Experience this reimagined and reawakened international landmark! This 1.5 hour tour involves astronomy, architecture, restoration, and human stories of the cosmic castle in the arboretum.

It requires climbing staircases and visiting small spaces thus is not wheelchair accessible. $46 for adults. Ages 10-18 are $24. Kids 9 and under are $7. This is our classic tour of the new and old Yerkes.

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New this summer! Our fun and fast kids tour is for ages two to age eight with an adult. For 30 minutes, our guides get the kids fired up for stars, planets, telescopes, and space. We visit the world’s largest lens telescope in the Big Dome and play our Sky Spy scavenger hunt by searching together for owls, dragons, globes, mustaches, Albert Einstein and his Yerkes friends, and hidden characters along the way. Pens and clipboards will be provided. We give you time to see our exhibits, visit the gift shop, and finish the scavenger hunt at the end.

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For the adventurous who don't mind climbing winding staircases, ducking pipes, and exploring small spaces where astronomers work, this behind-the-scenes tour is your ticket!

This is not for kids under 15 or for anyone concerned with physical demands. Not wheelchair accessible. 1hr 45mins. $79 for adults. Kids ages 14-18 are $49. Friday mornings only.

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This tour is offered April-November. If there are no dates available when you attempt to purchase tickets, this is because all of our dates are sold out. If you are interested in being notified when our next round of tickets becomes available, sign up for notifications here.

With only 12 tickets available, this exclusive 2-hour experience illuminates the inner-workings of Yerkes after dark. During the tour, our Telescope Team will take you on a journey through the night sky with the largest refracting telescope in the world if skies are clear.

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Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein describes herself scientifically as "a nonlinear combination of theoretical particle physicist, particle cosmology theorist, theoretical cosmologist, and particle astrophysicist." Get ready for one of the most engaging writers and thinkers on the planet on Thursday, June 25 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $37 for adults ages 19 and over, for youth ages 11 to 18, and for kids ages 5 to 10.

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Join us on Saturday, June 27 as we welcome the esteemed Pigeon Family and explore the artistry of Black Ash basket weaving on the grounds at Yerkes! During this event, the Pigeon Family will share their family's generations of basketry expertise, and showcase the process of harvesting a black ash tree, including getting the strips off the tree, splitting, and shaving the wood, as well as demonstrating the process of making baskets.

As part of the workshop, you will also have the opportunity to be part of creating a community basket, and explore the A Shell in the Sky | Midewigaan Miigis exhibit featuring a basket created by Pigeon Family member Dylan Loonsfoot.

This event runs from 5 to 8 p.m., and is a come-when-you-can experience. Reservations are required and are available on our ticketing website.

We're excited to have Jeff Epping discuss his joyful life in garden design on Thursday, July 9 at 6 p.m. The nationally influential horticulturist will discuss his new book, The Gravel Garden: Visionary, Drought-Defying, Naturalistic Designs, followed by a signing. His brilliant work is showcased in Yerkes' arboretum, too! Adults 19 and over: $25. Youth 18 and under: $15

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Calling all K-12 educators! Join us this summer from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14 or Tuesday, July 21 for a workshop focused on incorporating scaffolded, NGSS-inspired activities into your curriculum. Each program date will include the same content, as well as scaffolding and break-out groups for different age ranges.

Participants in this event will tour the observatory, learn how to facilitate and receive materials for a hands-on activity, and attend a lunch-and-learn session highlighting techniques for bringing science into your classroom. Classroom materials and lunch are included in the registration costs.

We're thrilled to have Sue Breitkopf discussing America's most influential landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted, his son John Charles who designed Yerkes' arboretum, and the largest concentration of Olmsted landscapes in Wisconsin around Geneva Lake in her talk "Olmsted Landscapes in Lake Geneva: Past Vision, Present Stewardship" on Thursday, July 16 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $37 for adults ages 19 and up, $23 for youth ages 11 to 18, and $130 if you want to bring kids ages 5 to 10.

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The world is wild about mushrooms, so we're having the celebrated botanist from the groundbreaking Pringle Laboratory, Dr. Anne Pringle, come to Yerkes to talk all things fungi. Her talk is titled "How Does a Lichen Grow? Asking the Wrong Questions and Discovering a Different Path to Immortality" on Friday, August 7 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $25 from adults ages 19 and up, $15 for ages 18 and under.

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Join us for one of our Open Houses! Each event has a unique theme and activities, making it an exciting, exploratory experience each time. Reservations are required. See below for the themes for the 2026 Open House season:

• Saturday, June 20: Summer Solstice Celebration [SOLD OUT]
• Friday, July 31, 2026: The Wonders of Physics
• Saturday, October 17, 2026: International Observe the Moon Night

Join us at Yerkes for this incredible collaboration with the EAC Dyslexia Center on Tuesday, September 22 at 6 p.m. Experience a powerful, eye-opening Dyslexia Simulation, followed by a reception with light snacks and a chance to tour the inside exhibits of the iconic Yerkes Observatory. This 1.5 hour experience inside the historic observatory is perfect for educators, school administrators, parents, students, and the community. Not only will the simulation foster empathy, increase awareness, and dispel myths about dyslexia, it will also help you better understand how to support individuals with language-based learning differences. Tickets are limited, so get your spot today! Thanks to the generosity of the EAC Dyslexia Center, this is a pay-what-you-can experience.

SOLD OUT! The Astral Pastoralesis a large-scale suite composed by Rob Mazurek and performed by his Exploding Star Orchestra. It unfolds as a celestial pastorale, an expansive sonic landscape where composition, improvisation, electronics, and spoken word merge into a single evolving field.

These shows are co-produced by Experimental Sound Studio and Instigation Festival. The eight musicians will be staying in Yerkes' restored, residency homes for the entire week. They'll be collaborating with Yerkes' astronomers, artists, and staff while immersing themselves in the culture of Yerkes, Williams Bay, and the Lake District. Yerkes staff members are pumped up for this fall celebration of music and cross-pollination in our special spaces.

These shows will be in the Big Dome at Yerkes on Friday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m. (SOLD OUT) and Saturday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m. (SOLD OUT). Only 50 tickets are available per show! All tickets are $50.

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