We booked a personal SkyNights program for our small family to celebrate our Father's life. Will…read moreand Chase were both incredibly helpful, extremely knowledgeable, and hilariously entertaining, making our tour of the night sky an unforgettable experience. We started with a view of the sun and moon, then watched the amazing sunset over Arizona. They asked us for requests (both for sky viewing and accompanying music). We saw numerous galaxies, clusters, nebulae and planets. The jewel of the evening had to be the extended view of Saturn and Titan. They not only showed us the universe, but they also educated us on the history, science and current global initiatives to better understand the cosmos. We really appreciated all the pre-event communications, clear instructions and overall coordination. Thank you, Will, for all your help in that! We highly recommend this experience for all citizens of planet Earth!

Our two guides for Sky Nights - Travis and Aaron were incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. You…read morecould tell they love what they do.

Took my grandson who is majoring in Astrophysics, my wife , and 3 daughters here for a night of…read morestargazing. It was super. We had our own astronomer and a 12" telescope. Saw stuff that was millions of light years away. You have to make reservations in advance. Well worth it.

This was a GREAT experience and a great value…read more We did the AstroPhotography session Robby. Robby was very knowledgeable and personable. He coached us through a combination of camera ISO and shutter to take pictures of stars, constellations, and nebula. Book it, you won't be disappointed!

I went with my brother, his wife and sister on Saturday 4/11/26. It was a amazing experience…read more The only problem was our tour guide. Her name was Marsha. My brother has a hard time walking. I was talking to another guide and a man that works there. They said they could take us in the van. Which was perfect. Marsha made such a big deal out of us riding in van, that it was interrupting her tour. She made 3 or more comments to the group of people about him being in the van. It made my brother feel self conscious and bad. The guy that drove us told us not to worry about her. But the observatory is great. Thank you Mary Jo Faber

"Mars 'aint the kind of place to raise your kids." But, Kitt Peak National Observatory is the kind…read moreof place you want to take someone who is a kid at heart to. (*I know, I know...I just broke the rule about not finishing a sentence with a preposition, and it sounded a bit awkward. My bad. I'll try to write more-gooder from now on.) Captain's Log: Star date May 1st, 2026. The entire crew of the Star ship, "Wait for the Western Wind*" thoroughly enjoyed the experience. (*That's is the name that I christened to the van that we rented) We have now returned safely to home base, and our journey of exploration can only be described as a success. All mission-objectives have been achieved...the goals of having fun, joining together for a little family camaraderie, and fulfilling a quest for knowledge were all clearly met. Sadly, I must report that I did fail at one of the mission's intended targets...that being: my finding a way to work-in a joke about the 7th planet from the G2V star located in the Arm of Orion, in the "Via Lactea" (latin for Milky Way) galaxy. As I get older, I have found that discretion, indeed, is the better part of valor. So, when our guide (Sam--who was wonderful) asked the group that she was leading if there was anything that we hoped to see that night, I pulled my hand back down quickly... realizing, at that moment, that a joke about "Uranus" would most-likely, "land" like the 1967 Apollo 1 tragedy. The carbon-based humanoid life forms that inhabit the rocky crevices of I'oligam Du'ag possess advanced intelligence. As they spoke about the numerous telescopes, history of the area, and shared their deep knowledge of the wonders of space, they all exhibited kindness and patience, as well as a passionate enthusiasm for the work being done there. I also observed, on a number of well-timed occasions, that they were prone to "launching" some corny paternal-space-exploration humor. The one about being careful to not put Saturn in a bathtub--because it might leave a ring...(Ha!) that one would cause a, "super-nova of laughter" from here to Andromeda (M31): "Ground control to Major Tom". Here are two bits of advice to fellow travelers who might choose to boldly go where no human (in your family) has gone before (to the Kitt Peak Observatory)... Dress warmly and maybe bring a blanket. It was a balmy day in Tucson, but at 6,880 ft up, you will find yourself beneath the night sky of the exposed high desert and quick drops in temperatures happen as the Jackson Pollack-painted sky comes to light. Secondly, don't be like the guy who, as the night was wrapping up, got into his car, turned on his car lights, and pulled away from the presentation prematurely. What a, "back side of a black hole" move! There are easy-to-follow guidelines that have been set up to protect the experiments from white lights. If we all show a little cooperation, we all succeed. That kind of behavior is not to be tolerated, so we all agreed that the laser-guided missile launch that followed was completely justified. (I'm kidding!--we just watched as he drove away and his tail lights disappeared on the horizon--wondering to ourselves, "What kind of parents raise a person like that?") I will now close by putting our experience into a, summarized "capsule": "It was was a 'blast'!" The night indeed, was very memorable and enjoyable-- on many levels. And, I am glad that we signed on for the mission. So...fellow Earth beings, Take your protein pills and put your helmet on (Ten) Ground Control (Nine) to Major Tom (Eight, seven) (Six) Commencing (Five) countdown, engines on (Four, three, two) Check ignition (One) and may God's love (Lift off) be with you Oh, one final shout out. Back in the late 1950's, the Tohono O'odham Nation, (meaning "Desert People,") graciously allowed for the construction and use of the observatory on one of their most-treasured and sacred mountains. This should be acknowledged and respectfully appreciated as one travels there.

My mom and I booked a star tour because we really wanted to take advantage of the clear skies and…read morelow humidity of the Tucson area. Benjamin was great with email and text communication and offered us a time and day that worked for us. The price for a private tour was reasonable and he was generous with his time. He has a really impressive portable telescope that projects digital images on a large monitor. He is super knowledgeable and has a good way of explaining scientific concepts to people of every level of astronomy, from beginner to expect. I highly recommend this experience!

We had the pleasure to have Arizona Star Tours as a guest at a conference dinner. They brought…read moretheir telescope and traveling astronomer. It was amazing to see so many stars even on a semi cloudy night. We learned about Star clusters and other stars. Very cool to have at a party or dinner event.

Fantastic find! The volunteers were great and the various hummingbirds made for a very pleasant…read moremorning. Will definitely be back!

One of my favorite places in Arizona, and we come here a few times a year, so we can check out all…read morethe birds that come through this place. This place was started by a couple from New England, and they opened up their home for birders that wanted to check out birds. I am an avid birder, and I've been birding for 5 years now and really enjoy this activity. Birders are also a great group of people that really love to geek out about birds. Every time we are here, we manage to chat with some of the volunteers that work here, and each time, I get so much knowledge about birds! This last time we were here, the volunteer told us about a thick billed kingbird and its partner that were here with building their nest. They had set up a scope pointed right at a naked branch, and we got to see the pair! How exciting! This was also a new species for me! Yea! There are plenty of chairs that are put out on the front lawn, and you can sit and watch birds all day. Tons of different feeders are out here for the birds, but I saw plenty of squirrels also eating from the feeders. There is a suet feeder, and I got to see many nuthatches here, which are one of my favorite birds! There is a port of potty here for your use, but note that the house itself is closed to the public. They have a box filled with bird reference books and binoculars you can borrow. There is also a board set up and dates noted of which birds have frequented recently. It's definitely worth a visit if you enjoy birds, and even if you're not a bird enthusiast, this little sanctuary is quite calming, and the bird songs will make you happy and chipper!

Out of this world! Offered daily, the 90-minute tour of the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab begins at…read moreSteward Observatory, where two university hosts meet the group (12 people in ours) and begin with a quick introductory talk and video session, to describe what you'll see in the lab. Our outstanding guides, Adrian and Sage, were friendly, informative, and engaged, encouraging questions and offering interesting insights about the telescope-mirror production process as well as the U of A's astronomy program as a whole. Next, it's a short walk to the lab, housed within the infrastructure of the football stadium. From various catwalk vantages, visitors can photograph the rotating furnace apparatus used to melt the Ohara E-6 borosilicate glass and also view the extensive grinding, cleaning, and polishing processes. The lab is currently in charge of fabricating the seven 8.4-meter spin-cast mirrors that will form the heart of the Giant Magellan Telescope, which will have capabilities up to 200x more powerful than today's best land-based telescopes and is expected to take images 10x sharper than Hubble. It's amazing to hear about the innovation involved in this project that spans decades, and it's even more dazzling and inspiring to see it in person -- a stellar opportunity that will leave you starry-eyed!

Optics geek or not, the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab tour is a fantastic way to spend an…read moreafternoon. Even if the only mirror you've ever seen is the one you look at to fix your hair, the tour guides make it very easy to appreciate the astronomical investment in time, money, effort and sheer brain power that goes into creating each and every one of these massive mirrors. We had ample time to ask questions and the tour guides had good answers for everything we asked.

They had their grand opening today and it was fantastic. The day was filled with hands on…read moreactivities with organizations they partner with, including the mirror lab, the steward observatory, the lunar lab, and sky island. Then when the sun went down they had 6 different high powered telescopes set up to view the moon, stars, Jupiter and Saturn. The clarity was so great that you could see rings around Saturn, moons for Jupiter, and your eyes hurt after looking at the brightness of the moon. They had a ton of people on hand to point all of this out to us novices. They even found the satalite that was launched yesterday and we were able to track it across the sky. So incredibly cool. Currently it is normally just a store, with really neat items including photos, shirts, astronomy pieces and more. They plan on starting to hold events there, including lectures and more stargazing parties. Get on their mailing list so you'll know when it starts to happen. Very excited to have this in our neighborhood

The Mt. Lemmon Sky Center is one fo the "gems" of Tucson! Visitors from around the country, the…read moreworld and locals with them, enjoy viewing many celestial objects through the research grade 32 inch Schulman Telescope from its 9,157 ft. summit is spectacular! The stars, planets, nebula and galaxies come into sharp focus on any starry night! Presentations by very knowledgeable astronomers or serious amateurs on staff who create interesting programs are terrific! Expand your horizons! Definitely, put this on your "bucket list" - of "things to do" when in or near Tucson!

SkyNights was an unforgettable adventure! Credit the breathtaking sky island setting, ideal for…read morewatching both the sunset and the stars, and our engaging and knowledgeable guides Jeronimo and Will. And we got lucky: Clear skies and the first two-comet night these two had ever experienced (including Comet Lemmon, just discovered here). I would recommend this engaging and information-rich experience to anyone.

Butterfield was our winter home for 5 years. We loved it there and met and made many friends. When…read morewe got there this year and we met Jeff and Tammy the new managers. They were great for a while, then they cut karaoke, as it was done on a volunteer basis, because of head clashes with activities Director Vickie, then yoga, over excuses. Then if you asked about these activities they wouldn't speak to you. On the website it says you must be fully self contained, but they have been letting people in with converted vans, they were not self contained, dumping pitchers of urine down the drain, throwing the number 2 in the trash, not saying anything for trash being outside for 2 days in a pile, but yet we are the problem They will say that we broke rules, accused of my wife using the pool, though she hasn't been back since we left. They say we keep coming back to harass workcamping staff. None of that is true. The ones who left have been coming for years and have many friends in the park. Friends that have became family. We have lots of friends, some who no longer can get help from me as I got banned. For lies of speeding and using pool. Not true, at our new park we have a pool, why would I speed where many Friends live, why would I jeopardize that. But that was in email. We were told all guest must be approved by management, but they had open invitation to karaoke, at dances they let public come, as well as bingo. They changed the park for the bad. If you disagree with them you are considered hostile. Her favorite line is end of discussion before you get to ask the question. We moved to another park because we couldn't wait until May 7th to see if we were going to be allowed back, all of my docs are in Tuscan, as a disabled combat veteran I need to know I have a place to stay for the winter. They did away with the right of first refusal going away severely hampers patrons quality of life. And creates a lack of guarantee for the park of 6 months worth of income. They have so many work campers right now that it's crazy, they are having people fix and paint picnic tables. For 172 sites that's about 2 weeks work, they have 2-3 people doing maintenance most days, They have trimmed the trees and they look good. I miss being at Butterfield but I can't stay in a park where the manager won't take a few minutes to answer questions, and only hear one side of the story. Like I said they were great when we first got there in October. She will say we are part of a group, we are not part of a group, I do things because I want to not because I am a following someone, I would probably be leading the way. But she won't even open the dialogue with me about the lies that were said about me It seems like once you leave the park they consider you no longer allowed on the property, even if to visit friends. The person they are visiting, gets in trouble as well for rule number 24. I am sure she will respond with things that I have previously stated. What went from a great park to a not so great park I will miss Butterfield and already do. Yes I left under my own accord I am not part of a group I hate great people getting treated badly.

This park is very clean, nicely landscaped, has good hookups and includes amenities including an…read moreobservatory, gym, pool and wood shop. The staff are friendly most of the time. They charge LP fill by the number of gallons put in which is nice. Some parks charge a fixed price. If you are a light sleeper know that the trains go through here 24/7 and blow the horns multiple times. It is no issue for us and the park has no control over this but it's reality. Overall 4 stars though there are some points that they could improve on. 1/2- The website shows only paved sites, most are gravel, and the listed price is incorrect. They should add many pictures of gravel sites and change the pricing. They said the rates went up 1 April and would update the web page though days later it is still showing $50 rather that $60. It takes fifteen minutes to change this. 3- Our spot using auto level has one tire an inch or so off the ground. We tried several orientations. We've seen other coaches with auto level here and some using blocks under the tires to mitigate this. 4- The picnic table needs new boards. It's wobbly due to decay. 5- When using the wireless login there's an explanation that there are two choices; free not suitable for streaming, and a $30 upgrade that is. I'm streaming with the lower speed which I clocked (engineer). They could point to their internet provider but it's their contract.