Biosphere 2 Review

A great place to visit to learn about all the research activities. The tour was really good. You can take as many photos as you wish. The views of the Santa Catalina's are wonderful from there.

To expensive, was not very interesting, could not hear, we (4 of us) felt it was a complete waste of time and money. Nothing like what is on the commercials. Would never go again and when people ask I tell them don't do it. Not worth the drive even if it was free.

Loved everything about this tour. The guide hit on the entire history and also what they are doing for the future. I found it very interesting.

The outside of the building is fantastic, and worth sering just for that. The inside is rather dull. I liked seeing where the biosphere crew lived, but rhat rook about 30 seconds. The most interesting part of the tour was the "lung" which keeps air pressure in the building. The "ocean" was disappointing. They advertise as a family place, but this is not somwrhing that would interest most kids of any age.

I was here 16 years ago and couldn't wait to go back. There is good and bad to going back to a place you loved. The changes always leave you wondering which was better. I will say this is a must see place! There is nothing like it anywhere else on the planet! Well,except the planet itself. That being said...there is so much to see here and the stories are wonderful. What I loved about it 16 years ago and that is lacking now is that the tour groups were smaller and more personal. You got to chat with the guide and ask more questions. The guides also told more personal stories about the original mission and some interesting stories like how they never had ants until it was opened to the public. They also talked about the living quarters and what it was like to live together and the good, bad, and ugly that came of that. They spoke of the problems that they discovered with this experiment. All of this is no longer part of the tour however much of this information is available through other means. Understanding that this is a continuous working laboratory that has had 16 more years of things to talk about, I do understand why they can't fit in all those things anymore. But those things made it feel more personal vs todays version of the tour. The tour these days is still very good but different. They talk a lot about what they are doing today and in the future with Biosphere 2 as well as the back story of the place. I also went below the "ocean" to see the exhibit and I don't remember that part from my last visit. I have to admit this part was very disappointing. There were no staff down there and it was confusing to even find the entrance. The exhibit itself needs a lot of TLC to say the least. It looks like they have it just because it was there, but they just don't care about it anymore. There were parts that the lights didn't even work. Honestly, I thought that if someone got hurt down there they might not be found for days...The only good thing I can say about that section of the Biosphere 2 is that they have bathrooms that are larger so no waiting! However they had no soap in most of the dispensers and no toilet paper in most of the stalls..

As a whole yes go see the Biosphere 2...Explore the parts that the tour doesn't cover anymore but you can still visit. It's still an amazing science experiment and offer's so much on a continuous basis.I definitely recommend reading about the original project.Don't bother with the gift shop it's all tourist junk except for a couple of books. (This is a huge change from years ago! It used to be great!)
It's good for kids about 5 to adults in my opinion. Although, most young children would not be interested and not understand much of the current guided tour. TIP: Check Groupon for discount tickets! I found the best discounts on Groupon.

This place was amazing! The tour was informative and entertaining, highlighting the ongoing relevance of the current experiments for understanding climate change, improving agriculture productivity, etc. It's a lot of walking and stairs, and not all areas appeared handicap accessible.

This place is awesome. Very informative tour. Very well kept grounds. Well worth the stop!

Excellent learning opportunity for young and old alike ! Great place for the whole family ! Very knowledgeable guides too !

The tour is great, maybe a bit too full, go during slow hours! Worth the drive.

Was so amazing and knowledgeable. We learned so much and our tour guide was great

Amazing place for kids to visit. Informative and enjoyable.

While Biosphere 2 is primarily a research facility, it has been opened to the public as an educational facility and museum. Younger children may not enjoy the information heavy tour through the facility, but anyone with a minimal level of scientific knowledge will be greatly benefited from the information they gain during the tour. The tour experience varies based off of the experience of your tour director, but all guides will have their own experience with the Biosphere. I highly recommended visiting Biosphere 2 if you have any amount of interest in environmental sciences.

Had a great tour. Guide explained the significance of the Biosphere 2 and all the hard work was done in the past and is being done today so that we would better understand our planet. Would return again in the future to hear about new experiments

Interesting, but what a useless experiment and the facility is really not as impressive as it looks from outside. It was worth understanding what this whole Biosphere thing was all about. A little pricy as well though, so I'd make sure to hit the Desert Museum, PIMA, and Saguaro as priority compared to this. Now the University is using for more valuable research, but you can't really see that.

Great science for public consumption. Worth the price and drive.

Research center for life experiences on non-Earth planets.

Real science going on there. I grew up knowing what happened in the first mission, lots of drama and not a lot of science. Today not so, real science and engineering and best of all very little climate change propaganda. Well worth the drive and the cost of admission. Thank you University of Arizona and Biosphere 2.

I loved every minute of this tour!! The location is beautiful; gorgeous views of the mountains. We did the history tour and under the glass tour. You are able to walk around after the tours and read though the information. I think everyone should go!!

Excellent, very educational and excellent treatment

Wonderful place to go. Very educational without being boring.

if you are into science or not, this is a very great place to visit in Tuscon. it's a guided 1 hour educational tour through the biosphere. the tour guide was very knowledgeable and funny too! loved every minute of this tour! this is a must if you are visiting Tuscon!

The rainforest isnt open until january :-( it was really cool though. Very informative.

Tour used to be a lot more interesting before the university owned it. Now it's yet another 75min environmental whining session that we've all heard a million times before, and that we can get any time we want on TV, mixed with descriptions of student projects geared to the understanding level of a dull 12 year old. Was a lot more interesting when they discussed the place you came to visit.

How interesting! What a wonderful world we live in!

Definitely a must for science people. Not for small children.

Visiting Biosphere 2 was very educational. The tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the programs happening at the facility.

Spectacular place to see how the habitat could become in nearby worlds once the colonization of space begins.

We took a great tour of Biosphere 2. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable on the current study's going on. The tour was about an hour long and held our interest throughout the duration of the tour. I especially liked the aquaponic garden they had set up in the Biosphere. It will be nice if they ever get there energy on solar power and hydro electric power.

It was interesting to see, as a historical reference and a bit of a technological reference. If you expect a botanical gardens, you may be disappointed. It does speak to how difficult it is to have a closed environment.

Very fun spot for the family. Wish I would have planned on doing the history tour as well. Parents beware, the main tour isnt wheelchair or stroller accessible. Lots of fun stories and good info. I'll go again.

What an awesome educational experience! To think that 8 people agreed to being literally locked into this grand experiment for 2 years is amazing. The guided tour is exceptional! Highly recommend

Very interesting. Would be a good basis for a video game colony management sim.

Interesting tour and research. Fascinating history, but not particularly spectacular. The most interesting part was the technology behind it!

Very educational and fun!

Be prepared for a lot of steps and walking.

If the Zombie apocalypse happens, this will be my kingdom
This place was great, just absolutely wonderful. I really enjoyed it, but I am a scientist. I am biased, this is a scientists perfect home.

Very interesting place to see. Unique sights and demonstrations coupled with the tour made for a great visit. It's a longer tour (1.5 hr plus additional tours you can choose to add on) so maybe not so great for small kids with short attention spans. But for big kids like me, excellent.

It was something new. ...
We had a nice long tour. ... very informative but not very interesting for me. ...
I had a nice time seeing the place and getting the sum of it. ... love the scenic views of the mountain with a nice fall/autumn weather was great. ...
The place was cleans,lots of attendants around and lots of restroom. ...
the cafe was small and limited items but enough. ...
The architecture was amazing . ... Plus the huge machinery to sustain it was impressive. ... A expensive buildings. ...
It needs more entertainment or interactive things to do. ...
Once is enough to visit it. ...
We had a good time touring the place. ...

An awsome experience. But the coral reefs died in the ocean of the place and they put in oxygen from the outside.

Awesome awesome awesome. Absolutely must see knowledgeable tour guides and just utterly fascinating

Biosphere 2 was really cool! Very informative and our tour guide Taylor was awesome! You can tell she really enjoys what she does.

Very awesome in my opinion, cool thing to do while in the area

Awesome tour into one of the world's coolest and probably most helpful ecological science facility.

Super cool. Super retro too. Needs a minor update tho.

A bit overpriced and the tour was rushed. They should grow marijuana instead..

We took the outside history tour and inside tour. Our guides were very knowledgeable, able to tell us information about the Biosphere 2 and the early years. We would go again.

Nice tour. The person presenting is very informative. The atmospheres are different. The temperatures, humidity, and visual acpects of each area. The big Crystal in the shop is pretty amazing. I touched it for good energy

A unique place to visit. We enjoyed our time here and found it much more interesting and entertaining than we had thought. Would highly recommend.

Nice drive to get here, really cool spot. The only thing I didn't like was the guide. He was very bland and kind of droned on.. it would be nice for someone more enthusiastic to give the tours.. but still we had a blast

So cool....always wanted to visit and finally did!! Can't wait to come back in the future to see the results of their ocean and coral reef projects.

Great if your curious about a major scientific project contributing heavily to Scientific discoveries supporting life on Mars as well as on earth.

Fun and informative experience for the family (especially if your kids are a little older).

It was cool walking thru the different environments!

THE COOLEST MUSEUM YOU WILL EVER GO TO! If you're in the area, don't pass up the opportunity to take a tour here!

Biosphere! The fusion of science and architecture to create a mechanical marvel designed to tackle real world environmental issues. A truly interesting 1.5 hour tour but getting there was the struggle. The experience was a time drain. Long and unnecessary lines and the cafe running out of food by 1pm was a bummer. Keep a MIN of a 1.5 hours free before you get your tour.

Also not a great experience for the physically disabled. Rather few elevators but this is a laboratory and not a museum. I m all about the architecture and this place was cool!

We had the BEST tour guide. His name is Haydon and he was the most animated and enthousiastic tour guide I have ever had (and I do lots of guided tours!) Biosphere 2 is a really interesting place on it's own, but this guy just made it so much better. He is very knowledgable about the facility as well as all of the plants and organisms contained in it and he was over all just a fun time! I definitely recommend visiting Biosphere 2 and if you can get Haydon as your tour guide, you will not be disappointed!

This is a great learning experience. It can be busier on weekends, especially around holidays. This can cause wait times for the tours. We had a very knowledgeable and friendly tour guide and I enjoyed learning about the building s history as well as current research being done by the university of Arizona.

We did the tour for $ 21 and were not thrilled. The people there were really nice, but the information was really uninteresting and it was very little on certain things. We walked through the hall with the sea (the rainforest is closed at the moment) and in the basement. Very little was done about the experiment with the 8 people. Afterwards we should look at the aquarium on our own. (There were also no info and maybe 3 fish to see). It is not worth the visit for the money.

Very interesting information on conservation of our resources

Looking for more interactive material but overall a great day

Truly cool. Tons of scientific information everywhere, but the coolest thing is the lung. Anybody that likes science check it out.