Lots of great museum exhibits. Telescope viewing was underwhelming, both outdoors (thank you to the generous volunteers who let us see through their telescopes) and upstairs through the 32" lens. We viewed Saturn both outdoors on the lawn and upstairs through the big telescope. I was surprised how small Saturn looked through even the big telescope. Oh well. Makes you appreciate the Hubble telescope photos as well as close-ups taken be fly-by missions. I enjoyed seeing the 4 Galilean moons for the first time, but was surprised how tiny Jupiter looked through the telescope on the lawn with the Dobsonian mount. Wasn't much bigger than what I see with my naked eye. But, of course, I can't see those moons without the telescope. My favorite part of the visit was viewing the many artifacts, posters, atlases and astronomy books while waiting for the telescope viewing to begin read more

Perkins Observatory - One of many astronomy exhibits in the observatory - Observatories Near Me - Delaware, Ohio

I had a really great time. It was a great time. First time I ever seen the sun and seen what all the sun does. Great information. Learned what I should have learned when I was in school. Lol but it was a great time and afterwards you get the fire rocket. It's a great date night or date day I suggested for everybody. The professor is thorough. His jokes are good. We normally would go to Cincinnati all the time to theirs but this is just fine. read more

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I stumbled across this place when I was yet again on a quest to find something unique and Columbus-specific to treat some out-of-towners. The drive up was a bit stressful given the darkened Delaware County Roads and not-so-wonderfully lit street signs but we arrived in the nick of time to a see a beautifully lit building with parking attendants there to greet us. It was a brisk winter night and while the forecast was favorable all day, as our luck would have it, the conditions worsened as we sat in the lecture and we were unable to view the sky that night. I would definitely recommend thinking long and hard about booking in to see the Observatory during the winter (when I did) as it certainly is a risk though for the history and astronomy lovers out there, the lecture portion of it was nicely peppered with local history, humor and interesting facts about the Observatory itself. The place is also one of the more reportedly haunted places in Ohio as well and the location has many documented sightings of it's founder, Hiram Perkins. Very interesting stuff! I am proud to say I have supported a local establishment/ historic site such as the Perkins Observatory. :) read more

Most major cities have a planetarium somewhere around, but few have a real astronomical observatory open to the public within easy driving distance. Perkins Observatory was once a top-notch research facility owned by Ohio Wesleyan University. Due to light pollution from Columbus, they stopped upgrading the equipment decades ago, but their enormous telescope is still pretty awesome On a clear night, you can see rings on Saturn among other wonders. They have public programs on Fridays and Saturdays, and it's a great place for curious people of all ages to go and learn about astronomy. Go to their web site for more info and buy tickets in advance. Perkins Obervatory is definitely one of the most unique and enjoyable ways to spend a clear Central Ohio night. read more

This is a must do activity for anyone at all interested in the cosmos. Make sure you book your tickets in advance. The first time I went I was turned away and told you have to have reservations. read more

This is one of the finest Friday nights you can spend in central Ohio. Guests are welcome to tour the historic facilities that at one time housed the 3rd largest telescope in the world, now in Lowell, and is infamous for capturing the WOW! signal with the Big Ear radio telescope. If it's cloudy, which is often the case, you'll get an eccentric lecture from director Tom Burns and a story on founder Hiram Perkins in the library. If you're fortunate to have clear skies the Columbus Astronomical Society will be on hand to show you the wonders of the night sky with telescopes on the lawn. A great time for the family, a date night, or fans of astronomy. Perkins is part of OWU located in Delaware and is still active in astronomical research with the big 32" Schottland reflector. read more

Tom Burns makes the experience at Perkin's Observatory educating and fun! I grew up with Tom, he was my brother's best friend. He knows his stuff and is very entertaining! I no longer live in Columbus and miss the observatory so much that I am considering moving back! read more

Perkins Observatory is a wonderful place. The staff and volunteers are very friendly and helpful. Go to Perkins, even if it is cloudy! The tours are educational and fun! Be warned: You must buy your tickets in advance. They often sell out ahead of time. We were turned down a couple of times because of waiting too long to buy tickets. Even so, it is worth the wait! read more

I have heard great things about the observatory, so I was looking forward to checking it out with my man friend. The website recommends ordering tickets in advance and it also tells you for which dates tickets are still available - I was in luck as Valentine's Day tickets were still available. I called last weekend to order tickets over the phone for the following weekend. I was tersely told to "call back Monday." Okay... I call back on Monday (today) in order to purchase tickets only to be told that tickets for this Friday are now sold out. Not impressed with their customer service at all. read more