Fans streamed onto the Auburn University campus for a peek at the 2010 Tigers during the annual A-Day spring scrimmage.

But some came out of the heat of the sunny spring day and explored the Auburn Arena, the new home of the basketball and gymnastics programs. 

Auburn officials estimate approximately 32,000 toured the new facility Saturday.

The crowd made circuits around the concourse, passing concession stands waiting for cabinets and appliances and puttied walls awaiting final coats of paint and finish. Some ventured out on the the balconies overlooking tailgaters below Jordan-Hare Stadium.

But talk inside was about the seats, which a scattered few sat down to try out.

“There isn’t a bad seat in this place,” Madison resident Gary Jones said.

Two-thirds of the seats are less than 27 feet above courtside, according to Auburn University’s website. The highest is about 43 feet above courtside.

Marion Thomas of Spanish Fort stood at the rail above the seating and the court, still covered with stacks of construction supplies and coated with a dusty film.

“I can’t wait to see a game here,” he said. “It seems like you are right in the action.”

But Jones and other fans will have to wait six months before the action begins. The grand opening is Oct. 15, a date flashing on screens above the floor, and the first games are in November.

In the meantime, crews will finish work in and around the building.

Parts of the floors are still covered with plywood and cardboard, and outside, patches of landscaping remain bare earth.

Construction crews are still working on, among other things, the flooring and collapsible bleachers, as well as the graphics on walls at various levels, said Dan King, assistant vice president for facilities, in an e-mail. Crews must also complete cleaning and punch lists, King said.

The 243,792-square-foot facility has a capacity of 9,600 and cost $85.5 million to build, King said.

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