LIGO Livingston Science Education Center

ObservatoryLaboratoryLivingston, LAOpen

Open to the public only on the first Saturday of each month; the detector is not open to visitors at other times.

How to visit: official page ↗Open in Google Maps Apple Maps Satellite view

Gravitational-wave detector in Louisiana with a hands-on exhibit hall and guided tours of its control room, open to the public one Saturday a month.

LIGO Livingston Science Education Center — Photo: Amber Stuver, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ways to visit

Science Saturdays: exhibit hall and guided facility tour Open

Held the first Saturday of each month.

What you see

Exhibits, Inside tourligo.caltech.edu, 2026-11-05

How

Walk in, Scheduled tourligo.caltech.edu, 2026-11-05

When

First Saturday of each month, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours run every 30 to 60 minutes; arrive by 2:30 p.m. to join one. Tour schedules may vary in summer. Not open to the public at other times.Closed: Every day except the first Saturday of the monthligo.caltech.edu, 2026-11-05 · ligo.caltech.edu, 2026-11-05

Booking

Not required · same day possible · on site or by emailDrop in. No advance reservations for groups under 20; groups of 20 or more email the outreach address the week before.ligo.caltech.edu, 2026-11-05

Cost

FreeScience Saturdays are free.ligo.caltech.edu, 2026-11-05

Requirements

Minimum age: No. Described as suitable for all ages.
Photography: Yes. Photography is welcome; do not record staff without their permission.

Not stated on the official page: photo ID, citizenship, residency, height, fitness and accessibility, safety gear, personal details in advance.Photo ID: No ID rule is stated.Fitness and accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, though the site tour includes a gentle slope.ligo.caltech.edu, 2026-11-05

About

LIGO Livingston is one of four gravitational-wave detectors in the world, and its Science Education Center has more than 40 interactive exhibits. The public can visit on Science Saturdays, the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when guided tours take in the control room and, weather permitting, a view of one of the 4 km detector arms. Admission is free and no booking is needed for small groups. The site is not open to the public on other days because the detector is sensitive to vibration.

Run by: Caltech and MIT (LIGO Laboratory).

Getting there

Livingston, LA, 70754

The page gives only a Livingston, LA 70754 address. Coordinates are for the Livingston detector site. The site has a driving directions page: check it before you go.

The pin marks the site itself, not necessarily the entrance (30.56289, -90.77424). Show on our map · Google Maps · Apple Maps

LIGO Livingston outreach (groups of 20 or more): outreach@ligo-la.caltech.edu

Science Saturdays ↗

Last checked 2026-11-05. Sources are listed below.

Sources

ligo.caltech.edu/LA/page/Tours · official page · read 2026-11-05For: name; who runs it; Science Saturdays: exhibit hall and guided facility tour: open or closed; Science Saturdays: exhibit hall and guided facility tour: days and hours
wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityData/Q2553… · Wikidata · read 2026-11-05For: location
ligo.caltech.edu/LA/page/Science-Saturdays · official page · read 2026-11-05For: city; phone and email; Science Saturdays: exhibit hall and guided facility tour: what you see; Science Saturdays: exhibit hall and guided facility tour: kind of visit; Science Saturdays: exhibit hall and guided facility tour: days and hours; Science Saturdays: exhibit hall and guided facility tour: booking; Science Saturdays: exhibit hall and guided facility tour: cost; Science Saturdays: exhibit hall and guided facility tour: requirements

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