exit or McFetridge Drive to enter the Museum Campus corridor. Always pad your schedule by at least 60 minutes on Sunday mornings when Bears traffic backs up past the I-55 interchange.
Charter Bus Drop-Off & Pickup at Soldier Field
At Soldier Field, active charter bus drop-off takes place at the designated zone along 18th Street just west of DuSable Lake Shore Drive, putting your group a short walk from the south gates. Because Chicago strictly enforces a 3-minute commercial engine idling limit, your group must have all bags and tailgating supplies ready to unload the moment your bus pulls to the curb. After the final whistle or concert encore, your driver will meet your group for pickup at the corner of Balbo Drive and Columbus Drive or at your pre-assigned marshalling stall. Keep a group text thread going so everyone walks out of the stadium together before calling your driver in.
Charter Bus Parking & Waiting at Soldier Field
Oversized vehicles can park and stage at the McCormick Place Marshalling Yard (located at 31st Street and DuSable Lake Shore Drive, entering via Moe Drive) or the 18th Street Lot just south of the stadium. You should pre-purchase your oversized bus parking pass online through the Chicago Bears parking and transit guide well in advance, as game-day bus stalls sell out fast. If main stadium lots are full, overflow charter bus parking is also available at the Adler Planetarium Surface Lot.
Event-Day Closures & Traffic
Expect strict police checkpoints and rolling street closures along 18th Street, McFetridge Drive, Waldron Drive, and Museum Campus Drive starting three hours before kickoff. Rideshares are restricted from entering the immediate stadium campus during post-game egress, making a pre-arranged charter bus or party bus rental way faster for getting your group back to Hammond. Plan to arrive at least two to three hours before kickoff so your driver can clear the 18th Street bottleneck with time to spare.
United Center (Home of the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Blackhawks)
Keeping your group together for a Bulls or Blackhawks game is a slam dunk when you book a bus to the United Center at 1901 W. Madison St, Chicago, IL 60612. Instead of splitting into multiple cars and fighting Near West Side traffic, your whole group steps off right by the arena gates!
Major Roadways to United Center
Traveling from Hammond, your charter bus will typically take I-90 West (Chicago Skyway) or I-80/I-94 West into the I-90/I-94 Dan Ryan Expressway heading north toward Downtown Chicago. From the Jane Byrne Interchange, drivers merge onto I-290 West (Eisenhower Expressway) and take the exit for Damen Avenue or Paulina Street heading north to Madison Street. Local surface access around the arena is framed by Madison Street, Warren Boulevard, Adams Street, and Damen Avenue. Because weeknight tip-offs and puck drops overlap directly with Chicago evening rush hour, build an extra 45 minutes into your departure from Lake County.
Charter Bus Drop-Off & Pickup at United Center
Charter buses and minibuses drop passengers off curbside along the main entrance corridor at 1901 W. Madison Street or along Adams Street on the south side of the arena. Post-game crowds on Madison Street can get packed, so coordinate with your driver to pick your group up either in Lot B or a block away near Park Tavern on Jackson Boulevard once everyone is accounted for.
Charter Bus Parking & Waiting at United Center
Official oversized vehicle parking and staging at the United Center is located in Lot B on the north side of the arena, which opens two hours prior to the start of the event. You can review lot layouts and pre-book passes on the United Center directions and parking page before your trip. Remember that parking fees are separate from your bus quote, and your driver must stay with the vehicle if staging in active loading zones.
Event-Day Closures & Traffic
Around game time, Chicago police restrict through-traffic and turn lanes along Madison Street between Damen Avenue and Wood Street, as well as sections of Monroe Street and Warren Boulevard. Arriving 90 minutes before tip-off lets your driver bypass the worst of the Eisenhower Expressway exit ramps and drop your group off stress-free.
Wrigley Field (Home of the Chicago Cubs)
Check out a Cubs game at the Friendly Confines without worrying about Wrigleyville’s impossible street parking when you book a bus to Wrigley Field at 1060 W. Addison St, Chicago, IL 60613! Whether you rent a 25-passenger minibus or a full-size coach, your driver handles the tight North Side streets from first pitch to the final out.
Major Roadways to Wrigley Field
From Hammond, your driver will take I-90 West or I-94 West north through downtown Chicago, continuing onto the I-90/I-94 Kennedy Expressway to exit at Irving Park Road (IL-19) East, or take DuSable Lake Shore Drive (US-41 North) to the Irving Park Road exit. Buses then head west on Irving Park Road toward Clark Street to avoid the narrow residential side streets of Lakeview.
Charter Bus Drop-Off & Pickup at Wrigley Field
Designated charter bus loading, unloading, and active staging at Wrigley Field takes place along Irving Park Road, just east of Clark Street, about a two-block walk south to the ballpark gates. Per City of Chicago ordinance, the driver must remain inside the charter bus at all times while in the loading zone and cannot idle for more than three minutes. Have your group meet at the Marquee at Clark and Addison after the game and walk together up to Irving Park Road so everyone boards at once.
Charter Bus Parking & Waiting at Wrigley Field
Because Wrigleyville is a dense residential neighborhood with strict permit parking, charter buses cannot park on the streets surrounding the stadium during games. Instead, your driver can relocate to the Cubs’ free remote lot at 3900 N. Rockwell Street (just east of the Chicago River off Irving Park Road) or stage at the Lincoln Park Zoo bus lot off Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive. Once the 8th inning wraps up, send your driver a quick text so they can pull back up to the Irving Park Road curb right on cue. After you book on the national booking platform, the confirmation team will call to verify your exact Wrigley pickup plan!
Event-Day Closures & Traffic
Starting two hours before first pitch and lasting until one hour after the game ends, street closures go into effect on Addison Street (from Racine to Halsted), Clark Street (from Newport/Sheffield to Grace), Waveland Avenue, and Sheffield Avenue. Neighborhood residential permit restrictions are heavily enforced during night games and concerts. Leave Hammond at least two and a half hours before game time to beat Kennedy Expressway and Lake Shore Drive backups.
Rate Field (Home of the Chicago White Sox)
35th St, Chicago, IL 60616 is one of the closest and easiest major league stadiums to reach by charter bus! A quick ride up the Skyway puts your group right in Bridgeport ready to tailgate.
Major Roadways to Rate Field
Rate Field sits just 25 to 35 minutes from Hammond via I-90 West (Chicago Skyway), merging directly onto the I-90/I-94 Dan Ryan Expressway West to the 35th Street or 31st Street exits. If your driver takes I-80/I-94 West to I-57 North and the Dan Ryan, you’ll still pull directly off the highway within blocks of the ballpark entrances along Shields Avenue and Wentworth Avenue.
Charter Bus Drop-Off & Pickup at Rate Field
Groups arriving by charter bus, party bus, or minibus can be dropped off along 35th Street between Shields Avenue and Wentworth Avenue, or directly inside the designated bus lanes in Lot A and Lot B on the north side of the stadium. If your group is only doing a drop-off and pickup without tailgating in the lots, make sure everyone is gathered near Gate 4 or Gate 5 on 35th Street before calling your driver from their staging spot. Because Dan Ryan exit ramps back up quickly after the 9th inning, having a single meetup landmark keeps your boarding window under five minutes. You can even call (219) 407-0040 to ask about custom round-trip game packages and phone-only deals!
Charter Bus Parking & Waiting at Rate Field
Charter buses and RVs have dedicated oversized parking spaces in Lot B (enter off 33rd Street or 35th Street on the north side of the ballpark), where tailgating is welcome as soon as the lots open two hours before first pitch! Check the White Sox official parking and transportation guide to purchase an oversized vehicle pass in advance or prepare for cashless payment at the gate. If your bus isn’t staying on-site to tailgate, your driver can also stage nearby at the McCormick Place Marshalling Yard just 10 minutes east on 31st Street.
Event-Day Closures & Traffic
On game days and major stadium concert nights, Chicago traffic control closes portions of 35th Street between Wentworth Avenue and Shields Avenue to regular through-traffic shortly before the gates open and immediately after the final out. The Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/I-94) experiences heavy slowdowns around the 31st and 35th Street ramps during weekday 6:40 p.m. games. Give your group at least 60 to 90 minutes of buffer time so you have plenty of time to grill and relax in Lot B before the national anthem!
Notre Dame Stadium (Home of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football)
For easy college football Saturdays, book a long-distance charter bus in Hammond for the 75-mile ride east to Notre Dame Stadium at 2010 Moose Krause Cir, Notre Dame, IN 46556! Instead of driving back to Lake County tired after a four-hour game, your alumni club, student group, or family reunion can relax in reclining seats with onboard WiFi, TVs, and a restroom. Because you’re booking through one of the largest networks of bus companies in Indiana, you can reserve a compact 18-passenger minibus or a fleet of 56-passenger motorcoaches in one quick search. Don’t forget that Hammond is on Central Time while South Bend is on Eastern Time, so your driver and our confirmation department will help you plan for the one-hour time change!
Major Roadways to Notre Dame Stadium
Leaving Hammond, your charter bus will hop directly onto the I-90 East (Indiana Toll Road) for a straight shot across Northern Indiana to Exit 77 in South Bend. As an alternative toll-free route, your driver can take I-80/I-94 East to U.S. Route 20 East or U.S. Route 31 North straight into the South Bend / Mishawaka corridor. From Exit 77 on the Toll Road, buses follow designated football traffic signage along U.S. 933 South, Angela Boulevard, or Douglas Road to access the northern and southern campus perimeters. Expect heavy inbound volume at the Toll Road Exit 77 toll plaza starting four hours before kickoff.
Charter Bus Drop-Off & Pickup at Notre Dame Stadium
Charter buses that are parking on campus load and unload passengers directly inside the assigned bus lot so your whole group knows exactly where to return after the game. For groups doing drop-off only without staying in the campus bus lot, designated unloading takes place along the Bookstore Basketball Courts / Courtney Lane loop off Twyckenham Drive or at the assigned perimeter drop-off zone directed by Notre Dame Security Police. Make sure everyone exchanges cell numbers and meets back at the bus 30 to 45 minutes after the Alma Mater song concludes.
Charter Bus Parking & Waiting at Notre Dame Stadium
On football Saturdays, oversized charter buses and motorcoaches park in the designated Burke North Bus Lot (located north of Angela Boulevard off Dorsey Street / U.S. 933) or in overflow bus staging areas along Douglas Road, depending on the game’s pass assignment. You must purchase a charter bus parking pass in advance through the Notre Dame Football Game Day parking portal, as day-of bus passes are significantly more expensive or sold out for marquee matchups. Tailgating right around your charter bus is a beloved South Bend tradition, and full-size coaches have plenty of under-floor bay space for tents, folding chairs, and coolers! For non-football campus visits or basketball games at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, buses typically use the Joyce Lot / Compton Family Ice Arena oversized stalls off Twyckenham Drive.
Event-Day Closures & Traffic
On game days, campus streets including Holy Cross Drive, Moose Krause Circle, and sections of Twyckenham Drive and Edison Road convert to permit-only access or one-way contraflow patterns after the game. Plan to depart Hammond at least four to five hours before kickoff (factoring in the one-hour loss jumping from Central to Eastern Time!) to enjoy a full afternoon of tailgating under the Golden Dome.
Quick Tips for Hammond, Indiana Game-Day Charter Bus Groups
Get a head start on game day by reserving your stadium bus parking pass as soon as you lock in your tickets, packing clear stadium-approved bags, and keeping your group together in a single text thread so you never exceed 3- to 5-minute curbside idling limits! Whether you need a 15-passenger minibus, a sprinter van with a driver, or several 56-passenger coaches for a big booster club trip, the confirmation team will call you after you book online to verify every highway route, time-zone shift, and stadium gate drop-off.