Inside, there is a small movie theater where we watched a short film in French (with English subtitles thankfully) about how the city of Nemausus (The original name of the city of Nimes) came to be. In summary, a warrior from the southern tribes of Gaul joined Julius Caesar to lead a group of 500 men against the northern tribes hoping they would receive allegiance from the Romans. After 25 years in battle, he was rewarded richly, and allowed to return home and build Nimes to be modeled after the finest Roman cities.
As part of the movie, they also showed the Arenes (the Arena), where the gladiator fights were held. Which was perfect since that was going to be our next stop.
"Built around 70 AD, it was remodelled in 1863 to serve as a bullring. The Arenas of Nîmes is the site of two annual bullfights during the Feria de Nîmes, and it is also used for other public events."
It was a short walk from Maison Carree to the arena, and it really was a very amazing structure to witness.