Westport Observatory

"Awesome volunteer-run observatory. They are open to the public on some Wednesday nights, can check their website for info because depends if weather is clear and sky is visible. Very welcoming and knowledgeable crowd, excited to share their passion for astronomy, really cool experience overall!!"

"every wednesday unless it's cloudy, they come out and let you use the telescopes, though they do the pointing. pretty good all things considered. Can't help the location but light pollution from the town and parkway hurts, though not through the telescopes that much. great views of astronomical objects through the telescopes, and members can sign up for classes on how to use the telescopes. nice monthly lectures, and a few other things. all in all, a great organization that does a lot."

"It was charming, nothing grand, locally run, visitors mostly families with children, great vibe."

"Explanation for 4 star review at bottom! First time going and although it was a full moon, I was able to see Jupiter and a few other planets. Still takes tour breath away to see it in person and not on tv. The older gentlemen running the program were very informative and helpful, even with the history of the old army base where the tower now sits One negative thing; the younger gentleman in the field with equipment (dare I use improper terminology cause he may get in a tizzy) was VERY rude. I’m not an astronomer, clearly as he mad civilians aware of that, and was very ungrateful that we were even there trying learn. I was simply in awe of seeing such a spectacular sight that I stated it looked fake, and his response was far from comforting (I obviously know it’s not up close and detailed, but seeing it for the first time was breathtaking and he literally ripped that experience from me with his negativity and rudeness) A few others, as well as my party, didn’t know where to go first or at all or how to operate such intimidating equipment other than a basic telescope or binoculars. Not sure if he was a volunteer, but I would NOT come back if he wasn’t!"

"My girlfriend and I visited on the 10th of June, which is their weekly free and open-to-the-public night. It is a little tricky to find the observatory, especially at night, but if you just continue all the way down the road you will find the observatory just fine. We were initially a little intimidated by the amount of cars and people, and did not know where we should be. We decided to walk to the top of the observatory and immediately met two very nice gentlemen who were operating the telescope and showing us (among others) stars and planets. The two members were incredibly knowledgeable and were willing to answer my many questions. We saw incredible views of Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, nebula's, galaxies, and many other interesting night sky objects. After looking through the indoor 12.5" telescope for quite awhile, we went out on the lawn to see the 25" telescope. That telescope was quite a sight to see, I believe they said it was 14' tall and required a ladder to look through. I was impressed tremendously that the gentleman operating it was able to find night sky objects so easily. The view was even more excellent from this scope. Overall, it was a great experience and a lot of fun. My girlfriend and I actually enjoyed it so much that we signed up for membership at the observatory, which is very reasonable. I would highly recommend visiting to anyone interested in astronomy, stargazing, space, or simply looking for something enjoyable (and free) to do on a Wednesday night."