Mohegan Sun Arena – Connecticut Sun
- Paul Baker
- Jul 28
- 7 min read
Photos by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.71
Mohegan Sun Arena 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd Uncasville, CT 06382
Year Opened: 2001 Capacity: 9,323
The Sun Is Setting in Connecticut
The WNBA has seen an unprecedented increase in attention in recent years. 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 franchise 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, CT. 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 were the first professional sports franchise to be owned by Native Americans.
The Sun have qualified for the WNBA playoffs in 16 of their 22 seasons in Connecticut. They have made the league finals on four occasions, most recently in 2022. The Sun have yet to win the WNBA championship.
At the conclusion of the 2024 season, the Sun traded away or lost via free agency their entire starting lineup, as well as their coach. Reports also surfaced that team ownership was exploring options to sell and relocate the team to a larger market in New England. Visits to Hartford, Providence and Boston were reported. The team currently sits in last place in the WNBA standings.
Food & Beverage 3
At a venue 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 here. 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. Arena standards such as hot dogs and nachos highlight the selections, along with a selection of snacks. Fans looking for something a bit more substantial will find subs and wraps available.
The most popular concession item at Mohegan Sun Arena is undoubtedly the oversized slices of Frank Pepe pizza. 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.
Coca-Cola products are featured at Mohegan Sun Arena, offered in both bottles and fountain cups. Adult beverages are sold at Roadies Taphouse stands in both atriums as well as several concession stands. All stands feature an extensive selection of local beers, craft beers and canned cocktails, giving patrons plenty of quality choices.
Atmosphere 4
The Sun do their 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 esthetic 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 absolutely tiny by today’s standards. On either end of the seating bowl are additional video boards that display 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, night clubs, 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. The Norwich Sea Unicorns of the summer collegiate Futures League play at nearby Dodd Stadium.
Fans 3
Throughout much of their existence, the Sun ranked in the top half of the WNBA’s attendance rankings. Over the past couple of seasons, the Sun have dropped to the lower third of the league in terms of attendance, despite the fact that their attendance continues to rise. Thus far in 2025, the team is drawing over 9,200 fans per game. These numbers 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.
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 are a constant presence at the concession stands throughout the game, particularly at the Frank Pepe pizza stand. 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 in the lower level and blue in the upper. The view from all seats is excellent.
Return on Investment 3
Ticket prices to Sun games fluctuate wildly, depending on the day of game and opponent. Weekday game tickets start at $25 and top out at $110 for center court seats. The Sun offer 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 a very 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 Queensryche, Maxi Priest, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Los Lonely Boys 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 the Mohegan Sun Arena is a fine facility, it seems like the rapid growth of the WNBA has rendered it obsolete. With its smaller capacity, lack of premium amenities and location far from a major city, the Sun have been put up for sale and have been searching for a new home. It seems the Sun is setting on the Mohegan Sun Arena.
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