History
Welsh-Ryan Arena seats 8,117 and opened in 1952. It is located away from the main Northwestern University campus and North of Ryan Field. The arena hosted the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four in 1956. It also hosted Northwestern’s home games in the NIT which took place on March 17, 1983, March 16, 1994 and March 21, 1994.

Directions
From the North: Take I-94 to Skokie Blvd/ Route 41 Exit. Exit ramp becomes Skokie Boulevard. Continue south to Lake Avenue (2nd traffic light). Turn left on Lake Avenue and proceed east to Sheridan Road and continue south to the parking lots by Ryan Field.
From the South: Take I-90/94. Where I-90 and I-94 split, take I-94 towards Milwaukee. Follow I-94 to Dempster Street east and proceed east on Dempster Street to Chicago Avenue. Turn left onto Chicago Avenue and proceed north to the parking lots by Ryan Field.
Alternate Route from the South: Take Lake Shore Drive north to Sheridan Road. Continue north on Sheridan Road until you arrive at the Evanston Campus. Proceed to the parking lots by Ryan Field.
From the West/ O'Hare Airport: Take I-55, I-88 or I-90 to I-294. Follow I-294 north to Dempster Street east. Proceed east on Dempster Street to Chicago Avenue. Turn left on Chicago Avenue and proceed to the parking lots by Ryan Field.
Alternate Exit from I-294 and I-94: Take Touhy Avenue east and proceed to McCormick Boulevard. Turn left on McCormick Boulevard and proceed north to Dempster Street. Turn right on Dempster Street and proceed east to Forest Avenue. Turn left on Forest Avenue and proceed to the parking lots by Ryan Field.

Parking
Parking for basketball games costs $10 for men’s basketball games and is free for women’s basketball games. You can park for free for men’s basketball games in the neighborhood south of Ryan Field – turn onto Jackson Ave. from Central St. and park along Jackson Ave., Rosalie St., Lincoln St. or Ashland Ave.

Public Transportation
CTA: Ride the Purple CTA line to the Central Street train station, 2 blocks east of Ryan Field.
Metra: The Central Street Metra Station is also conveniently located 2 blocks to the west of Ryan Field at 1601 Central Street.

Location of Ticket Scalpers
Ticket scalpers are located along Ashland Ave. from the corner of Central St. and Ashland Ave. to the main box office at Welsh-Ryan Arena.