UT McDonald Observatory Review

Nice visit only downside was clouds for our star party, so we didn't really get to stargaze.

Cool place, sone exhibits need some love. Center at the large telescope is very cool.

Not that spectacular if you go without a tour guide.

We had cloud cover for the star party but the staff never gave up on finding stars/planets and had a plan a B for us on top of giving everyone a choice of a refund or a reschedule. Great time cant wait to come back

Kind of a let down through the self-guided tour. Nothing really outstanding to view. The video in one of the areas needs to be updated as well as the TV that has the burn-in.

An awesome and educational experience where you can see how big the universe is.

#1-your GPS cannot find this address; Just head to Ft. Davis and follow the signs. We attended three separate events in one day here - a presentation and tour, the twilight event and a "star party" that didn't begin until 9:30 pm. The twilight event that started at 7:45 pm was informative, but what we really enjoyed was the 2pm tour (awesome to hear about, then see these huge telescopes, including the 3rd largest in the world). The late night "star party" was amazing - perfect conditions for star gazing with the naked eye and with a variety of telescopes. You can't see stars like this if you live in a city. Great experience.

I've lived in Texas my whole life and always wanted to make this trip to Fort Davis, but never got around to it. Shame on me!! I remember in my youth, before all the light pollution (yes, I'm a fossil ), being able to just walk out the door and see the night sky that I saw last night. It was a clear, crisp night, and the moon would not rise until long after we left the observatory, so there were stars aplenty to see. The telescopes set up for viewing only brought into view, literally, billions more stars we could not see with the naked eye. We were able to see both Venus and Uranus, and to say the least, I was completely geeked out. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to share their knowledge. They clearly love what they do. It was my first visit...but it won't be my last!

This place is wonderful! We participated in the solar viewing, tour, twighlight party, and star party. We were able to go out to two of the large telescopes for the tour and actually watch the 107in move along with its dome move! You get a lot of information during the solar viewing and the twighlight party, the instructors are so knowledgeable! The star party is definitely the one you must go to! Getting to see all the stars in the sky and then looking through the small telescopes to see the objects in the sky closer is worth driving out there!

This place is unbelievable. Way out in the middle of the desert. It is so dark and the stars are so bright.

Gray place for enjoying the sky and learning about the universe

Great place with friendly staff. The indoor exhibits are a little dated and broken. The programs the staff did even during a cloudy night was amazing.

You have never been to a bigger small observatory. The time I went they were having a star party. What I did not know was that is was sold out, the skies were cloudy, and we were in for a hell of a thunderstorm. Even though we didn t get to use the telescopes they put on a outside light show. Then the clouds gave us the best lighting storm I ve seen in a while.

Most amazing trip to an observatory you could ever wish for. I learned so much. We are from the city, so we forgot just how beautiful the Dark sky is at night. They would point out the constellations with a Lazer pointer , it looked like it was reaching the stars. This was the first time I could really see the stars they we're talking about.
Terrific place to take the kids, Grandma too. Worth the drive!!!
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I went to the star party. I learned all about the constellations and was able to view galaxies through multiple telescopes. Good for older children and not interactive enough for toddlers from what I experienced.

I highly recommend planning your trip in advance. On 3 nights a week they have a Star party. This is where they set out a dozen or so telescopes, all pointed at a different spectacle of the solar system and night sky. Each of these telescopes has a knowledgeable person there that can answer questions, and explain what you will see.

Last year we were able to watch Venus as it went down towards the horizon, as it went down towards the horizon thru the thicker layers of atmosphere it started giving off multiple colors that resembled a rainbow. It was awesome, definitely worth the trip!

This is a must visit while you are in marfa or Alpine

Did the star gazing party. It was a little cold and very windy, but still a great time!

Very cool visitor center. If you get the chance stay for the evening presentation and star party.

I've been to the observatory twice. The first time was for a star party and that was an awesome experience. I then went for a special viewing on the 36" telescope. Its such a great place to see the stars that I can't wait for some other of the special viewing nights on the larger telescopes to open up.

We enjoyed our time at the McDonald observatory! The staff is knowledgeable and it evident that they are truly passionate about space and sharing their love for astronomy. I would highly recommend visiting if you are in the Davis Mountains!

We went to the Solar discussion and tour of the observatories. All were excellent!

This place is a must go and do kind of thing. You will never see stars and what's in our Galaxy and beyond like you do at this place. Highly recommended.

Visited the observatory for their Star Party. Best $12 I ve ever spent. Can t wait to return.

Great programs and tour guides, unfortunately, it rained for our Star Party. If you don't participate in any of the exhibits for the Star Party, could can get a refund or reschedule your Star Party

The staff is really nice and the tours are very informative and helpful. Wonderful place showcasing how far our research and ability to learn about the universe has come.

Great place to learn about the stars and get a great view at the night sky unobstructed by bright city lights. Beautiful scenic drive in route to the observatory. Would definitely return.

We attended the star-gazing party. This was a preplanned experience that we d been looking forward to. We asked in advance if we could bring our low profile lawn chairs and were given an enthusiastic of course! We were the first to arrive and greeted by the speaker. She told us where to sit and we pointed out we brought our own chairs. Her attitude immediately changed and she told us to sit in the back against the wall which we did. It turns out half of the program was behind us and we couldn t see it because the wall blocked the view. I hope the attitude of the person running the show that night was an isolated experience but we won t be returning.

Not allowed past parking lot past dark to keep skies dark

We did the Twilight Program (which was much better than expected) and the Star Party, and daytime Solar Tour. The Twilight Program was more of a classroom-type educational program, which was good for kids all the way to adults. The Solar Tour consisted mostly of a tour of the telescope facilities, and was a little underwhelming. The star party was great; we had overcast weather come through midway through the evening which caused us to have to go inside and enjoy more classroom-type programs, which were still very enjoyable. All the staff were very helpful and made our visit great.

Love their tours and their sun presentation! Very fascinating! Their star parties are very fun as well. Incredible detail in the numerous telescopes scattered around the star party area. Just make sure you bring a couple layers of clothes if you're attending during the winter, but the views are worth it. Make sure you get to look around the observatory as well during the day, as the views from atop the mountain are the most gorgeous in all of Texas!

Also brought my own telescope and stayed in the parking lot until stupid early in the morning to look at stars. Jealous of the night sky McDonald gets to have. If you're in the Ft Davis area, you are basically required to come here and have them learn you some stuff!!

Call ahead, bring a paper map, cell reception spotty. Amazing place and people a must see.

The most incredible experience. Make time to see for yourself, it's well worth the trip.

The people in charge we friendly. They even gave me a ride back to town

You can only see it from the parking lot right now but it's still kind of cool. Would be a lot better if you could go up to the main site.

I had a great time here. You have to book early or you will not get a ticket. you can order them online. we did everything, and really enjoyed the tours. While there is a free self guided tour the paid tour takes you in a few places you cannot see without the guide.loved the star party, even though it was cloudy the crew did a great job finding objects for us to see and observe. great for family and kids. I only wish i could have seen more and stayed longer

Amazing place. Have visited this place a few times already for their Star Party, and it doesn't stop to amaze me.

There was no moon and it was so dark I could not see anything outside even in the parking lot. I had to use a light to even see the ground or my hand in front of my face. I happened to take may camera and took one of my first star pictures. The sky was beautiful. Inside there are lots of neat things to see to unfortunately most of it was closed so I couldnt see it.

Great value. Very informative and interesting. Loved the star party.

The tours and lectures were great and very informative. The Star Party was wonderful. It is windy and cold, so dress appropriately.

Tours fill up quickly during summer many of the exhibits were broken or missing pieces.

This is such a great and friendly place. The events may sell out, that is no reason not to stay a while and look at the stars or bring you own telescope or binoculars. The more quality questions you ask the better the interactive is for everyone.

Awesome experiance! I highly recommend the Star Party events.

We drove all the way from Houston, this place is truly worth visiting. Went for star party and saw galaxies and stars like M15, M37, Nebula, Uranus, Andromeda - M31, Double cluster and orion - M42.

Awesome educational place! Try to make it to one of the daytime solar viewings. Its only $9 and you'll learn and see so much! Thank you Mrs. Judy for a wonderful tour!

An awesome experience in star gazing!! Everyone should do it at least once in their lives!!

the Start Party is a must-do. even to the point you plan your trip to make sure you can join it. family friendly, wheelchair accessible, extremely well-versed guide and friendly staffers ready to walk you through the night sky.

Very peaceful & & the visitor center is very kid friendly.

Amazing night, complete with an unannounced flyby of the International Space Station.

meh - beautifully scenic drive to the observatory, nice facility, but you HAVE to have reservations to the events and you really really need to time your arrival accordingly. We didn't have reservations but we walked around and looked at some exhibits. There is an onsite eatery - we didn't eat there so no idea of cost. I think we'd of enjoyed it more if we'd actually known there was nothing to 'do' outside of the events so we would have planned on attending one! We really enjoyed the drive though :)

If you can, get up there and see this place. The layout is very nice, their customer service people can help you out with anything you need and the landscape is wonderful.

One of the best experiences of my life. The star party was informative and introspective. I have never seen the sky clearer ever. This was an experience I hope happens again.

Arrived for the star party, our speaker was ok. You could tell that he had done his speech a thousand times and really did not make the effort to make it a memorable experience for the family. I as well understand that fees need to be charged in order to operate the facility. However I felt as if I needed a co signer to take out a small loan in order to complete half the projects offered.

Star party was amazing! Definitely order your tickets online as early as possible, they sell out. The people were very friendly, entertaining, and always willing to answer questions. Long lines to look through the telescopes, but worth it. Beautiful scenic drive up as well. On the way to do the sun viewing!

While I was driving between Las Cruces and Fort Stockton, I decided to stop in and visit the McDonald Observatory, and, even though it was a considerable detour, I am glad I did. The visitor center is clean, quiet, and best of all, it's completely free. There's a small cafe, theatre, gift shop, and exhibit area, all which are staffed by very nice and knowledgeable people. The exhibits are fun, informative, and interactive so no matter what age a person is, they will get something from visiting this place. If you are a lover of science, astronomy, or just thirsting for knowledge, don't skip out on stopping in. It's very much worth the time.

I would highly recommend it especially the star party but make sure you make reservations in advance

Educational informative and really a wonderful program. Scenery is gorgeous on the drive up and from the Visitor center, which is smaller but top notch. Staff was amazing. We even saw several Javelina at night before leaving next to the parking lot. My teens all asked if we can return again in the future --- that's a win for me. Especially for a place where none of them had cell service !!

Super friendly people there, I've been there several times in the last few years and they never disappoint! There is always some interesting activity going on there. The parking is fantastic. I've done both the guided tour and the self tour. It's a great place to visit if you are on a budget because the self tour is 100% free and they don't make you feel like a cheapo if you decide to go that route.

Incredible experience. We attended the star party - as you sit in the outdoor amphitheater, you see more and more stars. I lived in a relatively remote area, and we didnt see this much of the galaxy. The narrator pointed out so many fascinating things; then you are directed to telescopes to see up close. Fascinating as well as were the exhibits inside. The coordination of the program and the rules were well set out. Started with the facts most folks want to know then continued to details for the enthusiast. Lots of families and young couples there as well as us old folks. Lodging nearby at state parks and in Fort Davis. Elevation high and it is cold as you are sitting. We brought a blanket to sit and wrap, and glad we did. So glad we made the out of the way trip to visit here.

This is a really cool place to visit. Unfortunately there were clouds so I wasn t able to see any stars at the star party. Everyone is really nice though and everyone is super knowledgeable. This place is in the middle of nowhere haha

It was awesome!!! Very educational saw Saturn and it's rings!!

Awesome place to visit. If you are in the area you must stop by for a visit.

First time going an awesome view really recommend to anyone

We have been here several times through the past year it s has beautiful views during the day and the Dark Skies or Full Moon star parties are a must for any bucket list.

A favorite remote destination. The Star Party is a must do. It hasn't disappointed and the after telescope viewing of different objects is fascinating.

Seeing Saturn through their telescope is an awesome experience

Not a good day for greeters at Visitor's Center! Not friendly staff there or workers that we met on the grounds. Too bad! It is a beautiful area.

Good drive from Alpine Texas even tho it was closed due to Covid it was still a beautiful drive. Maybe next time we will get to go inside.

I was very surprised how much the kids and I enjoyed this place. The tour was a total overload of information but getting to see the telescopes moving and see up close was over the top. Totally would do the tour several more times just to absorb more. The guide was so knowledgeable and reminded me of Captain Picard of Star Trek next Generation