Green Bank Observatory Science Center

The place is out of this world.Within the National Radio Quiet Zone,which means no cell service for a few miles around it(no calls,no text and no map directions 🙃),the place is worth visiting for a science lover.Very interesting and informative.
Worlds largest radio telescope is here which is a must see.Admission is free and the tour of the facility is minimal($6).
There is a cool gift shop with lots of nerdy stuff and a lil snack bar too.

We stumbled upon the Green Bank observatory actually by accident. Had no idea of its existence. We had a really great time learning about he telescope and exploring their property. The inside exhibits seemed a little dated, but the kids enjoyed interacting with them. The staff was very informative and fun. The gift shop had lots of cool science related gifts. There’s a little cafe inside that serves sandwiches and milk shakes.

Absolutely love this place! It was amazing to hear the history of the observatory and see these massive telescopes up close! The facility is very well kept and includes a nice gift shop. The guides were very knowledgeable as well! Can’t wait to go back! Just remember that you won’t have cell service when you visit!

Very informative, the tour guide was super friendly and the interactive exhibits were really cool!

A must-see sight for this area
It is hard to miss the absolutely massive satellite dish as you are driving down the road. We did not even know that this site was there when we planned our vacation. We were driving and saw it on the side of the road. This location has several things to see to include a visitors center, a self-guided tour, and a guided tour. The entire site is in the middle of a “Quiet Zone” that covers a large portion of the area meaning that your radio and cell phone coverage is probably severely limited so bring a map or download the map for the area to your phone. The visitor’s center was at the front of the site. You enter through the gift shop. Entry was about $5/person. They show you a film about the observatory history and the quiet zone. The timeline and history are displayed on the walls near the film auditorium. There is a wonderful science center with several hands-on displays to include a thermal camera, pulsar simulator, 3-d star map, and more. It was fascinating. All the staff was very friendly and helpful. This site also has a small cafeteria that has an excellent boxed lunch deal. We ordered a boxed lunch and the lady that made it brought it out to us when we had moved to another portion of the building. Afterward, you can go outside and get closer to the large telescopes or, if you pay and schedule it, you can get on the guided tour but with no active electronics. Overall, it is an absolutely great place to visit and I highly recommend it to fellow travelers for the site, the staff, and the price.

The Green Bank Observatory Science Center is a must see if you are in the area. For $10 you get a ticket to enter the science museum and check out all the interesting displays. You also get a bus tour of all the telescopes on the property. It's well worth it. I would have given it a 5 star rating, however some of the displays were no longer working in the center.

Know going in you cannot take photos beyond a certain point. If you are wanting to take pictures you need to bring a disposable camera. We did the bus tour I highly recommend it. Before the bus tour there is a little presentation and a 10 minute film. Masks are still required here. The gift shop has some cool stuff and the science center is neat for all ages. The staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. There is no cell service in this area.

As a science and space nerd, I have been eagerly awaiting an opportunity to finally see the GBT up close and I was not disappointed. Standing a hundred feet taller than the Statue of Liberty, it's an engineering wonder. The tour of the facility was entertaining and informative. Our guide was highly knowledgeable and even performed some science for our group with liquid nitrogen. Now that's cool! (literally!) Another must see if you're in the area.