My husband and I stopped in and planned a trip to go here and see a show. We LOVED it. We were amazed at the star show and all the information we learned. It was amazing. I want to come back here and bring my kids! I know they would really enjoy it! read more

First time visiting the Moorhead Planetarium in Chapel Hill. I was happy to see all the cool exhibits and I enjoyed the show today called the magic tree house. I wanted to stay for the next show but they charged additional fees to watch a second show. For the fees charged I felt they could have included the additional shows offered if you chose so. All in all I enjoyed the visit today. read more

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center - Planetarium Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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First time here on a field trip. Learned that Neil Armstrong trained here. Pretty cool! They are only open on fri-sun to public this time of year. Rest of week is only field trips. We saw a show and had some time to look at the exhibits. Pretty small but then they had a show about fire and chemicals that the kids really enjoyed. read more

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center - Planetarium Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Decided to venture to Chapel Hill for a show of the Carolina Skies at the planetarium! What a great time! We were 2 adult,2 children and it costs about $55. It's a show that is an hour long and the commentary is live, non scripted, done by students that actually attend UNC. If you check out a show there, just know that it will be very dark in there, and remember to not only turn off your cell, but also your watch if it is a smart watch. I forgot to do that and it lit up the room) read more

The planetarium is great. The visuals are top notch and the staff is excited to present the programs. Definitely worth a showing. The "science center" part is a bit lackluster. It's not huge to start, and then some interactive exhibits are broken and some are "closed". read more

Short review: beautiful place! We did the planetarium. It was so peaceful and relaxing it made us all kinda doze off a little bit. Pricing is $15 or $16 for adults and $12 or $13 for kids over 3. I know it was a little over $60 for us to come here it was 2 adults and 2 children over the age of 10. Wonderful place to visit and very informative. You can buy tickets online, they close at 6pm. read more

Fun place to check out with kids while on campus at UNC. Kids enjoyed the show. Convenient location read more

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center - Lots of fun and educational. Kids enjoyed the show. - Planetarium Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Warning they will charge you for $10 and there is nothing there to look at. Just an area for kids to play. $5 for a movie. So if you are not going to see a movie you basically are paying $10 for a movie theater lobby. Scam read more

This was our first trip to the planetarium. The dome theater, and the staff running the show were wonderful. I would definitely check out another show they have to offer. The rest of the science center is lacking. We really had to get creative spending our time there waiting for our show to start. We arrived too early, not knowing there wasn't much to do. They have a beautiful, enormous sundial outside, a great gift shop, and at the time of our visit had a water room exhibit where kids can learn about conserving water. Going through the room and the rest of the center took less than 30 minutes. When asked, one of the staff members told us that they are expanding the exhibit area in the near future. I hope that's true. It would be wonderful to have more to see and do there. read more

****This isn't going to be a full review on the planetarium as a whole. I will review that another time. This review will be about Legopalooza at the Morehead Planetarium. This is a fun event that comes to Morehead I believe once a year (forgive me if I'm wrong). It's aimed towards kids ages 6 and older but I really quite enjoyed it myself. The main building exhibited the Lego displays on the top floor of the building. There really were some amazing displays of all kinds from famous characters to famous pieces of art! The other rooms house a coloring room where the kids get to color pictures and a room that inspire free build with Legos. Aside from these exhibits, which will take a while especially if you have lego loving kids, you are free to explore the rest of the planetarium. I would come back to this event next year for sure. Side note: I found Wilson! read more

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Love this place. It's very historic. Many astronauts trained here to recognize constellations. The show was nice and all the seats were comfortable. read more

The primary reason we purchased membership here, is to take advantage of the shows that are projected in the Fulldome Theatre. The quality of the shows are exceptional, and extremely fascinating to my space-obsessed kids! We've seen half a dozen shows already, such as Magic Tree House, PaperHand Puppets, Carolina Skies, etc. and they are all fantastic. I'll admit that the "museum" downstairs is pretty sad -- right now it amounts to a hallway outside of the restrooms. My kids have more fun placing coins into the "black hole" vortex more than anything else. However, for the shows, we have been very impressed. We are also signed up for the upcoming summer camps here, which we've heard are also very good - will be updating more on that in the future! read more

Today we unexpectedly attended a special edition of the Carolina Skies show: Lunar Landing! Instead of only watching the screen, we actually had someone there who narrated everything, answered questions, engaged the audience and generally educated us! It's been about ten years since I last visited this place, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect today but it was an absolute treat! I also haven't been in school for a while so my knowledge of what's beyond our earth was pretty rusty, but today it was polished right up! For that, I am both thankful and inspired. The show was absolutely delightful; the seats were comfortable, the staff was kind and gregarious, and the gift shop had a bunch of cool little trinkets at surprisingly reasonable prices! This was the perfect way to spend a scorching hot summer afternoon... learning about space in the dark with air conditioning! :) read more

This is a nice place to visit while in the area. There are several shows to look while at the planetarium. One thing I was thinking while watching was that it would be awesome to watch a Hollywood movie on this dome screen. Even with it being a 2D film there were plenty of scenes that looked really 3D. There is a lot of interesting history in this museum. They talk about how the original astronauts were trained there, and have some of the original pieces of equipment on display. If you are a NASA history buff it is a great place to visit. And when you fall asleep in the comfortable chairs while staring at the dome, try not to snore. read more

We needed an hour to kill before taking my boyfriend's mom to the airport and decided to check this planetarium out! I've never been to one before. Luckily for us, a show was about to start. I definitely recommend looking up the show schedule before popping in because the museum side of the planetarium is measly. The show was such a relaxing way to learn more about the constellations and galaxy. Seats reclined and there are moments if you suspend disbelief, you'll feel you're on a space odyssey in the vast universe. The speaker who narrates the show was a great speaker, confident, commands the room, and humorous. She was really patient with the kids' questions and didn't lose the interest of the adults. Perfect for all ages! read more

Overall, this trip was worth it, but there is plenty of room for improvement. The Black Holes planetarium show was real good, though shorter than I expected. Plus, it was over $8. That's a little more than a matinee movie. At first, I thought the exhibits were promising, but there are a limited number of them with limited information. Also, they only touch the surface of the topics. As another person suggested in a review, you'd be hard pressed to even make a half hour visit out of the exhibits alone. read more

As a student at UNC, now an alumnus, I have loved looking at the sundial and attending the shows at the planetarium. The staff/guides are very friendly and knowledgeable and the shows are inexpensive, entertaining, and educational. It is a great place to relax and learn about the universe. My favorite show is their Valentine special (going to the planetarium for "romantic" stories of star-crossed lovers is a great way to spend Valentine's Day!). I definitely recommend the Morehead Planetarium for all ages! read more

My husband and I have been here a couple of times, I personally think it's a great date spot. The shows are constantly changing, never the same. If you are looking to be awed and amazed at the universe, this is for you! I'm not sure who runs the shows, college kids or recent graduates (they look young!) and most of the time they're well spoken. The most recent one seemed a little distracted but I guess it because of the several crying children. I will say that this is NOT the place for toddlers. This is a kid friendly environment, but if they can't sit still for an hour or are scared of the dark, I would wait until they can. The museum did not interest me a whole lot but it was nice to stroll through before the show. The gift shop is really cute too! I think the cost is reasonable (our tickets were about $8), and if you love star gazing or anything to do with space, you should go as soon as you can! read more

Definitely a cool place. The staff is excited about what they do and you can feel that. We attended the New Year's Eve event which was a free and I wouldn't attend again. There were way to many people and the activities couldn't keep up with the demand. I'd rather pay and have to deal with half the crowd. The food trucks were a great touch because we chose grilled cheese over waiting in a tremendous line to see a magic show. The dancers were neat but we chose a planetarium so kind of had expectations to see more of that. I'd return to check it out when there wasn't an event going on. Worth checking out especially on free parking days. read more

good place for family fun! pretty cheap to see a show and their presenters are so charismatic. definitely an area marketed for families and children. lots of displays that are interactive and educational in the museum. the staff seem to love their love their job and get along with each other. planetariums and this is a very nice one! recommended. read more

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center - entrance sign - Planetarium Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

It's hard to describe what an amazing place this is. I took my husband here last night for one of his birthday surprises. He absolutely loves astronomy and is always teaching me about the stars and planets. So I wasn't sure if going to this event would be just a review for him- but he was blown away! The speaker, Amy, was incredible. She was so smart and had an amazing sense of humor. We learned so much about the constellations and where to find them, meteor showers that are happening this summer, planets that are lining up this summer, what we can currently see in the sky and at what time can we see it. She also told us stories and legends. I remember going to the planetarium as a kid- but this was a WHOLE new ballgame. We got to see the view from looking up at the sky to looking at Earth from LIGHT YEARS away. It was SO COOL [insert nerdy snort here]. I was so glad I took my husband and she even wished him a happy birthday during the presentation! I had told them it was his birthday a month ago when I made the reservation for tickets. She also made sure to go around and talk to the guests individually before it started and ask them if there was anything in particular that they wanted to learn about! Very awesome. We definitely hope to come back for the next Starry Nights event for adults in the fall season! It was so cool to feel like you were zooming around in space at the end! Big thanks to Amy for making my husband's birthday special! What an excellent host! $12 per person for an hour and half- in-depth astronomy lesson? What an awesome deal! Imax has nothing on this epic planetarium! PS. I do have to comment that getting out of the lot was VERY confusing. Basically you were trapped in there if you didn't have a credit card to pay the parking meter at the gate. I saw a woman totally panicking and I think that was really uncool to not let people be aware of that. I thought it was strange we couldn't put cash in the machine last night. We were fine using our cards- but a little heads up that we would be paying for parking AFTER 5:30pm would have been useful... read more

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center - Planetarium Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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We arrived at about 11:45 on Wednesday and missed the last planetarium show of the day (11:30). The rest of the museum is free to explore. Thank goodness! There is nothing to see. The kids were not impressed. We probably spent less than 15 minutes there total. Also, I looked up the planetarium shows from the car and the preview looked like it was for elementary school aged kids. read more

I never had the pleasure of visiting the Morehead Planetarium when I was in elementary school, but fortunately there's fun for all ages to be had here. First of all, there is a large gated parking lot in front of the building, but it is controlled by the University and is permit only. Visitors to the Planetarium are advised to park in a metered spot or in one of the pay lots on Franklin or Rosemary. There are some exhibits here, but I think the main focus of the Planetarium is on programming. There are tons of fun and creative activities for children, and they also offer classes for adults. The Planetarium holds free skywatching sessions once, sometimes twice a month, so that could be a fun (and free) idea for an evening. read more

I love this place! After having not been to the planetarium for a while, I decided to take my wife here on a lark, a while back. We both loved it. They may have ditched the awesome Carl Zeiss projector in favor of a digital dome, but the minor drop in resolution is well worth the extra capabilities. The shows are informative, the chairs are comfy, and when you leave, you'll feel relaxed AND smarter. It's a no lose situation!! Please, do yourself the favor, and check out a show at the Morehead Planetarium!! read more

I've walked past Morehead Planetarium for three years and have just gotten around to finally attending the show - wow, I have been missing out for years! The star show I went to was amazing! No phones are allowed, so it's a good place to relax and enjoy life outside of handheld technological devices. Apparently there are live shows where you can view stars that are actually out in the evening sky from within the planetarium. I plan on going to one of these aforementioned shows the next time I go. The shows are also fairly inexpensive, and I recommend this place for everyone that has a chance to go! read more

I have a membership here so naturally I think it's a "woohoo!" kind of establishment. My kids have enjoyed seeing just about every program here and we have all learned a lot about our solar system and beyond. It''s great to take out of town guests to UNC campus and finish up with a show here. The Morehead planetarium also has outings where you can get a glimpse of the Carolina night skies through their telescopes. They are also a mainstay among educators throughout the region and a wonderful resource for the community. The main point I took home from yesterday's viewing was correcting my misconception of what I believed to be Mars in the sky is actually the Antearies star. And from here how to find Mars. Also a nice review on how to find the Big Dipper, Little Dipper and Ursa Major and Minor. read more

I went here with my students on a field trip. The staff was very knowledgeable and helpful. The show was very informative and the quality of video was great. I liked how it was a live presentation rather than a recoding. They also played music during the presentation which I enjoyed. The gift shop was a bit pricey. I would check out a show if you are in the area. read more

I'm so thankful to have something as cool as the Morehead Planetarium right around the corner from me! It was a rainy, dreary Sunday afternoon, so we decided to go to a 2:30 showing. It turned out to be a show about black holes! They managed to take an otherwise sort of terrifying concept and make it almost entertaining and sort of light-hearted (it was narrated by Geoffrey Rush of Pirates of the Caribbean fame). My 14 month old made it through more than half of the show before I think it became too visually stimulating for his little guy eyes. I'm not sure I am thankful that I know more about event horizon and singularity, freaky stuff...though, still pretty amazing!! I want to do one of their guided Jordan Lake NC night sky tours this summer some time. Yeah, they do those. Cool, right?! read more

My family and I were SO looking forward to visiting this planetarium. We had previously visited the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, and had had such a wonderful experience - we learned so much and had so much fun. However, the Morehead planetarium was unfortunately a very poor experience in comparison. The price of admission includes one "free" show. When we entered, one of the shows, "The Solar System," was about to begin. I asked if the show was for children, and was told that it was for adults as well as children. Well, the show was definitely for children, and everyone in my family is adult. It was 45 minutes of everything basic and obvious about the Solar System. After the show, we decided to spend the rest of our time exploring the exhibits at the planetarium. This took us all of 10 to 15 minutes, and the "exhibits" were almost all text on a dark basement wall that looked as if it had been assembled in the 1960s. We kept searching in vain for the rest of the exhibits - but they're weren't any! We finally asked one of the people who worked there if "this was it." Yes, we were told - the "interactive" exhibit was closed, and other than that, there is nothing else. You would think that after 75 years, the Morehead Planetarium would have more to show for itself. We left amazed, and I cannot believe that this planetarium has so many positive ratings. Sorry, but for us this was such a disappointment. read more

Awesome spot in Chapel Hill. I have to go back to tour more of the facility and am planning to go to one of their free skywatching nights at Jordan Lake. It was even worth the admission to the museum just to see the "Carolina Skies" program in the dome. Interactive and really educational for 50 minutes- great retreat into outer space! :-) read more

I came here for their Valentine's Day presentation of Carolina Skies. I enjoyed the presentation. I thought the presenter was clear and she made the show interesting to listen to. I also enjoyed the view of the sky. I liked that she made it interactive and allowed the audience to try to find stars and constellations before pointing them out to us, I realized I am more familiar with the locations of them than I thought. It was relaxing and a nice way to spend an evening. I am definitely interested in attending an outside event with the astronomers. I am also interested in returning to visit the exhibits! read more

Phantom of the Universe... the hunt for dark matter was pretty awesome. Reading about this stuff now and was good to get affirmation of what I was reading in a visually pleasing summary. The programs are pretty amazing. Not the best or prettiest planetarium I have been in, but nicely done for its size. The hosts are a bit green and awful young, but maybe they are astrology majors at the local college. Kids came with me (older teens) and they enjoyed the learning and entertainment experience. read more

I love this place. I wish I grew up in NC, because this would have made my favorite field trip as a kid! Instead it's my favorite field trip as an adult. The shows are great, and mind boggling! Space is just so mesmerizing and interesting, and this place is so educational. The gift shop is really cute too:) read more

Went to Carolina Skies. Great show. Make sure to take a few minutes before or after the show to walk through the exhibits - there is some remarkable history here. read more

I enjoyed the Black Holes show we went to, and our tour of the sky that night. You should go just to check out the new Sony projectors!

Super fun, for everyone! Really enjoyed the show and then seeing what the NC sky was going to look like that night. They have fun and educational gifts as well. read more

I had the worst experience with their Science in the Summer Program (SIS). The Director failed to send emails, did not properly train the educators, has insecure security procedures. When contacting her about these issues, she was extremely argumentative and rude and very unprofessional. I would NOT recommend entrusting your child to this program's care. read more