Parking Tips

Parking in Downtown Wheaton Can Be a Nightmare. Seriously.

Hooray! You made it to downtown Wheaton, and you still have 2 minutes left before the show starts. Guess what? You are now 9 minutes late to the show.

You are a hunter. Your prey is a parking spot. Street parking is rare at night on a weekend. The spaces are scattered across a series of charming-but-labyrinthine one way streets, all hugging the Union Pacific West Line: our nation’s BUSIEST RAIL LINE. Did you know the Union Pacific West line is one of the busiest train lines for freight and commuter rail in the entire United States? Did you? What does that mean? It means the rail arms go down every 15 minutes.

YOU DID NOT DRIVE TO A LUXURIOUS STRIP MALL WHERE THE SPACES FLOW LIKE MILK AND HONEY. YOU ARE IN A HISTORIC CHICAGOLAND RAILWAY TOWN.

Tips for Successful Parking in Wheaton

Budget an 15 extra minutes to find a parking space.

Use the parking garages. They contain leased spots (not you) as well as free-to-the-public spots (you): 1. Wheaton Place Parking Garage (2-3 minute walk) 2. Cross Street Parking Garage (5 minute walk)

Take the first space you see. Wheaton is small. You can walk it in 5 minutes. The only way you get burned is by circling around the block a few times like a dummy. Don’t circle around the block a few times like a dummy. If you see something, say something…like “let’s park here!”


Official Guide: The City of Wheaton has a website which lists some parking options, and we actually do recommend following them.

Don’t Do These Things

Don’t turn onto Main Street. Ever. Avoid Main Street Wheaton. It is a wretched street with many lights. You will want to cross the tracks on Cross St, Hale St, or Wheaton Ave. Pro Tip.

Don’t expect a spot in front of our theater off of Front Street. It won’t happen. Imagine that the world doesn’t owe you a spot on Front Street. Imagine that you are not the President. Then adjust your expectations accordingly and use a parking garage. (see Tips for Successful Parking in Wheaton)