Green Bank Telescope

"We opted to do the guided tour with the bus and we didn’t regret it! Our guide (I want to say Noreen but I could be wrong!!) was fun, friendly and shared a lot of facts on the different telescopes that you can see (from afar on the minibus, no touching and no going passed secured gates!!). There’s also a 10-minute movie prior to the tour (included in the price). Visiting the hands-on exhibit and the observation deck is free and worth a look!"

"Well, anyone who grew up in and around West Virginia in the 90's know how much us country folk love our satellite dishes. We'll it appears some old farmer has gone to the extreme this thing is huge. I'm only half kidding about the satellite dish reference as one of the facts we learned on "The SETI tour was that one of the smallest dishes was a modified satellite dish kit. At least that what I think she said, though I was on the back of the bus and half paying attention (to busy carrying on a side conversation with the guy sitting next to me he was a neat old fella.) The SETI tour or even the general tour are well worth it and this is an amazing place that reminds you of how small we all are. Very humbling!"

"This place is really awesome to see up close. Walking trails will take you right up to the scope!! It’s very quiet and serene! You can see it from at least a couple of miles out depending on the route you’re on. Technically, you’re not supposed to have any digital devices on in certain areas (and cell coverage is basically non-existent b/c it’s in the National Radio Quiet Zone). There is a science center and they also do tours but I haven’t participated in either so can’t comment on those. People apparently come out and fly kites on the property as well given the open nature of the “park”."

"Tours are $10 each, 11, 1, 3. If you get there after the last tour, you can probably go into the gift shop. The gift shop has more things for kids than you could shake a stick at. They have what they call a cafe, which is a tiny little cubby bar with coffee and sodas. Probably a sandwich, it was so tiny. Because we stayed at Boyer Motel and Restaurant, we got a personal and up close view of this awesome place. The land, the pump house, everything. I was enthralled. The air smells so sweet up there. So we skipped the tour of the telescope because to me, people win out over things. I was so honored and privileged to receive a personal tour and information about this place, I am forever grateful Frank Murphy. Just looking at the telescope through the window, seeing the 1950s vehicles, it was a thrill just that! The whole place for me was a thrill even though I did not go on a tour of the telescope. I wish they had tours later than 3:00."

"I’ve been wanting to see this for 40 years and finally had a chance. Truly magnificent. You cannot take phone photos within 1.5 miles of the large telescope but you can still walk to it and I highly recommend doing so because you walk by all of the other telescopes on the way. The solar system model is the best I’ve seen. The surrounding terrain is magnificent. Amazing discoveries have been made from here !"