Tours & Events

Fascinating and entertaining times are on the horizon.

View our tours and events below

Cosmic Construction Fall Fundraiser

We’re excited to invite you to the second annual Yerkes Future Foundation Fall Fundraiser, taking place on Saturday, September 12, 2026. This year’s theme, Cosmic Construction, celebrates the continued restoration, growth, and reimagining of Yerkes.

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Space & Spaces Tour

$The Great Refractor telescope pointing at the sky through the dome's shutter with the telescope's staircase near the telescope.$

A bust of Charles Yerkes on a bookshelf at Yerkes Observatory.

An aerial view of Yerkes Observatory on a sunny day with Geneva Lake in the background.

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. This is our classic tour of the new and old Yerkes.

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Hidden Spaces Tour

The entrance to Yerkes Observatory as viewed through an interior window.

Looking down from a dark spiral staircase.

$A group of visitors listen to a tour guide talk about the Great Refractor Telescope while standing in the dome.$

A dark hallway with red light in the distance.

Tall cabinets filled with folders used to store glass plates.

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.

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Open Houses

Yerkes Observatory at dusk with the shutter open and a group of people standing around a telescope on the lawn.

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:

• Tuesday, September 8, 2026: Deaf Night Out
• Saturday, October 17, 2026: International Observe the Moon Night

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SOLD OUT – ‘Walking in Their Words…Under the Stars’ Educational Program & Reception

This event is sold out. 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.

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SOLD OUT – Y.O. Concerts: Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra in the Great Refractor Dome

A group of musicians under an abstract, multicolored ceiling and backdrop.

A musician wearing playing a trumpet or coronet with a dark background.

Musicians in a dark room with purple light shining from the floor behind them.

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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Exploring the Night Sky with the 24″ Reflector

With only 10 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 our historic 24" reflecting telescope if skies are clear. Please note: this experience does not include use of the Great Refractor telescope.

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.

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Exploring the Night Sky with the Great Refractor Telescope

$The Great Refractor telescope pointing at the night sky through the dome's shutter.$

$The Great Refractor telescope pointing at the night sky through the dome's shutter in red light.$

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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