Great observatory and awesome views from the top, of the entire Bay Area. Quite a curvy mountain drive, go up slow and cautiously...lot of bikers coming down at all times that you will need to watch out for. The observatory has a small gift shop but nothing else for food and drink so best to carry your own. Good day trip from anywhere in the bay. read more

I've been up to Lick Observatory 3 times this year. Mostly, I love the views, which are among the best in the Bay Area. The visitor center is open most days of the year and free short tours are given every 1/2 hour or so. The gift shop is open intermittently. There is no cafe, just a soda and candy machine. You can walk to another exhibit in a nearby building, but it is unmanned and very dated. I am very charmed by the historic observatory, with it's incredible Victorian era woodwork and exquisite craftsmanship. One time I was was very lucky indeed to have a resident astronomer give the tour of the historic observatory. That was HUGELY amazing. He was able to operate some of the equipment for us, not generally shown to visitors However, I was NOT at all charmed by the summer concert I went to recently, part of their annual Music of the Spheres series. The Golden Bough performed spritely, spirited music but this is just a ~terrible~ musical venue. I assumed there was a lecture hall where the concerts would be held, either that or the concert would be in the historic wooden observatory somehow. I was ~not~ prepared for flimsy folding chairs set up in narrow rows in the hallways ($35 General). These were at at right angles to the tiny risers serving as a "stage" in the lobby. The lobby is quite small, but a little section in the doorway was set up as VIP seating ($150-%100 also hideously uncomfortable folding chairs, but at least the performers were facing you). Those of us in the hallways saw a lot of the performers' elbows. During the first 10-15 minutes, the performer on "our" side would gamely snap her head to the right and smile, trying to include us . But, she gave that up as too awkward and who could blame her for not wanting to incur a whiplash or other neck injury? Worse than the poor sight lineswere the flat out bad acoustics. One speaker was directed back down the long narrow hallway where we sat. It was very difficult to make out the song lyrics. Perhaps things sounded more natural in the lobby area, but it was flat and distorted in our "wing". My advice, pick a pretty day and enjoy the drive at a very leisurely pace (otherwise you may get car sick). Spend some time exploring the Visitor Center and try to catch the short observatory tour. Then, stop at Grant Country Park for a nice hike on the way back down. If you want music, bring your own. =} read more

Great view, amazing people work there and an interesting 360+ turns up a 7 mile crazy road that is best to get there on a bicycle.

SAVE LICK OBSERVATORY! I was first brought up here as a young child in the 50's. My father saw snow on the mountain from our house on McKee Road, and decided to show my younger sister and I what snow looked like. However, what looked like a beautiful blanket of snow from the valley turned out to be less than 1" on the ground. In the following years, I hiked to the top when in the Boy Scouts, bicycled to the top when I was in high school (not as steep as you my think), and for a while had a tradition of driving to the top during sometime between Christmas and New Years Day - ideally on New Years morning to watch the sun rise. Visitors can access the main dome. There are a lot of displays, and an excellent gift shop. There are also hourly tours of the main dome and the 36" refractor Lick telescope (largest in the world at the time). The tours are outstanding. If you are lucky, the tour guide will show you how the floor around the scope moves up and down depending on the angle of the scope. Amazing hardwood floor, too. Curves in a circle. When the children were of an age to appreciate it we began taking them to the summer visitor's programs, and my wife and I attended a number of the 'Music of the Spheres' programs. The visitors programs usually included a lecture by a renowned astronomer or astrophysicist followed by a viewing through the Lick telescope. The Music of the Spheres had a very eclectic variety of musical performers, plus a lecture and viewing. I can't believe the number of valley residents who have never been here. I know the road scares many people away. I've never counted, but I've been told that there are 360 curves in the 19 miles from Alum Rock avenue. However, the road is not really steep, and there are a lot of turnouts. The road is very popular with motorcyclists, and they can handle the road much better than most cars so use the turnouts and let them by. Anyway, back to my original statement. The University of California in its infinite wisdom has decided that 1.5M/year is too expensive to keep the observatory in operation. Never mind that this amount is less than UC Berkeley pays its football and basketball coaches (How's that working out for you, UC?). Anyway, visit the website http://www.ucolick.org/SaveLick/ and write an e-mail, make a donation, or whatever. This is much too valuable asset to see it go. Just my $0.02 Update - UC has rescinded their plans to close this facility. Apparently, there was a very large public outcry, and UC listened. Oh, I heard today, on KLIV radio's valley history segments (The Valley That Was) that Mount Saint Helens was also considered as a site for Lick Observatory. Glad that did not happen read more

This is a great half day out, but you definitely want to come up in a car and driver which can tackle the stunning (but arduous) 1+ hour mountainous drive up. I was lucky as I got driven up. As a passenger, I feel that the driving to and from the observatory is a big chunk of the experience of coming here. The observatory itself is also very impressive, and you can spend a lot of time learning from the posters and videos they have up in the corridors. There's a little gift shop which sells a few snacks, and the timed talk does add context, but is short as mentioned by some others. read more

Incredible is a gorgeous place. My second time here and and enjoy it. Please I invite you to come here is phenomenal. Fly piranha. En casa 11:17 read more

Takes a breath-taking adventurous journey to visit this place. but the destination is worth it. Actually it is a complex of observatories (although there are 2 main ones). Amazing views (alone) are worth driving there - fresh air, bright sun, scenic nature. 1) If you are not very good at driving up hills or if you have phobia of heights don't drive yourself. 2) The driver needs to absolutely focus on the road and watch for incoming vehicles at any moment from the opposite direction. 3) You can't drive bigger vehicles, rv / motor home to this place. 4) better fill the gas (full tank) before driving there - no gas stations there. 5) also take water or food if you plan to spend time there. Also, if you want to avoid driving up too steep a climb, try NOT to take Quimby road. but instead you can take the Alum Rock road. From the foothills it takes about an hour to the observatory. There is an elderly gentleman who answers the phone is also the store manager-cum-guide to the observatory. He is brilliant, very helpful and has a wealth of information about the place. Good to kids during this summer. read more

I have lived in the bay area pretty much my entire life and after years and years of seeing those white orbs on top of Mt Hamilton, I finally got to visit the observatory with my fiancé! He of course loved the windy road to get up there. We took Quimby if you guys want one crazy adventurous and somewhat dangerous drive up there. Luckily, I trust his driving skills! Once we got up there we not only got to enjoy the scenic view...everything is free. Free telescope to view the bay area...and no admission and every half hour from 12pm until 430 ( I believe) is a tour of the refractor telescope. The giant awesome looking telescope in the amazing dome! You just have to go and enjoy this amazing historical landmark. James Lick is buried underneath the refractor telescope. read more

Mt. Hamilton road is 365 turns, and something like 30 miles to the top. and although I have lived on it (near the bottom) I have never gone very far up, cause driving it scares the crap out of me. but Ive heard the observatory is worth the trip. just dont drive it high or drunk, I dont think it would be hard to slip over the edge of the road. read more

What an amazing experience! Well worth the drive up Mt. Hamilton. Well worth the time.

This place rocks even for iPad addicted children. So much to see, great history, physics, astronomy, geology, the finest wood paneling of any observatory in the world. Movies from when one of the observatories got built about 60 years ago, and of course lots of stories. My 10 year old boy loved it. The drive does take longer than the GPS predicts, but as long as you pay attention and don't speed, you can make it safely. The tour guide today was truly phenomenal. Easy to understand, he personally set foot in that building in 1945 for the first time, and knows so much. An example for other tour guides to follow. read more

great place go out on a date or to have a group of friends! the ride can get a little narrow and windy, but nothing you cant handle if you are careful and sober! the museum is amazing and gives a great history lesson on the lick observatory. if you are a native to the bay area, especially san jose, you owe it to yourself to visit this place and get educated, son. tours are given 7 days a week from 9-5. there is a restaurant on the way back home to san jose too, called the "grand view restaurant". we sat here drinking beers on the outdoor patio as the sun was setting and the city was lighting up. amazing view....... keep posted on the website! seems like there are group events where people meet up at night, bring their blankets, telescopes, cameras, and watch the stars on certain beautiful nights read more

We drove for hours to visit the observatory on Feb. 28, 2020, getting there about 3:00. And wow, were we disappointed in the person in charge of the gift shop and the telescope room. First I saw a couple standing in the gift shop want to pay for the items they wanted to purchase. The cashier couldn't be bothered to acknowledge the or even get off his phone. I asked him how his day was going and he mumbled an OK. The sign on the telescope room door said next talk was at 3:30. At 3:45 I went to the gift shop and asked the cashier if the room was going to be open, and he responded that he was the one who was in charge of that and he'd open it "when I get around to it." A few minutes later he did open the door to everyone and told us that his throat hurt and he'd not be giving his usual speech. He wanted to save his voice. He did say he'd try to answer limited questions, and then just stood there. All of us were pretty disgusted at his lack of interest and just walked out. I hope the powers to be read this and deal with this person. He doesn't need to be working in a "customer service" role acting the way he did. read more

Ever wondered what was due east of San Jose? We'll.....THIS place (until you get to Turlock on the other side of the California coastal mountain range)! It's an old observatory full of rich history (back-in-the-day, the astronomy team from this observatory were part of the force trying find proof for Einstein's Theory of Relativity and the curving of space/time by using an eclipse.) They chose this spot for the observatory because it's like the highest elevation in the region. If it wasn't for the road leading to it you would never really see what it's like in those mountains, very beautiful to meander your car to through the winding road; especially if you are like me and appreciate 'unpopulation' and nature and those no-mans-land regions. Sure you may learn a thing or two about some space research but you won't be looking into any telescopes here. The observatory grounds are beautiful in its own right even without the whole observatory schtick. There are two telescopes on that mountain that you can tour with other ones that aren't open. In the main lodge, you get a tour of the once top-of-the-line telescope of yore and a very, very interesting history lesson of the dynamic lucky James Lick, the early Californian entrepreneur that funded the telescope and owned/developed most of Northern California in the late 1800s. Worth 'a see' but not a MUST DO kinda thing. What captivated me personally was to see the nondescript of houses off to the side for the observatory researchers. I wondered how amazingly secluded yet fascinating their lives must have been, living all alone out there, before the tourism and mass population of the Bay Area, with all that quiet piece of mind, gazing into the farthest depths of the universe and figuring-out all of its secrets. Now that was a life worth living if you ask me. read more

OK, you need to know I am an amateur astronomer as well as a docent at the Robert Ferguson Observatory in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. That said, this place is way cool. Leave extra time for the drive up, and check out all the historical memorabilia, video programs and more while you wait to tour the refractor - whoops - I mean the 36" great refractor. For comparison, most cheap telescopes are lucky to be 3 or 4 inches in aperture. We're talking 3 feet here! And even as old as it is it is still the 2nd largest scope of its kind. What is even more amazing to me is the amount of cutting edge astronomy that is still being done through some of the other scopes on the mountain. Even my wife, who doesn't want to come out into the back yard to look through my scope, was impressed and learned something about reflector telescopes. Great little gift shop, purchases help keep the tours free. Did I mention this was really neat? read more

Totally worth the long, windy drive to get here. I am into photography and astronomy, so this place doubly satisfies. Several telescopes to see, with lots of small exhibits explaining the history of the observatory. Scenic views of the south bay, with viewing telescopes set up in a couple of places. Lot's of photogenic places amongst the various buildings as well. read more

This is a solid place. Science + rest stop = win. Gorgeous unmatched beauty. You're higher than mission peak if that says anything and you can see the metropolitan downtown San Jose. It's quite a good site. The road is a little chaotic only because the trip up takes about a solid hour at snails pace.... But if you're a driver.. then it's another story. read more

Took my 12 year old son up for the first time last weekend. He is not normally fascinated with this type of place. He absolutely loved it. Of course, the views are geat also. read more

Great views and a really nice getaway. The employees are super nice and very informative too.

Yes, after 3 years and 2 kids my husband and I still like each other. Enough to go out on regular dates and still have fabulous sex. Are you jealous yet? Well you would be if you knew about this very romantic date he took me on the other night up to the Lick Observatory to The Music of The Sphere's Concert. Wine and finger foods, front row seats for some of the most beautiful classical guitar music, magical 100+ year old telescopes, and a neat view of Jupiter. That's right....he got lucky.http://www.ucolick.org/public/music.html read more

This place saved my date from being a disaster! I was driving up Mt Hamilton Rd because me and a girl were going for a hike on joseph grant park. For some reason I missed seeing the park's entrance and kept going on the road. After 20 minutes I start to panic. The girl is getting restless. We should have gotten to Joseph grant park a long time ago. I'm really starting to get nervous. The road is long and winding and keeps going up and up! How could I get lost if there's only one road on this mountain? Girl is getting carsick. I feel worse. Lo and behold, I see this Observatory pop up on the side of the road so I decide to pull over. It's a beautiful place and nice view. We get out and take pictures and the girl recovers from her carsickness. There's a nice little courtyard with a fountain in the back. The cashier at the lick observatory's gift store is awfully nice and tells me I missed the exit to the park about 10 miles ago. She even gives me a map of the mountain. We drive back down the mountain and finally find the park. Everything worked out. Thanks nice lady at the observatory! read more

it was ok. I guess bcoz we went there during a holiday. everything was closed..didnt get to enjoy much but love the scenery.

The cruise / drive up here was AWESOME !!! SCARY ! BUT AWESOME ! And when u get to the top, u find this place. and this place is pretty awesome ... cause they have a bathroom... but ! THEY have an AWESOME view !! :D u can see pretty much almost all of San Jose from there :D it was a nice sunny day today. so not a cloud in the sky :D read more

I ride my bike here all the time. The views from the top are amazing. There's a lot of cool things to see inside the observatory if you're not wearing cycling shoes! read more

Nice place, nice helpful friendly volunteers, great views of the the valley below. Nice informative lectures. The volunteers bring small telescopes that they set up in the "backyard". I enjoyed those better than the big ones. Got to see the craters on the moon, saw Saturn but missed seeing Jupiter and the Galilean moons. Great place overall read more

This is best observatory to go!!! If you happen to get night public tour then that will be amazing night event!!! Staff is so friendly and kind. Above all the passion they showcase is hard to express in words!!! View of space via telescope s ultimate spellbound experience. If more of these events open up during winter , I will be going again!!! Thanks a ton Lick Observatory for making the day great!!! Great shout out for David for amazing tour!!! read more

Like the Winchester Mystery House, Lick Observatory is a San Jose landmark. My dad used to drive my brothers and I in our old brown station wagon and we were just amazed on the telescopes and the view. Like many reviewers, Lick Observatory is about the journey as well as the destination. Taking the winding Route 130 down two peaks and valleys, you with a breathtaking view. Last time I went to the Lick Observatory, I had the top down my Jeep Wrangler and had just a nice ride. I would have to agree with a previous Yelper that going in a motorcycle or a convertable is your best bet to avoid motion sickness. Read they have nightly music during the summer, havent been to one personally, but I would like to check it out. read more

my family did not complain at all about the ride up and down from there. but if youre like me, who easily gets dizzy from winding roads while in cars, well, try to take a few tylenols before the trip and a lot of water. aside from that though, it was beautiful up there! the view itself was worth the drive, and there was a little bit of snow when we went so that was really cool, especially for someone who lives in california. the telescope was just amazing, too bad the 160inch telescope was closed for people because of snow but the 36inch one was amazing enough. the whole trip was like straight out of an adventure/horror/fantasy/sci-fi movie. only it wasnt really. read more

I would have to agree with Ganapathy C.; friendly, great views, informative but I wouldn't say it was a complete show stopper. We went on July 14th during the "Men of Worth" Celtic concert. The boys from the British Isles were very good and fun to listen to but not easy to hear as the acoustics were a little out of whack. Graeme Smith, UC Santa Cruz, was the speaker and talked about "Two Views of the Moon" which was basic but informative. I may not be up on my "lunaronamy" but he had great closeup shots of the moon that I had never seen before. The "old" lick scope was impressive and the overall feel of being there was something fun and new to do. I would definitely go back on another concert evening. Overall, except for the 1 hour drive up and down and up and down the hills to get there, a nice way to spend an otherwise boring evening. Cheers! read more

After a long dangerous drive (or ride), we've reach the world famous Lick Observatory in Mt. Hamilton. If you're coming in from the Bay Area and after you've reached the spot, make sure you drive up the hill to your right to find parking and save you the trouble from walking up the steep hill to the observatory. The view of the surrounding is majestic. The hallway contains many artifacts, but you're here to view the inside of actual observatory with the guide and learn its history. Don't forget to visit the gift shop before your departure. read more

A nice excursion for a day trip not too far from Silicon Valley. The drive up and views are spectacular. The observatory itself is modest, but intriguing for anyone interested in astronomy. My favorite was seeing actual chunks of meteors in the museum area. read more

This place is great, it is just another way for us to look back at the history of our state. Many people dont know but Lick Observatory was involved in helping Albert Einstein prove his theory of relativity back in the early 1900's. Besides all the nerd stuff, this is a great place to bring your kids. If ya go up here in the winter you can usually throw a few snow balls back and forth lol. the view from up here is amazing on a clear day, dont forget to bring your cameras! I personally dont enjoy all the pot holes on the way up but you can usually avoid them. a buddy of mine actually flattened his wheel on that road (and yes i do mean flattened metal). Mines road is always a nice drive down also if you have the time for it. gotta love this place =) read more

Ok, this is not a drive for the faint of heart, the poor of sight, or those with twitchy, nervous hands. One wrong jerk and you're driving a glider that probably won't glide very well! Also, there is no gas along the way so if you start out unprepared, I hope you told someone where you went because there's probably no cell service either! :-) Still, interested in astronomy? Go here. Want to get above the haze of a San Jose summer day and step out of your car at 4100' elevation and check out the view? Go here. Just like big, turn of the last century mechanical devices? Go here. You get a tour of the 36" reflector scope with an explanation of how it was built, how it was designed, and how astronomers use it today. It still is used BTW, in fact one of the main teams finding planets around other stars operates from this observatory. You can watch history unfold. On summer nights they have concerts (Fridays and Saturdays and the tickets sell the day they go on sale in most cases) followed by lectures by prominent astronomers and then a chance to look through the telescope. Very cool! One other thing I like is it's remoteness. Since they're not expecting crowds, they don't have the IMAX theater, the over done gift shop (they have one but it's small and non-offensive), or all the annoying little exhibits geared to keeping peoples' small children occupied for an hour. This is a working scientific institute that lets you come to it and check it out and for me, that's worth it. And oh yeah, there is no admission price. I suggest you pack a picnic and then enjoy the the view of the Bay and of the heavens. read more

Loved the tour! Free tours every half hour in a very historical building. Love Love Love the fact that it is operating as a real live observatory! read more

Fascinating historical site. Two years ago I won their ticket lottery for one of their open house nights. We got to go up in the evening, hear some lectures, and view through the magnificent telescope. The original telescope is beautiful! One of the lectures we heard was a woman who is responsible for maintaining the archive. She talked about the history of the place, like how James Lick had originally intended to build a giant pyramid in his honor in what is now downtown San Francisco, but on his death bed some clever astronomers convinced him to spend his fortune on the observatory. The stories of the people and the San Francisco history lesson was fantastic. I'll never forget that lecture. Get into the lottery and go up there for one of the special events! (Of course, you can go anytime for the tour!) Views are amazing in all directions - Not just of the bay! Before the central valley's air was so polluted, you could see all the way to Half Dome in Yosemite on a clear day from the top. It's about 25 miles from 680 to the top, almost all of it single-lane road with blind corners, and it's too narrow and busy for speeding on the weekends. (Imagine when they got the huge optics up there in a horse cart before there was a road!) read more

i've been here so many times. each time its worth it. its amazing how much you can see on a clear day. the road up is not that bad; but be careful though. It can get windy and you might get dizzzzzy if your prone to car/motion sickness its really worth going up. when i go up, i usually see some beast like bikers biking up so you can do that too. its beautiful up top. they observatory closes at 4pm. enjoi read more

A gem of the bay area. Spent 10 years here before I visited. Dumb move. Make sure you check the hours and bring some dramamine for the ride up the hill! read more

The drive up to Mt Hamilton is one of the most fun rides if you're driving the proper car and luv a bit of technicality in the roads you drive. This was the road I first drove on after getting my license which scared the hell out of me. Friends took me up here decades ago back in high school just for thrills. I learned alot about my car that day so I've taken any new car I've gotten up here to learn how it drives. I now drive a Mini Cooper S currently which handles this road like nobody's business. Really, this road seems to be made for the Mini or any other tight handling small car. Feels like being a kid again whenever I take this road. One the way down..stop by Pho 54 on Alum Rock for some of the best piping hot Pho in San Jose to relax and wind down after a thrilling drive. read more

A great trip and a lot of history. The road was made for my Lotus sports car. It is curvy and exciting. It goes on forever around the mountain to the top. Its long since it had to be a 2% grade since it was constructed for horse pulled wagons and buggies way back in the mid 1880's. The view to the west is simply fantastic. The 36 inch refractor is simply amazing and at one time was one of the premier telescopes in the world. It is a historic instrument that needs to be saved. If you have the time take the two lane road off the backside of the mountain that heads east into a very rural California. I did it in early summer in the middle of the night. Didn't see another car or person. The landscape are meadows and forests with isolated ranches. There are dozens of ponds and ditches lining both sides of the road and they were clogged with tens of thousands of frogs and toads croaking their brains out. I couldn't believe places like this still exists near the urban sprawls of California. read more