McDonald Observatory Frank N. Bash Visitors Center
Formerly McDonald Observatory
West Texas research observatory with a visitors center, daytime tours of two large telescopes and evening star parties under very dark skies. Tickets are required and sell out in busy seasons.
Ways to visit
General admission (exhibits and self-guided summits) Open
- What you see
- Visitor center, Exhibits, View from outsidemcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- How
- Walk inmcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- When
- MonTueWedThuFriSatSunTuesday to Saturday, 12 to 5 p.m. Central Time; closed Sunday and Monday. All visitors check in at the Frank N. Bash Visitors Center. Entry includes the exhibit gallery and a self-guided drive to the Mount Locke and Mount Fowlkes summits.Closed: Sundays, MondaysCalendar ↗mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Booking
- Not stated · online or on siteReservations are recommended at least three weeks ahead; programs often sell out in busy periods. Some discount tickets are reserved in person.Book (mcdonaldobservatory.org) ↗mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26 · mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Cost
- PaidGeneral admission: $3Free for residents of Jeff Davis, Brewster and Presidio counties (proof of residency) and for members. Free for University of Texas faculty, staff and students, and for ASTC Passport and NARM members (card shown in person). Tickets are needed for every visitor, children included.mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Requirements
- Minimum age: No. Tickets are required for children of any age; minors must be accompanied by an adult.
Solar viewing (visitors center theater) Open
- What you see
- Exhibits, Visitor centermcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- How
- Scheduled tour, Timed ticketmcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- When
- MonTueWedThuFriSatSunTuesday to Saturday at 1 p.m. Central Time, 45 to 50 minutes. Includes general admission.Calendar ↗mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Booking
- Not stated · onlineReservations are recommended; programs sell out in busy periods.Book (mcdonaldobservatory.org) ↗mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Cost
- PaidSolar viewing (includes general admission): $5Members pay the same $5.mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Requirements
- Minimum age: No. Tickets are required for children of any age; minors must be accompanied by an adult.
Guided tour of the Harlan J. Smith and Hobby-Eberly telescopes Open
The page says the tour is occasionally altered for research activity, crowds or severe weather.
- What you see
- Inside tour, Exhibitsmcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- How
- Scheduled tour, Timed ticketmcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- When
- MonTueWedThuFriSatSunTuesday to Saturday at 2 p.m. Central Time, 90 to 120 minutes. The group starts at the visitors center, then goes up Mount Locke and Mount Fowlkes; visitors may drive their own vehicle or ride the limited-seat shuttle.Calendar ↗mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26 · mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Booking
- Not stated · onlineReservations are recommended at least three weeks ahead. No refund if you arrive after the group has left the visitors center.Book (mcdonaldobservatory.org) ↗mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Cost
- PaidGuided tour, low end of listed range: $5 · Guided tour, high end of listed range: $10Listed as $5 to $10 (members $4 to $8); the page does not say which tickets cost which. Free for residents of Jeff Davis, Brewster and Presidio counties. Military, seniors 65+, students 5+ and children under 5 get discounts, chosen at checkout. Includes general admission.mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26 · mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Requirements
- Minimum age: No. Audience is all ages; tickets are required for children of any age.
82-inch Telescope guided tour (select Saturdays) Open
Offered only on select Saturdays; dates are on the program calendar.
- What you see
- Inside tourmcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- How
- Scheduled tour, Timed ticketmcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- When
- Select Saturdays only, 60 to 75 minutes. Includes general admission.Calendar ↗mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Booking
- Not stated · onlineReservations are recommended; programs sell out in busy periods.Book (mcdonaldobservatory.org) ↗mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Cost
- Paid82-inch telescope tour, low end of listed range: $5 · 82-inch telescope tour, high end of listed range: $10Listed as $5-10; it does not say which tickets cost which.mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Requirements
- Minimum age: No. All ages. Tickets are required for children of any age; minors must be accompanied by an adult.
- Fitness and accessibility: Yes. Not wheelchair accessible: the dome floor is up a flight of stairs.
Star Party (open-air constellation tour and telescope viewing) Open
Evening start times follow sunset, so they change through the year. If clouds block the sky, staff email ticket holders and offer indoor talks and demonstrations. Screens, light sticks, light-up shoes and green lasers are not allowed in the Telescope Park and Amphitheater.
- What you see
- Grounds, Exhibitsmcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- How
- Scheduled tour, Timed ticket · about 2 hoursmcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- When
- About 2 hours; days and times vary by season and are set on the program calendar. The plan page gives evening programs as 7:00-9:00 p.m. in winter and 9:45-11:45 p.m. in summer (Central Time). The visitors center opens an hour before the party; arrive at least 15 minutes early.Calendar ↗mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26 · mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26 · mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Booking
- Not stated · onlineStar parties often sell out in busy periods and around 300 people can attend an ordinary night, so advance reservations are advised.Book (mcdonaldobservatory.org) ↗mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Cost
- PaidStar Party, low end of listed range: $5 · Star Party, high end of listed range: $25Listed as $5-$25; the page does not say which tickets cost which. Includes general admission. Members get 1 to 6 free passes a year. Residents of Jeff Davis, Brewster and Presidio counties and some other groups get discounts at checkout.mcdonaldobservatory.org, 2026-10-26
- Requirements
- Minimum age: No. Audience is all ages; tickets are required for children of any age.
About
McDonald Observatory is a research observatory in the Davis Mountains. Its visitors center is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday afternoons, with exhibits, a self-guided drive to two summits, a solar viewing session and a guided tour of the Harlan J. Smith and Hobby-Eberly telescopes. Evening star parties use 8 to 22 inch telescopes and are held on a schedule that changes with the seasons. Special viewing nights on the 36-inch and 82-inch research telescopes cost $100 to $150 and are not covered here.
Run by: McDonald Observatory.
Getting there
3640 Dark Sky Dr, Fort Davis, TX, 79734
About 16 miles north of Fort Davis on Highway 118 in the Davis Mountains, 450 miles west of Austin. The site is on Central Time. No fuel is sold at the observatory, mobile coverage is poor and there is no public WiFi.
The pin marks the site itself, not necessarily the entrance (30.67140, -104.02200). Apple Maps directions go to the street address instead. Show on our map · Google Maps · Apple Maps
Visitors Center: 432-426-3640Reservations: reservations@mcdonaldobservatory.org
Last checked 2026-10-26. Sources are listed below.
Sources
- mcdonaldobservatory.org/visit/ · official page · read 2026-10-26For: name; who runs it; General admission (exhibits and self-guided summits): open or closed; General admission (exhibits and self-guided summits): days and hours; General admission (exhibits and self-guided summits): booking; General admission (exhibits and self-guided summits): cost; Solar viewing (visitors center theater): open or closed; Solar viewing (visitors center theater): what you see; Solar viewing (visitors center theater): kind of visit; Solar viewing (visitors center theater): days and hours; Solar viewing (visitors center theater): booking; Solar viewing (visitors center theater): cost; Guided tour of the Harlan J. Smith and Hobby-Eberly telescopes: days and hours; Guided tour of the Harlan J. Smith and Hobby-Eberly telescopes: cost; 82-inch Telescope guided tour (select Saturdays): open or closed; 82-inch Telescope guided tour (select Saturdays): what you see; 82-inch Telescope guided tour (select Saturdays): kind of visit; 82-inch Telescope guided tour (select Saturdays): days and hours; 82-inch Telescope guided tour (select Saturdays): booking; 82-inch Telescope guided tour (select Saturdays): cost; Star Party (open-air constellation tour and telescope viewing): kind of visit; Star Party (open-air constellation tour and telescope viewing): days and hours; Star Party (open-air constellation tour and telescope viewing): cost
- wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityData/Q1536… · Wikidata · read 2026-10-26For: location
- mcdonaldobservatory.org/visit/directions/ · official page · read 2026-10-26For: street address; directions; phone and email
- mcdonaldobservatory.org/visit/tickets/ · official page · read 2026-10-26For: phone and email; General admission (exhibits and self-guided summits): kind of visit; General admission (exhibits and self-guided summits): booking; General admission (exhibits and self-guided summits): requirements; Solar viewing (visitors center theater): requirements; Guided tour of the Harlan J. Smith and Hobby-Eberly telescopes: booking; 82-inch Telescope guided tour (select Saturdays): requirements
- mcdonaldobservatory.org/visit/general-admission/ · official page · read 2026-10-26For: General admission (exhibits and self-guided summits): what you see
- mcdonaldobservatory.org/visit/guided-tours/ · official page · read 2026-10-26For: Guided tour of the Harlan J. Smith and Hobby-Eberly telescopes: open or closed; Guided tour of the Harlan J. Smith and Hobby-Eberly telescopes: what you see; Guided tour of the Harlan J. Smith and Hobby-Eberly telescopes: kind of visit; Guided tour of the Harlan J. Smith and Hobby-Eberly telescopes: days and hours; Guided tour of the Harlan J. Smith and Hobby-Eberly telescopes: requirements
- mcdonaldobservatory.org/visit/plan/ · official page · read 2026-10-26For: Guided tour of the Harlan J. Smith and Hobby-Eberly telescopes: cost; Star Party (open-air constellation tour and telescope viewing): days and hours; Star Party (open-air constellation tour and telescope viewing): requirements
- mcdonaldobservatory.org/visit/82-telescope-tour/ · official page · read 2026-10-26For: 82-inch Telescope guided tour (select Saturdays): requirements
- mcdonaldobservatory.org/visit/star-party/ · official page · read 2026-10-26For: Star Party (open-air constellation tour and telescope viewing): open or closed; Star Party (open-air constellation tour and telescope viewing): what you see; Star Party (open-air constellation tour and telescope viewing): booking; Star Party (open-air constellation tour and telescope viewing): requirements
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