Yerkes Observatory

Lots of great history here. Hard for little ones to stay entertained. Also great for architectural buffs as the building very ornate

My husband and I went up there on a Tuesday in the spring and there was a fairly large group. It was interesting and beautiful. We are already planning a trip back.

Found a 2 for 1 admission groupon and decided to check it out with my husband on a Monday during non-​tourist season. The tour started at 11am, there is a sign on the door that someone would come out 5 minutes prior but someone opened it for us 15 minutes prior when we arrived.
Our guide, I believe Tom was his name, gave a thorough history of how the observatory was built and pointed out stories behind some of the architectural details. At the end, we walked into the 40 inch refractor telescope area. Note — you don’t get to look thru the telescope during this tour. They have special programs for that which I might go on with my dad who is a large astronomy buff.
You pay at the end and there is also a small gift shop. We had about 12 people on our tour including us — the gift shop was cramped so I handed my groupon and we left. This link has info about Saturday verses the weekday tours
If you have those in your group interested in astronomy and/​or architecture, then this is a great place to visit.

The exterior architecture of this building is fantastic.

Absolutely fabulous — this was one if the best and most fun things I found to do in Lake Geneva.
The Yerkes Observatory was opened in 1895, funded by a financier named Yerkes, as part of the University of Chicago. First of all, the building is magnificent. The style is mainly gothic with ornate carvings inside and out. One of the things that makes this really terrific is the people who do the tours know all about it and love what they do.
When built, the telescope was the largest optical telescope ever made. Unfortunately, the tours are during the day so we did not get to actually use the scope. But, they do occasionally open for evening tours. We tried to sign up for one, but they canceled it due to uncertain weather.
The tour takes you through only some of the facility. While the primary scope is no longer used, there are people who study and work at Yerkes. We had to stay out of their way.
The highlight of the tour is going up to the observatory to see and learn about the telescope and the room it is in. The observatory is quite large. The floor is round. What makes it most interesting is the entire floor raises and lowers to bring observers up to the telescope eyepiece. Normally, the floor is down so tourists can simply walk out onto it. We were very fortunate that some work was being done that caused them to raise the floor. We were able to watch the floor being lowered by the hydraulics.
The cost of the tour is $ 8 per person, which is collected in their gift shop after the tour is over. They have the normal selection of t-​shirts and hats. They also have lots of kid’s toys. And, if you have a real interest in astronomy, they have books, photographs, and even glass slides taken through the scope.

The Tardis lives!
Look at the pictures and you’ll see what I mean. The tour was fascinating and informative. They even raised and lowered the floor and rotated the dome. A step back in time. The architectural details were over the top. Gorgeous. Wow!

Highly recommended. Beautiful grounds and fantastic 40″ refracting telescope that dates back to 1893. Lots of tie-​ins to Chicago history, from the Columbian Exposition to Frederick Law Olmsted-​designed landscaping to Charles Yerkes, the scheming transportation magnate who helped create «The Loop» in Chicago, as well as the London Underground. Take advantage of this great public space and view the wonders of our solar system when you are anywhere in the area!

Amazing! Happen to be here on a very rainy day. Still able to enjoy the fabulous architecture and astronomical history which was established in 1897. The tour guides are extremely knowledgeable.

We decided to add some education to our Lake Geneva vacation and stopped here for the tour. It was quite an interesting tour which included seeing the large telescope and the platform it is on. In addition they had many other exhibits on display about science. The ground were well kept and allowed for pictures at a distance from all sides. There is no fee for the tour however they do ask a donation of five dollars in order for upkeep which is very reasonable. There is also a gift shop with many interesting items available.

This place is so fantastic! I can’t believe I have friends & coworkers who visit Lake Geneva regularly who haven’t even been here or noticed it’s giant dome on the horizon! They give tours on Saturdays at 10, 11 & Noon — the tours are free but they don’t mind a kind donation to help maintain things. The architecture alone, both inside and out, is gorgeous. You can completely walk the grounds to admire the outside. The tour guides are brimming with knowledge & enthusiasm & a bit of humor, too. There are plenty of displays & photos & a little museum inside too, along with a gift shop. It’s a very short drive from downtown Lake Geneva so if you are in the area, check it out!

I had a great time at Yerkes on one of their regular Saturday tours, offered at 10am, 11am, and noon. This is well worth the suggested $ 5/​person donation.
As we were there over the 4^th of July weekend, there was a large group waiting to begin the tour. We ended up being split into two groups, each doing a different part of the tour at the same time.
My tour started with our guide taking us outside and explaining some of the history of architecture of the building and continued inside. It truly is a wonderful building to see with old architectural elements. We were also told of the history behind how the observatory came to be built — it’s funding, it’s designer, and some of it’s past discoveries.
For the second part of the tour, we were taken inside the dome to see the refracting telescope. A very neat experience, as the astronomer moved the dome, moved the telescope, and even moved the floor of the telescope.
Both guides welcomed any and all questions. You could tell they knew a lot about the building and astronomy. I totally geeked out and loved the whole experience.
There is a little gift shop located in the observatory. They have black and white postcards for $ 0.25-$ 0.50, as well as some science items for children, and of course, Yerkes Observatory apparel. You bet that my husband took home a t-​shirt for $ 13.
Overall, a great time. i would highly recommend to anyone — with or without kids.

Just relocated to this area and plan a visit to this icon soon!
Question…where can one purchase a nice black and white photo of the Observatory… would like to have it framed.
Is there a gift shop on the grounds?
Thank you.

My wife turned me on to this place even though she has not had training in science:
This place is so cool on a number of levels: archhitecture, history, academic politics/​culture at the U. of Chicago, technology (the whole floor can me moved up and down so the the astronomer won’t have to climb a ladder in the dark!), astronomy (science and history), lovely grounds, programs for the disabled, and symbols. And Spider Man!
I love Kimberly N’s and Kate M’s reviews.

If you live in or visit this area, definitely stop here. It is beautiful, even for those clueless about astronomy. The tour is insightful and fun.
I visited Yerkes in ’04 while staying at the Lazy Cloud (see my review). It was snowy, serene, and beautiful. I still have a picture of Einstein taken (and purchased at) at Yerkes hanging in my office.

Holds the largest refracting telescope in the world — this place is not only a marvel of space, but the architecture of the place is amazing.
For free, or a small donation, you can visit this place on weekends.
Currently it is waiting to determine its fate as development company’s lie in wait to build around the historic landmark.

LOVE IT!!!

Besides the lake, this is Williams Bay’s big claim o’ fame, and with good reason — the University of Chicago built it in the late 1800s, and for about a hundred years it housed the world’s largest refracting telescope. Scientists from all over came up to Yerkes to study the night sky, as the observatory is convenient to Chicago and Milwaukee but far enough to offer an unobstructed view of the stars. In fact, there is an amazing photograph dated about 1925 I think where a bunch of serioius-​looking astronomers are sitting under the giant dome. At the very end of the row is a small little man with wild white hair and big eyes dressed to the nines in a suit — Albert Einstein. I still get the shivers when I go in there and think about him looking through that giant telescope. Awesome.
The obervatory is sadly no longer in the Guiness Book, as some lame place in Arizona stole our thunder; but it is still a premier facility for U of Chicago professors and experts of the sky. You can tour for free on Saturdays, and often during meteor showers or rare comet sightings, they’ll have night tours where they’ll let us normal folk come in and look through the scope.
The grounds are vast and green and beautiful; the buildling itself it covered with intricated stone carvings of gargoyles and globes and is architecturally very unique.
Another fun fact: the crappy late 90s’ movie «Chain Reaction» with Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman and Rachel Weisz was filmed partially on Observatory grounds, too. It was pretty much the biggest thing our town had ever seen.
Except, possibly, for Mr. Albert Einstein studying the night sky on our turf. That’s sorta cool, too.
;)