yerkes observatory

Very cool and interesting part of star observing history . FREE! Great for families ,couples, everyone. The grounds are a pleasant walking area and the exterior building is a fascinating game of I Spy

Visit the place that even Albert Einstein visited which features the largest refracting telescope and where Hollywood movies were once made, this local historic landmark offers tours and a chance to see what our universe is all about, this is an absolute famous tourist attraction and place to visit when in Williams Bay, its famous rotunda is featured in our Village logo and we locals remain proud of its location here in the Bay, please do not miss visiting Yerkes during your stay or visit in Williams Bay!!!

If you have the opportunity to visit Yerkes, do it! The history alone is worth a visit. To be in the same areas that Einstein studied is amazing. The grounds are beautiful too!

The staff at the observatory did an outstanding job with the history of the building and Yerkes himself. The architecture is beautifully done and while they did have some construction going on it did not subtract from the experience. Getting to go into the dome was beyond any expectation I may have had - its a shame the telescope is decommissioned but it is an awesome site to see. Couldn't get in on the scheduling to view through a different instrument but planning to return to do so this season. This is a great experience for anyone who finds architecture or astrology interesting. Technically no fee but a donation of $5 per person is actively encouraged...more if you can afford it. Absolutely worth it.If you go - see if you can spot Spider Man in the dome.

Beautiful building with what i thought was a huge telescope, but with the tour guides help learned it is small compared to what is out there now. Very interesting tour, only 45 minutes about a subject i Know nothing about. worth seeing if you are in the Lake Geneva/Williams Bay area. Boy scout troop on our tour and it kept their interest for about 20 minutes, so kids may like it.

We stumbled across the observatory on a frigid day, read the sign that they give tours, $25 a group whether your group is 1 or 5. Since we were cold, curious and standing at the door we said we wanted a tour. What a great place to explore. The guide knew his stuff. He was a bit technical but then cleared it up with some examples, sunlight and a piece of paper. The building itself is a delight to see and full of unanswered questions about why the architect did what he did. But it is an impressive place considering when it was built. I wanted to explore the gift shop thoroughly but were were obviously an interruption to the woman who had to drag herself from her office to take our money and wait for us to be gone so she could lock up. We wandered around the grounds at our leisure and saw our guide and the gift shop lady leaving for lunch. So that might explain the hurry to be rid of us. Other than feeling pushed out the door, the place was a nice stop.

Loved looking at all the carvings and could have stayed all day looking at the architecture and the history.

Yerkes Observatory is a special spot, especially for us nerds. It houses the largest refractor telescope in the world and, in it's day, was a prime science facility. It is still used for science and continues as a useful instrument. I have taken various granddaughters several times to instill the wonder of science. Yerkes does not disappoint to widen their eyes and bring a new perspective. It is a treasure that such a place is only a short drive away.

A jewel on the landscape of Williams Bay above beautiful Geneva Lake in Wisconsin, Yerkes Observatory built in 1895 and completed in 1897 stands frozen in time. A testament to the vision and mind of George Ellery Hale to build the 40 inch refracting telescope, at the time the largest in the world. First exhibited at the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair, it was clear it needed a permanent home and Mr. Hale set out to find his benefactor in the likes of Charles Tyson Yerkes, for which the observatory is named. The massive 90 foot dome would be impressive enough, but this was not enough for Hale's vision of a functioning observatory. Building blueprints encompassed more telescopes and areas for research. The building is a marvel of architecture designed and built by the renowned Chicago architect firm of Henry Ives Cobb. Am I seeming like somewhat of an expert here? Well thanks to the always free Saturday tours at Yerkes established way back when the building was first dedicated, this is time well spent. There is a donation box of $5.00 per person (not required, but clearly needed to help with a tiny portion to maintain this landmark) the donation is easily worth the $20.00 I contributed after the thrilling architecture and research facility facts I learned from our knowledgeable and well versed tour guide, Dan Koehler. At the end of our tour he recommended a night visit to the observatory for intimate viewing through the 24 inch big telescope, which proved even more spectacular. Viewing the rings of Saturn were spectacular! Four satellites passed directly overhead at different intervals and all traveling in opposite directions (I called it just one making U-turns). Mr. Koehler's expertise at finding visible objects was sheer perfection. I would rate this experience six stars with two globular clusters! By all means treat yourself to a lifetime experience and visit Yerkes Observatory and especially the night viewing; dress warmly. For night viewing reservations which are limited to small groups and weather conditions, contact Dan Koehler at dkoehler@yerkes.uchicago.edu

The building is beautiful. To understand the architecture helps understand the science. The free Saturday tour is wonderful. (A $5 per person donation is suggested, and well worth it.). We did that, and also paid for a nightly group viewing session for $30 each. Wow, Dan knows his stuff. We viewed the moon, Saturn, and other celestial objects over several hours. It was amazing, and even to the uninitiated, he makes it accessible and interesting. We hope to return at different points of the yr when different objects are visible. Thank you to the friendly and knowledgable team there. I hope you get the $100k needed to allow digital photography thru the large telescope. That will be spectacular!

Live in Wisconsin more than 25 years but never have a chance to check out this place. Yesterday, a friend invited me to join them for a day trip to William's bay, and I check out this attraction. The tour is good, the architecture is interesting even it was not the best. Recommend to check out the George William college, which is one of the oldest Wisconsin college. the campus admin building has the best view of lake Geneva.

Our son-in-law suggested a day trip to William's Bay and Lake Geneva. He knows I like architecture so recommended that we check out the observatory. Sadly we had missed the last tour, go early if you want a guided tour. However, the very friendly volunteers and staff let us in to look at the main entrance foyer and gave us a brief history of the building. After a quick visit to the gift shop, we picnicked on the grounds before we strolled the paths around the observatory and took the trail down to George Williams College of Aurora University. After reading the reviews, stating that the tour is more about architecture, I am even more disappointed we did not make the last tour. The building is amazing. It sits in a beautiful park like setting that is obviously popular with events. Vendors were setting up for an evening wedding on the grounds. It is a short walk away from a the beautiful George Williams College, which was preparing for one of their many musical performances. Plan to spend more time in the area and take in a performance.

This place is definitely worth one's time, but the tour focuses more on the building's architecture and history than on the science/technology side. So, if you're a science geek, you may be somewhat disappointed in the Sat. public tours. Try the other options with costs but views.

I recently viewed a dvd about the Hubble telescope and they began at the beginning which included one man's passion (George Hale) and another man's pride (Charles Yerkes) If you are in the area, this place is worth a visit. The grounds are beautiful. The building is covered with many unique architectural forms. Volunteers with a passion for their subject give you a rich history of the observatory during tours on Saturdays. For families with young children who knows what a visit could eventually lead to...imagine years later: "my passion for space exploration began as a child when I visited Yerkes"...or as an architect...or as who knows.

Having been a science teacher with a specialty in astronomy, I have a keen interest in observing instruments. The 40 inch refractor at Yerkes was, and is, the largest refracting telescope in the world. When it opened, it was an important scientific instrument. Sadly, technology has long since passed it by. That it is still there and kept up is important and amazing in this throw-away society.I came wanting to see the scope itself and was blown away by the architecture. The architect was truly a wizard and had a sense of humor.Open to the public only on Saturday, tours are at 10, 11 and noon. My wife and I are paying extra for a private, more extensive tour on Monday.I have now completed (at least for the moment) my bucket list for the largest optical telescopes (Yerkes, Mt. Wilson, Palomar, and Keck.)