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Cincinnati Observatory

4.8 (38 reviews)

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Sarah E.

What a gem here in the middle. They are the oldest observatory in the US and the stories the fantastic volunteers told from the building of the first observatory to a visit from Neil Armstrong were entertaining and enlightening. We'll head back for a nighttime viewing event. Bonus: masks required inside Signup for the Sunday tours or night views on their website!

John B.

Great for date night when the sky is clear. Great for learning more about the planets. Just a great time . You will see the world's telescope

1904 Alvan Clark & Sons Refractor telescope
Corey W.

I've been living in Cincinnati my entire life (26 years) and today was the first day I stumbled upon our city's observatory. Inside, John Barnes gave me incredible historical background, telling me about Ormsby M. Mitchel and his efforts to have the observatory built. I never would have known that the Cincinnati Observatory is the oldest conservatory in the United States, and possesses one of the oldest working telescopes in the world. I hope to return soon so that I get to see the 1845 Merz and Mahler telescope, and possibly experience one of the evening programs.

Their newer building holding a larger telescope
Justin B.

Took the family to their Cosmic Friday even that they do periodically. This spot is a hidden gem. Anyone remotely interested in astronomy should check it out... And its all pretty kid friendly as well! We got a quick college level lecture on what's in the sky that you'll be viewing. Ours was all about Jupiter. They also gave a quick history tidbit about the observatory. You'll end up looking through the first telescope commissioned for use in the usa. It's a piece of history which makes the experience that much cooler. We checked out and up close shot of the moon... Saw Jupiter and its 4 major moons.. An iridium flare... And got a glimpse of Saturn and Titan. Recommend highly... For families... Date nights.. Or just a cool random option for anyone while in Cincy!

1843 Merz und Mahler Refractor: the oldest telescope in the WORLD!
Paige M.

Ah, the observatory: geekery's finest combination of science and architectural history. Founded in 1842, the Cincinnati Observatory was one of the nation's first observatories and also houses the oldest telescope in the world. Seeing this telescope in action is amazing. Powered by industrial gears and belts, this gigantic device pivots around the room to catch a glimpse of the sky through the dome roof. Depending on the angle, visitors ascend a large wooden staircase to reach the height of the viewfinder. During my visit, I viewed Jupiter, Uranus, a galaxy, the Orion Nebula, and a red dwarf. While the image through the lens was microscopic to our textbook images of Jupiter, the Great Red Spot was still visible. How cool! Dean Regas was our guide for the evening, and was a blast to talk to. He told vivid stories about constellations, keeping things entertaining while still educating the group. We watched a slideshow prior to checking out the telescope, learning about misconceptions of space including how to prove the Moon Landing was NOT a hoax. (Not that I had any doubt... but it's good knowledge for a debate.) Four full hours of star gazing and stories, and it only costs $6.00 per person. Plus there are history tours and classes to learn about astronomy. The Cincinnati Observatory is definitely a hidden gem in this city. To quote Bill Nye: "SCIENCE RULES!" ----- Fun Fact: Mt. Adams received its namesake from President John Quincy Adams's visit to dedicate the Observatory. Prior to this, the area was called Mt. Ida.

Looking at the 2013 Supermoon through a fellow space-lovers telescope.
Emily R.

I love this place, I have been here for 3 events now and I am never disappointed! This last time I went to see the 2013 Supermoon, I got some really amazing photographs of the Observatory and the telescopes during the sunset, I have never been here when there was sun was out and so was never yet able to photograph the buildings or get really good photos of the scopes. It was a great sight when the Supermoon peaked over the tree tops, and seeing it through another space-lovers telescope's that they brought themselves to share with the crowd was so cool! I also was able to photograph the moon and was to thankful that the clouds of the day had blown away, to be able to capture some great images. I took a photo w my phone, of me photographing the Supermoon, it's in the gallery, if you want to check it out :) They were really organized this time, compared to last time I came to see the Supermoon, they were also selling tickets to see Saturn through the older telescope, and that was really just so amazing! You could even see Titan! I am so glad they were so organized, and look forward to more of these events in the future. While waiting our turn to see Saturn through the telescope, they were offering presentations of software for seeing what is going on in space, and that was really awesome. I also, always love to look at the meteors they sell in the gift shop. I hope one day to be able to own some :)

Matt M.

My daughter wanted to go here so here we are. This is apparently the oldest observatory in this hemisphere so that's cool. They gave us a 90 minute lecture about the planet Saturn which was really cool. Then we got a tour of the grounds which had lots of cool things to see many of which you can see in my pictures. The tour guide was very thorough and knowledgeable about the history of the place. Finally after the sun went down we were able to look through the telescope and saw many cool things including the planet Jupiter. There is a lot of cool things to see and learn here and every trip here will be different depending on the programs being done at the time and what is going on in the solar system. I will definitely be back and I would encourage anybody to check this place out.

Ceremony on the front lawn/stairs.
Heidi F.

We used the Cincinnati Observatory for our wedding venue in 2012. We had a small wedding (40-45 people) and were able to use the front lawn/stairs for the ceremony, one of the buildings for a buffet style sit down dinner, and the second building for cake and dancing. We worked with Craig Niemi, the Observatory's Executive Director. He was GREAT! We were able to use the Observatory's tables and chairs, which helped us save a lot on rental costs. The evening was complete with Craig himself providing history on the telescopes and the observatory, we even had a private viewing set up for our guests once it was dark with the telescope viewing the moon. Truly an unforgettable night, our guests are still talking about it almost 2 years later!

Magda C.

Interesting and beautiful place! We attended 'Date night, late night' and despite cloudy skies and no stars, we still enjoyed very engaging evening with mythology for adults stories and a tour around the building. People are really dedicated and helpful, we liked the relaxed atmosphere and the stories we heard about how the observatory was built, damaged and restored. We feel very lucky to have a public observatory here in Cincinnati! We will definitely be back for another event, to see planets or the moon :) Very cool way to spend a date night!

RT M.

If you haven't been to the oldest operating telescope in the US....you need to check it out. Special and group viewings.... Saturn viewing was unbelievable.

Beautiful and amazing sites.
Maria M.

Fascinating and amazing place. Beautiful grounds and buildings. Dedicated staff with programs to please any age group. Highly recommend - date night, family night, something different night.

This is the house for the Mitchel Scope.

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Great wedding venue. Very helpful staff and volunteers. The space was great for 50 or so guests.

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Review Highlights - Cincinnati Observatory

Once it was dark enough, we used the high powered telescope to check out Jupiter, Jupiter's moons, the moon and Saturn!!

Mentioned in 14 reviews

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Cincinnati Observatory - observatories - Updated May 2026

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