Photos by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.86
Mohegan Sun Arena 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd Uncasville, CT 06382
Year Opened: 2001 Capacity: 10,000
The Sun Also Rises
The WNBA Draft Class of 2024 has spearheaded an unprecedented increase in attention for the women’s professional game. But even before this, there were areas of the country that could have truly been called women’s basketball hotbeds. Back in 2003, the league took advantage of the rabid following for the UConn Huskies women’s team and moved the Orlando Miracle to the Nutmeg State.
The franchise, which was unsuccessful in Florida, was purchased by the Mohegan tribe and moved to their casino, Mohegan Sun, located in Uncasville, Connecticut. The team’s nickname is derived from its affiliation with the casino, and its logo is an interpretation of an ancient Mohegan tribal symbol. At the time of their debut, the Sun was the first professional sports franchise to be owned by Native Americans.
The Sun has qualified for the WNBA playoffs in 15 of their 21 seasons in Connecticut. They have made the league finals on four occasions, most recently in 2022. The Sun has yet to win the WNBA championship.
Food & Beverage 4
At a place like Mohegan Sun Arena, where there are several world-class dining options just steps from the entrance, it would stand to reason that the concession options inside the arena wouldn’t try to outshine these options. And that is certainly the case at a Sun game. While the concession menus do have highlights, they do not stray far from arena basics.
Stands line the inner edge of the concourse as well as the atriums on either side of the facility. In a departure from the norm, assorted subs and wraps highlight the menus at most stands. Arena standards such as hot dogs and nachos round out the selections, along with an impressive selection of snacks.
The highlight of the Mohegan Sun Arena concessions experience can be found at the Frank Pepe pizza stand. Easily the most popular item sold here, individual slices or entire pizzas can be purchased. Unfortunately for apizza connoisseurs, the slices here are a pale imitation of those found at the original restaurant in New Haven. They are still quite tasty, though.
Coca-Cola products are featured at Mohegan Sun Arena, offered in both bottles and fountain cups. There is a Roadies’ Taphouse located in both arena atriums, with an extensive beer list to choose from. Local beers, craft beers, and canned cocktails give patrons plenty of quality choices.
Atmosphere 4
The Sun does its best to put on a family-friendly game day experience in a location that may not be considered family-friendly. As you enter the arena, you are likely to be greeted by Blaze, the team’s fuzzy orange mascot, who spends the beginning of its evening interacting with fans. Members of the Sun’s dance squad, Solar Power, also greet fans at the entrances.
Local organizations line the concourse running raffles and offering giveaways. Feel free to sign up for contests and pick up a free roster sheet while you circle the concourse. The interior of the arena has been designed to mimic the overall aesthetic of the casino and evoke the look of the local forest.
As you enter the seating bowl, you’ll notice the scoreboard. While it’s got a crystal-clear picture and is put to good use with hype videos, replays, and promotions, it’s tiny by today’s standards. On either end of the seating bowl are additional video boards that display basic game stats.
The Sun staff do their best to keep everyone entertained during their visit to Uncasville. From pyrotechnics during player introductions to music played during the action to the presence of dance teams and an emcee who doesn’t stop exhorting the fans to make noise all night long, there’s plenty to see and do. Throw in fan contests during play stoppages, t-shirt tosses, and other giveaways, it’s almost sensory overload at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Neighborhood 5
Eastern Connecticut is an area full of small towns and wooded countryside removed from the urban areas of southern New England. Still, Mohegan Sun Casino is centrally located within the region and is located roughly an hour from Providence, Worcester, Hartford, and New Haven. Neighboring Foxwoods Casino is just over 10 miles to the east.
Mohegan Sun is one of the largest casinos in the United States, with over 364,000 square feet of gaming space. For fans who come to Sun games and do not want to gamble, the casino also contains theaters, nightclubs, 44 different restaurants with enough variety to satisfy any appetite, and 130,000 square feet of retail space, all located just steps from the arena’s front entrance.
While the casino may not be your traditional neighborhood, the number and variety of entertainment choices available before or after a Sun game are impressive. More information about Mohegan Sun’s dining, entertainment and lodging options can be found here.
Fans visiting the area during the summer months of the WNBA season may wish to visit nearby Mystic, a seaside town and tourist attraction known for its historic seaport, maritime museum, preserved sailing ships, and aquarium. It's a popular destination for travelers in the area.
Fans 3
Throughout much of their existence, the Sun ranked in the top half of the WNBA’s attendance rankings. For the 2024 season, the Sun has dropped to 9th place in the league, with an average attendance of about 7,500 fans per game. Attendance is up almost 1,200 fans per game, with Mohegan Sun Arena filled to 80% capacity. These facts speak to the quantum leaps that the WNBA has experienced in support this year.
Even though the Sun play in a casino, where you wouldn’t figure to see a whole lot of younger fans, you will find a good mix of families here at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Sun’s staff do their best to create a family-friendly atmosphere, and their efforts show in the stands. Given the location of the arena in a casino, the crowd does tend to skew older than in other venues. This also may be due to the casino’s location in a less-populated area.
Access 5
Mohegan Sun Casino is located just off Interstate 395, which runs north-south through eastern Connecticut. Interstate 95, which runs east-west parallel to the Connecticut shoreline, is just a few miles away. Route 2A (Exit 9) off of I-395 will deposit fans right at the Casino.
There are several free parking garages surrounding the casino, none of which are more than a 10-minute walk to the arena entrance. If you can resist the bells and lights of the casino floor, you will be at the game in no time.
Once inside the arena, fans will enter into a clean, attractive concourse that is more than large enough to handle a typical Sun crowd. Lines for concessions move quickly, except at halftime. Likewise, restrooms are clean and more than large enough to handle a typical Sun crowd.
The steeply-pitched seating area is octagonal and separated into upper and lower levels. All seats are individual padded stadium seats, colored maroon on the lower level and blue on the upper. The arena is designed to accommodate several different types of events, and for basketball, the view from all seats is excellent.
Return on Investment 3
Ticket prices to Sun games fluctuate wildly, depending on the day of the game and the opponent. Weekday game tickets start at $25 and top out at $110 for center court seats. A scan of ticket prices for a late-season Friday night game against the defending champion Aces show prices more than doubled for this contest. The Sun offers deals and giveaways for games throughout the season. Follow the team’s social media pages and check in on the Sun website for flash sales and other deals.
Parking is free in the garages that surround the casino. Concessions at the arena are priced similarly to other venues in the area.
If you can resist the siren call of the gaming floor, you will find your visit to Mohegan Sun Arena to be the most affordable evening of entertainment. Who knows, you may even end up leaving the place with more money than you had upon arrival!
Extras 3
An extra point is awarded for the overall visual appeal of the Mohegan Sun Arena. The facility was designed to evoke the surrounding forests of eastern Connecticut and to fit in with the overall style of the casino. The muted colors and Native American decor are not often seen at a sporting facility and make for a very visually pleasing venue. Just outside the entrance to the arena visitors will find an indoor waterfall, as well as several mechanical wolves atop faux stone towers. These wolves will sit back, wag their tails, and howl from time to time.
Just outside the Arena is a Walk of Fame which honors some of the bigger acts to have played at the arena. Also, just steps from the arena entrance is the Wolf Den, where up-and-coming artists, as well as some well-known names, play free concerts. Acts as diverse as Herman’s Hermits, Maxi Priest, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Los Lonely Boys, and Buck Cherry have played free shows in this intimate, 300-seat setting.
Hanging from the rafters at the Mohegan Sun Arena are several banners, honoring the team's conference championships, Billy Joel's ten consecutive sellouts at the facility, and the “Fight of the Century” between Mickey Ward and Arturo Gatti, which took place here on May 28, 2002. Other banners contain several Sun retired numbers and commemorate Mohegan Sun Arena’s “Venue of the Year” awards.
Final Thoughts
While a casino in the woods of eastern Connecticut may not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking of where to bring the family for an evening of sporting fun, the Mohegan Sun Arena is an excellent facility. There is something for everyone at Mohegan Sun, even the younger fans. And if some adult entertainment is what you are looking for, the options located just steps from the arena's front door are numerous and outstanding.
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