We ate lunch before our sun program at the cafe on site. Very tasty soup and sandwich. Handy to make sure you get there on time and can eat before hand. read more

Great family fun peeking at nearby planets and galaxies through large telescopes. Even watched as the hubble telescope passed over, changed positions in the sky, and lit up like a falling star. Pretty incredible. Buy souvenirs such as t shirts, maps of constellations and astronaut ice cream. read more

A trip to the McDonald Observatory should be on everyone's bucket list. Attended the Twilight and Stargazer shows. The weather was perfect. Advice: reserve your tickets in advance. This shows sell out. The hosts for each show was knowledgeable, passionate and funny. Worth the trip to the middle of nowhere. read more

The best Observatory in the Nation! I took my kids up there one night when we were camping in Fort Davis. They have 3 gigantic telescopes with the highest tech I've seen anywhere. They teach classes and have star parties for kids. This is fun for the whole family and very educational. The night skies are dark! And the telescope viewing reaches somewhere into the next few galaxies. Getting here is difficult. It could take awhile off interstate 10 to get to perhaps an hour or more. There are not many places to stay near here, so planning accordingly is a must. Have a place nearby if possible, because you and the kids are going to want to crash immediately after the visit. Hands down the leaders in astronomy as far as I'm concerned. read more

Great place to visit. We attended the Star Party. Would be great for kids. I learned a lot and the employees were very entertaining as we learned. Take a blanket to wrap in and to sit on. Flash lights are also needed. We really enjoyed it and would go back if in the area. read more

Hmmm what can I say, where do I start? Bad news first?! Okay. I did not feel appreciated as a customer. I felt a great lack in employee morale. Now don't get me wrong, the tour guide, Kelly, was fantastic. As for the woman at the front desk and the young lady at the food service area, I may as well have been ruining their day by existing. Just the feeling I got from them and their lack of enthusiasm and their short and firm remarks. I was first given the impression that the coffee was free. Went to pour me some then when I paid for my tickets she asked me if I was charged for the coffee. Um, no, you gave me a cup and told me to go pour myself some. :/ When we cane back from our tour we were hungry and decided to eat there. Food was mediocre, at best! My tortillas for my avocado tacos were COLD and my daughters bbq brisket had about a teaspoon of bbq sauce and was bland. I expected just a tad bit more for those prices. Ah well. Wish we could gave done the night viewing. But after our solar viewing experience didn't feel like pouring more money out. Make a reservation for the tour, it's neat to see the large telescope up close but don't expect too much. If it cost any more I might have been a bit more disappointed and given just 2 stars. But 3 is fair. read more

Went for the Star Party (on a Tuesday) we have heard so much about. Gotta say I expected better. We booked weeks in advance which was good as the signs on the door indicated it was sold out. A LOT of people were there. They start after it gets dark by direct the crowd to an outdoor theater type space. I was hoping, ok assuming, there would be some kind of introduction...say along the lines of 'what is astronomy?' Or 'why we study the Stars' and 'why you should care or at least be interested'. But no. A man, if he gave his name or anything like background information it was unmemorable, waved a laser pointer at some stars and said we could see them when we got to the telescopes. The weather turned cloudy and he said we might not see anything, and gave instructions on rescheduling or refunding ticket price. Some left at that time, but others opted to stay for the indoor talks he said would be offered instead. We stayed. They have 3 large permanent telescopes in structures and 2 others were set out. Even with about half the crowd leaving the lines to look into each telescope were LONG. I can't imagine if the weather had been good how long we would have been standing in line. Hours is my guess. The inside talks filled up, the rain started and we left having learned nothing, seen nothing. Seems to me they are missing an opportunity to teach something to the public. Obviously the weather was a factor and I don't hold that against them...not at all. It just seemed kinda thrown together and I was expecting something more polished. If we are back in the Davis Mountains I'd try again...maybe. I'd try for a less crowded time in the hopes of seeing something, and not just standing in lines. I would not recommend this for small children as there is interminable waiting and at least in June, nothing happens until at LEAST 10pm. The kids that were in this crowd were clearly overtired and under-impressed. Over all, it was under-whelming. read more

We have been taking our children to Star Parties at the Observatory since we discovered them in the early 90's. Wonderful memories! and we recommended them to many over the years. This year we had our grandchildren for a week before school started and decided to make a day trip to Ft. Davis for a fundraiser event and follow up in the evening with a star party with the whole family. One last hoo-rah before school started! We knew driving down that the weather was cloudy and rainy but that we could still interact with the astronomers and give the kids an interesting night. Instead of the warm welcome we were used to, we were ushered outside where the guide pointed to the pegasus constellation and mars (still visible) and informed us that they would try to set up telescopes on these and any other star viewings still visible , but that if that was not possible that we could attend informational segments in the theater and visit the interactive gallery. The guide told the crowd that they could receive credit for the tickets (with a 3.00 per ticket charge) and come back on another night. That was fine except he repeated 3 times that if that is what we chose then we would need to leave. "You need to leave or stay" . . . you cant have it both ways. . . GOT IT! We bought coffee and hot chocolate and tried to enter the interactive gallery but were headed off and told we needed to go to the theater because there fewer than 65 people so there would only be one informational segment. Couldn't take our drinks in there so had to chunk those. Inside the 94 capacity theater it was standing room only and rather hot. At the end the speaker asked for questions and i was rather proud that my oldest grandson raised his hand and asked if we would see a black hole. The snarky response was "No you can't see a black hole because they are black. . . and then blacked out the screen and said "there it is". Is that anyway to respond to an 11 year old boy who is curious and excited enough to ask a question to a scientist? We made our way outside to the single telescope dome lit up where the only saving grace was a gentlemen who explained the workings of the 27K telescope and the capability of computer communications that allowed the telescope to move and locate coordinates of stars, planets etc. He fully engaged the children's questions and responded in a way that piqued their curiosity. This man should train his fellows in public relations. We realize the weather was bad. We opted to stay to give the young ones a memorable night and glean from it what we could. We paid full ticket price. We left with an uncomfortable feeling that these employees would rather us not be there and that they felt superior in their field. I know that we cannot recapture the star parties of the past when my children lay on blankets looking at the dark skies and pointing fingers at the brilliant stars in the skies, giving donations for coffee and hot chocolate at the door, being met by the meteor rock in the entrance, and swirling pennies and nickles down that really cool vortex machine. I also know that we will not return . . . at least until we are reassured that the employees at the observatory understand that the public is a paying public and we deserve the respect as such and that with their knowledge they can teach us just a little bit and maybe, just maybe intrigue our young ones to question and follow in their footsteps. read more

When planning a trip to west Texas national parks I randomly came across the suggestion to visit this place if in the Fort Davis area and it couldn't have been more perfect! I bought tickets to one of their star parties about 2 months in advance which worked out well since it ended up selling out. We had such a full itinerary on this road trip we unfortunately were only able to arrive in time for the night time event but absolutely plan to return for their other programs. We were so lucky to have clear skies with a great view of the milky way and stars. They have multiple telescopes set up (including the large domed ones) and we got to see 3 galaxies, saturn along with its rings and its largest moon (titan) and 2 nebulas. The staff was extremely informative, nice and very patient with all the little ones who were mesmerized by what they were seeing through what I assume is thousands of dollars worth of equipment. It was an amazing experience that I'll never forget. We also ate at their cafe, visited the exhibits in the visitor center and, of course, bought some souvenirs from their gift shop. We already can't wait to go back! read more

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. By the way, your GPS may not work, and no service for phone or tablets, so use a paper map and follow the signs. read more

I attended a Twilight Talk and Star Party at the McDonald Observatory and really enjoyed it. The speaker who gave the Twilight Talk did a good job of explaining some of the things we'd be seeing that night and had the extra ability to not make you feel stupid for forgetting basic astronomy that you should know from 8th grade (okay, maybe I should have remembered this from 6th grade, but give me something here). The Star Party followed and there were several telescopes available and people willing to share factoids and answer questions. The night I went there were a lot of middle school students, so they events get pretty crowded, but the staff did a great job of making sure things ran smoothly. Later there was a really great talk about the constellations that was interesting. I would have loved to hear more, but it was practically a full moon, which limited what could be seen with the naked eye. When I went there was an unexpected cold snap, but I heard that it's always pretty chilly up on the mountain. I would advise bringing some good coffee and doing the reverse of CoCo Chanel's advice: Put on all the layers you'll "think" you'll need...then add two more. read more

Go to the Star Party!! But book in advance and be prepared for a big crowd. We learned a ton about constellations and space. We got to see an extremely detailed view of the moon and Jupiter. Worth it but get reservations!! And bring WARM CLOTHES. read more

O.K so we went on a cloudy night. BUT there were still a few stars to look at as we all sat in a big circle outdoors. The guide pointed out Mars, Saturn and Jupiter with his laser pointer then spent 1/4 of an hour wittering on about what we would do next. I, along with quite a few other people, didn't understand what he meant. The long shot was that even though it was a lovely warm night, enough stars I thought to be getting on with, we were all herded into queues to look through telescopes and then into the stuffy visitor center to queue again to listen to a lecture. The guy doing the talk was interesting. But I did feel that we could have stayed outdoors and been guided through what we could see there and then. There are lots of people on this tour. And a lot of them seemed more interested in the cost of the laser pointer and whether or no they should give little Wayne one for his seventh birthday than the moons of Saturn. read more

We did a star party, a sun program, and a guided tour. Booked all in advance (which I highly recommend). Staff was excited about what they do and full of fascinating information. Fun for kids and adults alike. We saw views I've only imagined seeing!!! read more

First time to the McDonald Observatory, which is located about 10 miles NW of Ft. Davis, TX. We figured we'd try something new and drove the 197 miles from my residence here in El Paso. Surprisingly, leaving El Paso was quite easy, via I-10 E. From the 176 exit off ramp, you'll have an additional 38 more miles to the observatory. The scenery is quite beautiful, especially when the sun is setting. Keep an eye out for the following wildlife: small ferral wild pigs, deer, and jack rabbits. There are parts of the road that mention open cattle range. Cell phone service disappears throughout the canyon. Definitely pack a jacket and wear closed toe shoes for the evening outside events. There's plenty of parking, as well as, for handicapped. The place was clean, to include the restrooms. One can pay with credit/debit cards at the gift shop, cafeteria, and entrance fee. Highly suggest making reservations for the Star party and telescope viewing, they do run out of tickets, so don't just show up. The presenter was quite knowledgeable and entertaining too. This place reminded me of the Palomar Observatory located in SoCal. If your interested in Astronomy, I would also suggest going to the New Mexico Space and History Museum in Alamogordo, NM. read more

Awesome place to see stars and planets. Plenty of opportunities for the public to look through larger telescopes at one of the darkest skies on the continent. Behind the scenes tours of the big telescopes are available as those are not open to the public. You can drive up to them and look around the outside though. A small cafe is available in the large visitor center. Check out their website for upcoming events and get tickets ahead of time. read more

I was extremely disappointed by our two days at McDonald's Observatory. We purchased all four of the programs ahead of time. 3 of the 4 programs contained much of the same information. My goals for the trip were to get my two teenagers excited about science. The twilight program contained a hands-on activity that the kids had done in about third grade in a poor rural school. Come on folks, find an exciting way to present the information. The starlight program was the real downer for me. It was cloudy to begin with. We were told that if it cleared they would get the telescopes out. Less than 20 minutes into the program, the skies cleared, but no telescopes were ever brought out. You had the opportunity to turn children onto astronomy and caring for our planet and you failed miserably.I literally fell asleep during the slide show and my teenagers were begging to leave. The facility tour was ok. We needed to be able to see more of the facility for me to be totally impressed. This was definitely the most exciting part of our four programs. The solar program was acceptable thanks to a better speaker named Rachel. Even though it was cloudy, we were expecting to get to see the solar telescopes first hand on on a power point presentation. I had waited 20 years to get to go to the McDonald Observatory. Unfortunately, it failed miserably to meet my expectations. read more