Access to the Observatory grounds is ONLY allowed for visitors with passes, and capacity limits are enforced.
Visiting on April 29 or 30, 2022? Check out special programs during the Dark Skies Festival!
Join us for the following activities at the McDonald Observatory Frank N Bash Visitors Center.
| Adults | DISCOUNT: Military Senior (65+) Locals Students (5+) |
Children under 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
General Admission Guided Tours Solar Viewings Star Party |
$3 $10 $5 $25 |
$3* $8* $5 $20 |
$3 $5 $5 $5 |
*Locals receive free daytime General Admission and Guided Tours. "Locals" are residents of our tri-county area (Jeff Davis, Brewster, and Presidio) with valid proof of residency.
Please include all members of your party in your reservation (including passes for children of any age). Please contact us for more information or to let us know if you have special needs.
Programs may be cancelled at any time due to weather or public health concerns. Evening programs take place mostly outdoors.
Are you visiting with a GROUP (15+ people)? Please see our Group Reservations page.
Teachers - planning for a K-12 school visit? Please see our K-12 Visits page.
Important: McDonald Observatory, part of the University of Texas at Austin, is located 450 miles west of Austin and is on Central Time.
Use the tools below to buy passes. The system defaults to one adult pass. If you don't need that pass, click the number field and select zero.
Amphitheater with Milky Way (horizontal)
