Greenbank. The main reason we can't get cell phone service at the cabin or anywhere in the area thanks to the NROA dead zone. It's important research, Sagittarius A* the massive black hole at the center of our galaxy that holds everything in place was discovered here. Personally I like the conspiracy theory that the big dish is used to communicate with aliens downloading decades old messages and replying with the same time frame. I mean, have you ever seen how small the power is used by the Voyager probes to communicate with NASA? Alien signals are going to be way smaller. If you didn't know you can walk past the gate arm and walk back to the big dish. Do not walk past the chain link fence unless you want to be greeted by a team of armed commandos who will roll up on you with a diesel powered UTV. There is an amazing science center with tons of interactive exhibits inside and it's free. They also have a wired internet connection for your phone. Seriously. You plug in this ethernet adapter to your lightning or USB-C port and magically your phone works again...you can even make a call! I have heard you can jump on newly permitted wifi down at the elementary school as well. Surprisingly they have two J1772 electric vehicle chargers at the building across from the visitors center. You need to by an EV charging pass for $3 at the gift shop. It's good for the entire day so if you drive down to Cass or up to Durbin and want to stop and charge again you are welcome to. We did the bus tour which was $10 per person. They take all of your electronics...phones, watches, AirPods..anything that generates a signal. This is because the bus takes you to all of the telescopes. You can't even use your digital camera there...only film. So I have no close up photos of the radio dishes, just from far away at the observation deck which is great for a family pic. If you walk past the gate they ask you to leave all electronics in your car. Science is happening people and it is important! You don't want us to miss the last text from Alf or ET do you??? There is also a food court but the food is just okay. I'd recommend the new Rustic Roots Bar and Grill in Durbin a few miles away...it was fantastic. read more

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They have a great free interactive museum that really explains what goes on here. You can pay $10 for the bus tour which we would've liked to have done but are only offered certain times and we would've had to wait. Very informative! read more

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We had a great time here.. a must see if you're in the area! Take the 10 Dollar tour or be prepared to walk a couple miles or ride a bike. Tori our tour guide did a great job answering any of our questions. Cool history of telescopes and the impact they have today there are many telescopes on site with a cool history. Great gift shop. Nice snack bar spend two hours there easy beautiful backdrop check it out.!! read more

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Really cool place to visit, whether you're a science nerd or just wander in knowing nothing about radio astronomy. The staff were friendly and informative, and the science exhibit lab offers a wealth of interactive activities appropriate for upper elementary age through adult. The bus tour is a budget-friendly activity ($10 per person), and even in torrential rains like we had, you still get to see the entire complex and hear how the observatory has developed over the last 60+ years. The flags representing the planets in our universe were especially interesting. If you're hungry after your visit, the cafe offers surprisingly good menu options. We were expecting concession stand-quality food, but the cheese pizza, Italian hoagie, and veggie wrap we got were all delicious and made fresh while we watched. The portions were generous, and prices were great too ($12 for a pizza). read more

Green Bank Observatory - Photo op in the science hall - Observatories Near Me - Green Bank, West Virginia

This place is a real marvel. The scientific history is rich and they continue to be on the cutting edge of some of the most fascinating topics in astronomy. The tours are excellent and the staff is awesome and super knowledgeable. Everyone can benefit from visiting! read more

Absolutely worth the trip even though it's def off the beaten path. They offer a few premium tours in addition to the standard bus tour. The dish is really cool to see up close. read more

Wonderful place to visit and in the area. You can either take a paid tour or explore the grounds on your own. There is even a fun interactive exhibit that is quite large, and is free and very interesting. The whole story behind the observatory is cool to learn about. There is also a nice gift shop and a little snack stand. Overall a cool stop when visiting the town read more

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It's very sad that the Green Bank Observatory requires up to date Covid19 vaccines when we all know that they don't prevent transmission or prevent Covid19. They have mutated down to simply a bad or mild cold. read more

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. read more

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Are they out there? We had a great time visiting. Was well worth making the trip. But be prepared for not having any cell service for quite a while and be prepared not to be able to use the camera on your phone- so take a disposable one if you want to have pictures. It is well worth seeing ! read more