We've been to Flagstaff so many times now, but never got a chance to visit the Observatory. My son host a huge fan of physics and space wanted to visit this place. We went just before two hours of the closing time and wish we came in a little earlier. This three floor observatory is so beautiful and informative from the gigantic telescope to play area for the kids it is a must visit for everyone. Our favorite part was looking at the galaxies from the large telescope in the night. We got to see the nebula and it was so cool. It just made us feel how tiny we are in this massive space. I loved how once you buy the tickets you could step out and come back so that's a great advantage to take specially when you want to do both during the day and the night. read more

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If Yelp allowed it, I'd give Lowell Observatory a billion stars... mostly because that's about how many we actually saw. The dark skies over Flagstaff reveal more stars than Hollywood on Oscar night. Seriously, you look up and suddenly realize the universe has been showing off this whole time and you've just been missing the show. The telescopes were the real headliners. One was locked onto Jupiter, and we could see it in crystal clarity along with three of its moons just casually hanging out like cosmic roadies. Another telescope pointed us toward the Pleiades--also known as the Seven Sisters--which looked like the universe spilled a little glitter across the sky. The staff deserve their own constellation. Knowledgeable, friendly, and incredibly helpful, they explained everything without making the rest of us feel like we'd failed Astronomy 101. The outdoor show was informative, fun, and moved so quickly we almost forgot we were sitting in the cold... almost. Let's just say the temperature was sub-planetary, but the experience was stellar. Bottom line: if you're anywhere near Flagstaff, orbit on over to Lowell Observatory. It's an out-of-this-world experience that will leave you starry-eyed and over the moon. read more

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This is honestly the first observatory I've ever been to in my life, and it was very nice. They had a kids play area where you could hang out and spend probably all day with your kids playing different things. I'm going down the slide to shooting up rocket ships and learning about different things in science and how they work. We also got to go to the area right next to it, which is more of an adult style learning, but also interactive for kids where there are more and more interactive questions that it ask and things that you're able to get hands-on with in this additional learning area, where a really teaches you about space and the stars of many other things I really enjoyed taking my family too experiences. We also got to take time to go outside around 9 o'clock and look through the telescope to see the moon very awesome and they had another telescope pointing at Saturn and my wife got to look through that one and she said it was just amazing because you could see the rings of Saturn. Overall, we really love this experience. It's a little more expensive than I anticipated, but it was a great experience and they had so much more than I talked about right here. Great things to learn videos that they play as you walk through and sit down and learn about space and so much more. It is a terrific place very friendly staff when you walk in and we honestly met people from all over the world coming to this very location so that was very amazing to have forever in this area. Don't hesitate to stop on in and do a little stargazing. read more

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Visited at 7pm on Black Friday, it's pretty crowded. Driving up to the hilltop, you can see the pretty city's night lights. We went for the live constellation show at the Dark Sky Planetarium, it was the highlight of our visit. Even the moonlight (half moon) was bright, we were able to see lot of stars on the rooftop observation (cold but the heated seats helped a lot). It's so amazing to see the guide's laser pointer on the sky to help us identify the stars. We found North Star, Summer Triangle, and others zodiac stars. What a wonderful stars grazing activity. We headed to the telescope viewing area on the 2nd floor, it's cool to checkout moon and Saturn on the telescope. I hope to visit again in summer. read more

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We enjoyed this observatory. We saw Saturn and Jupiter on a January night. On a holiday weekend there were long lines for the telescopes outside, so bundle up! Explore the campus using the complimentary map. There is a free show in the theatre, than an additional one if you pay extra, which is on the roof. There is a kids area, museum, and it's a nice facility to explore overall. read more

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We had a great visit and would have stayed a lot longer if it wasn't for the extremely cold weather. If you're planning to visit in late Dec, dress accordingly or be prepared to freeze. There's tons of things to explore (exhibits, telescopes, etc.) inside and outside. If you visit in the evening, be sure to have the map handy bc it gets really dark out, like pitch dark, making it hard to navigate outside unless you know your way around. The shows were fantastic. Extremely professional / informative with great visuals. We got a small ($4) discount per ticket by showing a pamphlet we picked up from our hotel lobby. read more

Lowell Observatory - PERCIVAL LOWELL - Observatories Near Me - Flagstaff, Arizona

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The staff at the Lowell observatory are so incredibly knowledgeable! It's amazing how much information they have and how well-versed in astronomy they are! I've been here twice and saw different features in the sky through their telescopes both times. My first visit was on a weekday and it was not very crowded at all; we were able to see the entire exterior of the property in under an hour. My second visit was on a Saturday and the same night as a special member event they were holding and it was incredibly crowded and took forever to get through the lines. I need to go earlier next time so I can explore the inside and watch the shows too! read more

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A unique and class experience. The outdoor planetarium was chilly but heated seats and a good presentation made it tolerable. I liked that the staff sticks up for Pluto every chance they get. The viewing patio had a cool vibe with the quiet of the night and the high tech telescopes. The entry price is very reasonable, lots of parking and a chill staff. read more

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Beautiful new visitors center, complete with separate areas for young children and older kids. Interesting presentations in the large screen immersive theatre. I think it's fantastic that we get to view through the historic telescopes! The volunteers are approachable, and there was someone in each dome to help explain the historical significance of each telescope, as well as pointing it at an interesting object. And I've never stargazed in a heated recliner before. It's a whole new experience! read more

I've been coming to the observatory for years, so I've been enjoying the upgrades to the visitor center and other areas on the grounds. They now have a fantastic discovery station for kids, that involves hands-on activities and appropriately aged programming. Please note that most of the observatory involves walking around outside, so the weather matters for both getting around and viewing the stars! If you visit during the day, you can still visit the inner visitor center, cafe, gift shops, and stroll the paths/trails outside. You can visit the historic Clark telescope, but it probably won't be in use. It's really cool when they adjust the telescope, as it's historic and moves via wheels. They do hold talks/tours by staff, as well as have solar telescopes that you can use. At night, there's much more to do. Typically, they have all that I stated above, but they have a lot of other telescopes pointing at galaxies, star clusters, constellations, and other interesting points of view (also depending on the seasons) at the Giovale open deck observatory. Overall, I love visiting and they hold a lot of events throughout the year too. Definitely stop by and check it out, especially so you can see where Pluto was discovered! read more

Simply fantastic! My friend and I were feeling low energy but felt much more invigorated once we started to wander around. The exhibits are cool, and the campus is comfortably sprawling. Be sure to stay at night for the star watching experiences. Their cafe is also super good as the food is from Jitters which is amazing. Lowell Observatory is definitely worth a visit. Note, they also have lots of discounts available, and there are coupons around town as well. read more

Lowell Observatory - Observatories Near Me - Flagstaff, Arizona

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More than we expected. A very comprehensive experience where we spent 4 hours learning from interactive and informative displays. Make sure to attend the "history of Lowell" presentation in the auditorium. Fun fact: Pluto was discovered at this observatory. Highly recommend visiting! read more

This was a fun place to stop & explore with my family. The first activity room is perfect for families with younger children, there are so many easy hands on activities for kids to do. Even adults might find a few of the activities fun to do such as building a small rocket to shoot through hoops. The second room has some hands on activities for older participants as well, that are fun to explore as well. If you get tired and want to take in a show, they have a theatre that shows a number of short presentations that last anywhere from half an hour to an hour. Outside you can find a number of staff members who have telescopes set up to show you a number of different cool things to look at, answer questions and more. I also like the easy walking paths they have from building to building that allow you to enjoy the lovely weather. This is a cool spot that is worth checking out at least once. read more

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Even if you don't have a major interest in astronomy, there is a lot to learn here about how vast our universe truly is. Having now visited the place, I now feel that I wish I could go back in time and strategize my visit here. First off, the tickets cost $35 and the plus tickets cost $40. From what I've seen, the extra $5 gives you access to two of the lectures. Second off, my suggestion for you tourists out there is to come during the day and explore the outdoor exhibits. Unfortunately, it was night time by the time I got to the outdoor exhibits and I couldn't see anything. So do the outdoor exhibits, then do the indoor exhibits. Once it's night time, go outside again to use the outdoor telescopes to see some of the stars out there. What I didn't know is that there are shows/lectures happening throughout the entire day. For you tourists out there, you can maximize your money by coming early to see the shows and then get lunch in the nearby downtown Flagstaff and come back to see the other shows and exhibits. I got there around 5:00pm and stayed until 9:00pm. I saw 3 of the lectures and then spent the rest of the time going through the exhibits. What I love about the first floor exhibits is that some of them are hands on: you can smell other planets, listen to light waves, and even spin around on a chair. There's also a small section where it's essentially an astronomy themed children's playground. Finally, this is the place that discovered Pluto. You can see the telescope that found it and they'll explain to you how they were able to see discover Pluto in the first place. If you are in Flagstaff, this is a must see place. read more

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Came here on a school field trip and could not have been more impressed by the staff, the cleanliness of the entire observatory and how cool it is! Definitely impressed. read more

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The Lowell Observatory is a cool place to visit if you're into astronomy! Came here to checkout the rooftop "Star Gazing Tour" and it was okay - for some reason I thought it would've been more interactive as far as what we all saw in the sky. It was more lecture style with the staff member just pointing at and explaining each star. Again, it's informative but I thought it would be more exciting than what it was. The show is only 30 min and outside on the rooftop, so dress warm (came in October so it gets COLD at night) but the seats are heated so that helps a bit. They have other exhibits throughout the center to checkout. read more

January's weather was perfect for star gazing. Try to visit at "dinner time", watch the sunset, spend time visiting their interactive displays. Once the sky is dark, there were several telescopes: moon (we went Saturday on a full moon), Saturn . Nebula, and seven sisters. Very knowledgeable astronomers. A short walk to the big telescope - Jupiter. You can see two moons and the bands on the plant. Way cool!! Highly recommend on a clear night. read more

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We came to Flagstaff for spring break to relax with the family and take in the sites. My party had people from 13 to late '60s in it and everybody enjoyed The observatory the most. Luckily, it was 15 minutes away from where we are staying and we were able to spend the afternoon there, go home have dinner, and then come back in the evening to see the stars and the rooftop show. I'm not sure what I was more impressed by, the amount of telescopes and photographs able be taken on property, the fact that Pluto was discovered there or overall how it had something for everybody. And for the price, it was absolutely worth the value. You are allowed to bring water bottles with lids on campus which is a godsend because I have a son with a health condition and we need to have water available at all times. They also offer a discount for military, or AAA which saved our group over $30. Granted, we ended up turning around and spending it in the gift store but that's okay it goes towards a good cause. I highly recommend going in the evening and doing a self-guided tour to See the Pluto dome, the Clark dome, and giovale open deck observatory. read more

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Always wanted to go here since living in Arizona for a while. It was pretty busy. They have a cool observation deck and also telescopes that you can view the stars in the moon. We opted for the admission plus benefit so that way you can hear a story in the observation deck. Overall, I would recommend this place if you like astronomy. read more

I had such a great experience visiting the observatory- it was genuinely one of the highlights of our trip to Flagstaff. From the moment we walked in, everything felt well-organized, spotless, and thoughtfully designed. What impressed me most was how engaging it was, especially for kids. It struck a perfect balance between being educational and entertaining, so kids stayed curious and excited the whole time. The observatory itself was fascinating, Overall, it's a fantastic place for families--fun, inspiring, and extremely well-maintained. read more

Did a quick evening trip after dinner at the outside area of the Observatory, looked through telescopes. Went to the night show, seats were heated A+ learned so much, the speaker was entertaining and not long winded. Definitely will be going back! Cool gift shop. read more

This is my 3rd visit. I loved the art installation in the lobby- William & Susan Ahearn. I added more photos. Lots to learn and appreciate. So glad I returned. read more

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I absolutely loved this and was so glad we came! We were in town for a few days and this was on my list of must-do activities. We bought our tickets online and included the 9:30 planetarium show, it was I think $40 per ticket with that. For what we experienced, learned, and saw, I thought the price was absolutely worth it. We arrived around 7:30ish on a Friday night because we wanted to experience everything else before the show started, and it was pretty busy. Being from Vegas, we didn't plan for the cooler weather at night, so we hit the gift shop first to look for something to cover up with. Pretty pricey in the gift shop, but we ended up getting 2 long-sleeved shirts from their Pluto festival which happened to be on sale for $20 each. I also got a hoodie as a souvenir for my sister and that was I believe $60. Once we got inside, we explored the room downstairs. There's another room, but it's a kids area. There were a lot of interactive exhibits and we learned so much! It was cool to see so many people there taking in all the cool stuff. We eventually made our way upstairs and looked at the wall of scientists and stuff, read the things about them, and then headed outside to the telescopes. As you walk over, there are different things to read, lit up with reddish light so that it doesn't affect the sky. There were long lines for some of the telescopes, but they moved quickly enough, and we had fun picking out different constellations while we waited. The people working at the different telescope spots were so friendly, you could tell they loved their job, and had lots of cool facts. After that, we had to make our way to the show, so we skipped about 2 other things we could have done. When we got to the top with about 10 minutes to spare, it was already very full. We found 2 seats together and were so excited to see there were buttons to turn the heaters on in the seats, it was very cold out. The seats lean back pretty far so you can look up into the sky. The lady giving the presentation was funny, super knowledgeable, and we learned sooooo much! I'm proud to say I know how to find the North Star now. This was a wonderful experience, especially coming from a city that is lit up 24/7, so we never really get to see things like this. I think this is something you 100% have to do if you are in Flagstaff. read more

We visited the Observatory two consecutive evenings in October. The (recently?) renovated visitor center is superb with many hands-on interactive activities and educational displays. We attended one of the talks in the theatre which included a brief overview of all the planets in our solar system. All of this plus the beautiful observation deck was included in the price of admission! Pro tip - don't be the person staring at your phone or turning on your flashlight on the observation deck. This will damper the experience for others while you need your eyes to adjust to the evening sky. Don't be "that" person! :) read more

Unfortunately due to cloudy/rainy weather, the observation decks were closed. However, John made the visit worth it. He took the time to answer all of our questions and answered with care, sincerity, and intelligence. We hope to see John again soon at a Tuesday class here (which he told us about). John's a real STAR read more

This place was amazing! You could see the milky way clearly. Although freezing during this time of year we had some beautiful views that we will never forget. We didn't get to see the show they do because of nearby smoke but i still can't stop telling my friends and family how amazing this experience was read more

Lowell Observatory - view - Observatories Near Me - Flagstaff, Arizona

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If you're in Flagstaff be sure to stop at the observatory. It's a cool spot to learn about stars and planets. The view up there is nice if you're going during the daytime. I used to have annual membership but I stopped due to not going to flag enough. But it's a great place to visit. They have some fairly large telescopes for viewing stars at night. read more

Very pretty and informative! I thought it was really cool to see the history and telescopes and all of the staff were helpful in describing the exhibits and views from the telescope. Teagan in particular was very nice and answered our countless questions about space and history read more

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This place deserves as many starts as there are in the universe, I only gave it 3 only because of the distraction during all 3 lectures ....I absolutely loved this place and had a wonderful experience overall, but it was unfortunately marred by the constant disruption from children during the lectures. There were kids screaming, crying, and running in the lecture room, and the parents didn't seem to intervene. Many adults kept shushing, hoping the parents would take the hint, but nothing changed. It would be great if they could offer separate lectures for adults, and for families, so those who are there to genuinely learn can fully enjoy the experience without the distractions. read more

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This place rocks! The staff are friendly and know their stars,planets and galaxies. Justar was wonderful on the phone and gave us great advice...come in the day to see the exhibits and then return that evening to the outdoor program with heated seats I might add. It was fantastic and Flagstaff being one of the few cities celebrating dark skies was special! Lowell's had a face lift and it's so much better than before. Come see for yourself! read more

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Very impressive, very well run and staff were outstanding. Highly recommend if in the area, very reasonable priced. read more

The Lowell Observatory is a COMPLETE WASTE of gas, time & a whole lot of money!! We paid $175 for a family of 6!!! We walked around and looked through a few large telescopes at bright lights that we were told were Mars, Mercury & a star. The sun was a the only thing that we could actually see that was cool. It was a bright reddish orange color with flairs coming off the sides of it. You could also see dark spots on the surface. Other than that it was several long lines and nothing interesting to see. They charge $5 extra to sit on top of the viewing deck to look at stars.....like the $35 entrance fee isn't enough!!! Over all very disappointing and not worth the trip or cost. We should have went to a movie instead......It would have been cheaper and more enjoyable!! read more

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This is hands down one of my favorite places to visit when I'm in Flagstaff. It's such a cool experience. I love learning about the stars + planets and it's even better when you visit at night. So much to do and so much to look at. This would be a great place to visit for families! read more

I would like to thank Rowen for providing friendly service, jam packed with useful info. Because of his knowledge we purchased a year membership and were first in line to use the telescope!! The place is so much fun and staffed with knowledgeable and friendly individuals. We had such a relaxing great time! There is a lot to see and do. Check out the gift shop for some fun mementos. Arrive early as parking can be a challenge and spot dont open quickly. This is a slow leisure, enjoy the sights kinda visit. read more

We got there late on a Monday night having come from the Grand Canyon Railway. We were hoping for lots of telescopes and a neat movie - but there were only 3 telescopes open (it was still really need to look through) but they were rushing everyone through the largest, due to a line, which tarnished the experience. The movie stopped playing 15 minutes before close - there were no signs. Not sure it was worth the $75 given our limited time. I do think there's lots to experience if you're there for a full day - Star gazing, sun viewing, etc. They are closed on Tuesday - so plan ahead. read more

Recommend: Absolutely. Remarkable observatory and the BIRTHPLACE of Pluto, by accident no less! We toured it this year (2023) during the Eclipse that took place. The facility was open to all paid personnel and offered hot drinks and tons of sweet treats to enjoy walking the grounds. A completely new expansion is being built; not sure when the completion date is but as a whole, the minimal amount of 'instructional' items to view are signs that walk you up to the main observatory that show the distance of the planets in our solar system and the few on the sides of the retractable roofed building. Very little instructional information inside the visitors center but the eldest telescope at the top of the hill, which is 125 YEARS old was an absolutely beautiful piece of machinery to see! I'm not sure if the normal price point to enter the observatory grounds is a just price, being around $30.00. In fact, I'd offer it's a bit over the top, but my family of four went to support the eclipse context of it this year and the weather was unconditionally perfect with NO wind. WIN! The new mass collected telescopes under the removable roofed building was a really cool thing to witness. Generous Staff around to guide and instruct during the eclipse, but again, a bit scant on the educational commentary minus the items on sides of the new retractable building and the 'planet walk' when you first start your way up. Enjoyed by all as an overall summary and again, would recommend stopping in if not just to learn the incredible story behind HOW they found Pluto. I'll leave that part out but it's not the way you'd THINK it was found. Cheers! read more

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Only not rating 5 stars because I think it's extremely pricy. We loved touring through the observatory & interacting with the exhibits. read more

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Great people, cool gift shop, and much to learn. To my surprise, I ended up spending three hours here. Best to come in the evening obviously for stargazing. Look through the many high-end telescopes they have to see the Andromeda Galaxy, the Moon, etc. Make sure to visit the museum, talk to the staff, and attend the lecture (which I missed for next time). read more

10/10 - would highly recommend!!! Go at night for stargazing! They had telescopes set up at various points on campus, and guides explaining what we were looking at. The dark sky experience is totally worth the extra $5 - heated seats, a guide to explain everything, and just a brilliant experience! read more

What an incredible time! I've been in the past to listen to lectures and do the public tours. Everyone is very friendly and happy to share their knowledge. The property is lovely with lots of trails to walk. Last month we booked the private, 90-minute experience and it was incredible! You can take up to 10 people in your group and a scientist takes you through a number of celestial objects and you can even make requests. I highly recommend it! read more

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