Ultimate Guide to United States Observatories
June 14, 2022
Get ready for a road trip unlike any other! We’ve put together a list of observatories across the United States and along the infamous Route 66 for you to visit. Whether you’re visiting a local observatory in your city or enjoying the open road this summer, make a celestial stop along the way.
Route 66 - Chicago, IL to Santa Monica, CA
The legendary Route 66 is one of the original highways in the U.S. Highway System and a quintessential American adventure. The route is dotted with infamous tourist attractions and synonymous with pop culture and movies. What many people don’t consider is that much of Route 66 is positioned under some of the United States’ most pristine dark skies. Now, you can add observatories to your Route 66 itinerary. Celestron followed the path and located these observatories along the way. See the list below:
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Chicago, IL St. Louis, MO Baxter Springs, KS - PSU-Greenbush Astrophysical Observatory Tulsa, OK - Astronomy Club of Tulsa Observatory Oklahoma City, OK - Univ. of Oklahoma Observatory Albuquerque, NM |
Holbrook, AZ - Apache-Sitgreaves Observatory Flagstaff, AZ Amboy, CA - Sky’s The Limit Observatory and Nature Center San Bernardino, CA - N. A. Richardson Observatory Los Angeles, CA |
Observatories to Visit by State
There are 350+ professional observatories operating telescopes for research in the United States. Below, we've compiled a list of observatories in each US state that offer public tours or visitor information.
Univ. North Alabama Observatory (Florence)
No public observatories found
Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (Mt. Hopkin)
Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium (Tucson)
Kitt Peak National Observatory (Kitt Peak)
Lowell Observatory (Flagstaff)
Mount Graham International Observatory (Safford)
Mount Lemmon SkyCenter (Mt. Lemmon)
No public observatories found
Chabot Observatory & Science Center (Oakland)
Chico Community Observatory (Chico)
Lick Observatory (San Jose)
Fremont Peak Observatory (San Juan Bautista)
Griffith Observatory (Los Angeles)
Hat Creek Radio Observatory (Hat Creek)
Mount Wilson Observatory (Mount Wilson)
Palomar Observatory (Palomar Mountain)
Robert Ferguson Observatory (Kenwood)
Sky’s The Limit Observatory and Nature Center (Amboy)
Sommers-Vausch Observatory (Boulder)
Chamberlin Observatory (Denver)
Bowman Observatory (Greenwich)
Leitner Family Observatory (New Haven)
VanVleck Observatory (Middletown)
Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory (Greenville)
Robinson Observatory (Orlando)
Bradley Observatory (Decatur)
Hard Labor Creek Observatory (Rutledge)
North Georgia College Observatory (Dahlonega)
Ralph L. Buice Jr. Observatory (Atlanta)
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (Mauna Kea)
Gemini North Observatory (Mauna Kea)
W.M. Keck Observatory (Mauna Kea)
Centennial Observatory (Twin Falls)
Bruneau Dunes Observatory (Boise)
Dearborn Observatory (Evanston)
Ball State Univ. Observatory (Muncie)
Goethe Link Observatory (Muncie)
Holcomb Observatory (Indianapolis)
Kirkwood Observatory (Bloomington)
Ashton Observatory (Des Moines)
Drake Municpal Observatory (Des Moines)
Banner Creek Observatory (Holton)
Crane Observatory (Topeka)
Lake Afton Public Observatory (Wichita)
Powell Observatory (Louisburg)
PSU-Greenbush Astrophysical Observatory (Girard)
No public observatories found
Highland Road Park Observatory (Baton Rouge)
Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Livingston Observatory (Livingston)
Starfield Observatory (Kennebunk)
Stephens Observatory (Lewiston)
Maryland Space Grant Observatory (Baltimore)
Univ. of Marylance Observatory (College Park)
Judson B. Coit Memorial Observatory (Boston)
Orchard Hill Observatory (Amherst)
Wilder Observatory (Amherst)
Detroit Observatory (Ann Arbor)
Fox Park Public Observatory (Potterville)
Joseph. H. Rogers Observatory (Traverse City)
Sherzer Observatory (Ypsilanti)
Headlands Int Dark Sky Park (Ypsilanti)
Cherry Grove Observatory (Kenyon)
Goodsell Observatory (Northfield)
No public observatories found
Baker Observatory (Marshfield)
Morrison Observatory (Fayette)
Blue Mountain Observatory (Blue Mountain)
Branched Oak Observatory (Raymond)
Hyde Memorial Observatory (Lincoln)
Sachtleben Observatory (Hastings)
No public observatories found
Shattuck Observatory (Hanover)
Univ. New Hampshire Observatory (Durham)
William Miller Sperry Observatory (Cranford)
No public observatories found
C.E. Kenneth Mees Observatory (Naples)
Custer Observatory (Southold)
Hirsch Observatory (Troy)
Kopernik Observatory (Vestal)
Martz Observatory (Frewsburg)
RIT Observatory (Henrietta)
Vassar College Observatory (Poughkeepsie)
Dark Sky Observatory (Boone)
Lucile Miller Observatory (Maiden)
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (Balsam Grove)
Three College Observatory (Graham)
Willis Observatory (Bakersville)
No public observatories found
Cincinnati Observatory (Cincinnati)
Ritter Observatory (Toledo)
Schoonover Observatory (Lima)
Univ. of Oklahoma Observatory (Norman)
Haggart Observatory (Oregon City)
Oregon Observatory at Sunriver (Sunriver)
Pine Mountain Observatory (Bend)
Bradstreet Observatory (St. Davids)
Naylor Observatory (Lewisberry)
Thomas G. Cupillari Observatory (La Plume)
Widener Univ. Observatory (Chester)
Strawbridge Observatory (Haverford)
Frosty Drew Observatory (Charlestown)
Margaret M Jacoby Observatory (Warwick)
Seagrave Memorial Observatory (N. Scituate)
Ladd Observatory (Providence)
Carles E. Daniel Observatory (Greenville)
Melton Memorial Observatory (Columbia)
Badlands Observatory (Quinn)
Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory (Brentwood)
Clarence T Jones Observatory (Chattanooga)
George Observatory (Needville)
McDonald Observatory (Fort Davis)
Stephen F. Austin Observatory (Nacogdoches)
South Physics Observatory (Salt Lake City)
No public observatories found
Keeble Observatory (Ashland)
Leander McCormick Observatory (Charlottesville)
Goldendale Observatory (Goldendale)
Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Handford Observatory (Benton)
Theodor Jacobsen Observatory (Seattle)
Green Bank Interferometer (Green Bank)
Morgan County Observatory (Berkeley Springs)
Hobbs Observatory (Fall Creek)
Modine-Benstead Observatory (Union Grove)
Washburn Observatory (Madison)
Yerkes Observatory (Williams Bay)
Wyoming Infrared Observatory (Laramie)
