Community invited to tour JPJ Arena

Photos by Dan Addison

When: July 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. What: Open house at the John Paul Jones Arena

After 34 months of construction, the general public will get its first opportunity to tour the John Paul Jones Arena from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 22.

The $129.8 million arena, which will host a variety of events, from concerts by the Dave Matthews Band, Kenny Chesney and Eric Clapton to performances by Cirque Du Soleil and Disney on Ice, is also the home of the University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams.

“There will be self-guided tours, games for the kids, giveaways and the concession stands will be open,” said Larry W. Wilson, general manager of the arena. “The box office will be open for the first time, so people can buy tickets for events.”

The tours will allow local residents to explore the arena, including the athletes’ area, the main playing floor and the luxury boxes. There will be signs posted around the arena explaining different aspects of its operations, and Wilson said there will be arena employees on hand to answer questions.

“We want people to get comfortable with it,” Wilson said. “This is a whole education process. People who attended events in University Hall knew where everything was.”

Wilson said this will be the only open house held at the arena, which hosts its first show, Cirque Du Soleil, on Aug. 1.

For more information about the arena or the coming season, visit http://www.johnpauljonesarena.com/index.asp.