Arecibo Observatory

Really wished the museum/exhibits area was open. We came in with the hope to see some remains of the radio telescope. Like rightly pointed by many here, the observatory area is closed and the best you get is a picture of the remaining dish and two pillars from far far away. Unless you enjoy the ride to the observatory through winding small roads along the countryside, there is really nothing to see here right now.

I had the privilege of visiting the center the day when they first reopened it to the public after the collapse, years ago. Regretfully, it looks like its closed again but the experience I did have was pleasant. Cool presentations, very knowledgeable and passionate staff. Frankly, seeing that massive dish is staggering. Truly a tragic fate.

The access is closed to visitors (was here 9 December 2024). There is guarded gate. The guard said the Visitor Center has been closed for about 2 years. The best you can do is park a few hundred yards before the gate at a turn and take these pictures of the remaining structure.

I was surprised to see the visitor center open and in great shape. Yes, the big scope is broken and mostly removed, but there is still science going on there. Honestly, the story of the place is more interesting now more than when it was whole. Definitely worth the visit, and the next time you watch Goldeneye, you can say "been there".

At about 1 and 1/2 hrs from San Juan, and going up steep and narrow roads, the observatory is open and welcomes everyone to visit. The visitor center is open and you can see the dish. It is a sad view if you love science, but it's also a must as it puts things into perspective. Also it's so massive, and no picture will ever do the honors to it. A must if you visit PR and love science.

While it will never be repaired again it was still incredible to see the once largest ground satellite in person. It is NOT stroller friendly as you can see with the stairs but we were fortunate the observatory staff gave us a lift up the hill. Very knowledgeable staff on all things about the satellite.

Awesome place to visit even though the big radio telescope is damaged. The little museum inside is small but we'll maintained and the staff is very friendly. There is a very nice visitor presentation about the site's history in the auditorium.

It's a shame that the radio telescope is no longer functional, but the facility is still an active research institution as well as offering an engaging and informative visitor center. The selwction at the gift shop was a bit disappointing, but the visit was very much worth the journey. Some of those back roads to get there are steep and narrow, but it's all smooth and paved.

I personally loved this expedition. It could be pointless or too far for certain people or families but it was super important for my husband and it's a piece of science history. It's amazing to see it if you understand it. It's not expensive and it's interactive and the staff is so sweet and informative. The hike up the hill was a little unexpected and initially unwelcome but it wasn't that bad. If you use an inhaler then bring it. Bring a camera. Bring water. The gift shop is lacking and that's a real opportunity for them because I think people would spend money there. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a piece of history in my opinion. It could use some definite upgrades and it is wayyyyyyy out in the boonies but I am glad we went.

The Arecibo Observatory is an iconic landmark in PR with an incredible legacy in the field of astronomy. Its famous telescope was featured in movies like Contact and Goldeneye. It was one of the must see places, for locals and visitors alike. Unfortunately, due to damages, the telescope was decommissioned in late 2020 before finally collapsing. The site has since been closed to the public. However, that is about to change. The Visitors Center will reopen to the public tomorrow, March 10: https://www.sanjuandailystar.com/post/visitor-s-center-at-arecibo-observatory-to-reopen Even if you can't see the famous telescope you can learn about the observatory's legacy. Please note that you must have a reservation to visit. Reservations can be made at their website (naic.edu/shop). The museum will open from Wednesday to Sunday from 9a-3:30p. I let Yelp know this, so hopefully they will update this page. The photos I uploaded are from my last visit here in 2008.

Arecibo is such a massive disappointment. I've wanted to go here since I was a little kid. Always wanted to be an astronomer. 15 bucks per person for basically an 8 minute Youtube video and then a decent view outside. Of course there's a gift shop here to get more money lol. Absolute rip off. You're honestly better off just spending time watching a YouTube video at home. The drive up the mountain to get to the observatory is the most interesting part.

2019 : THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." - Carl Sagan When I was in junior high school, I saw a Modern Marvels/Build It Bigger documentary. Arecibo was one of the featured superstructures and ever since then, I've been yearning to see it in person. That goal never came to fruition until my girlfriend brought me here earlier this year. And so on 1/2/19, we made the death defying trip up the mountains of central Puerto Rico to get here. Admission is $12 for adults. You'll have to do plenty of walking up & down hills so wear comfy shoes. I wouldn't recommend flip flops, just due to the steep inclines. Once you get a wristband, you're able to freely roam the on-premises museum and check out the interactive exhibits. There's plenty of stuff for both kids and adults to play with, including a device that simulates craters on the moon's surface. The displays are fairly informative and some are pretty fun. Before walking onto the outdoor observation deck, a brief movie plays in a small theater. It's got enough content to satisfy your inner space nerd without getting too detailed. Staff are more than happy to answer questions throughout your tour. After stepping outside the visitor's center, you'll get to see the trio of gigantic concrete towers and 1,000ft parabolic reflector. Technicians get special 'chanclas' to wear when walking on the panels that make up the dish, effectively looking and functioning like snowshoes. Check these numbers out: each of the dish's 38,778 perforated aluminum panels measure 6' x 3'. The 900-ton platform sits 500ft above the dish and is suspended by over 4 MILES of cables that are 3" in diameter. In all, the suspension cables weigh 10 tons each. On the observation deck, they have various info boards and plaques dedicating the incredible achievement, plus snacks and drinks are available -- we got a couple 'alcapurria' (fritter stuffed w/crab meat) -- for a slightly elevated price. The gift shop was light on items when we visited, as they were purging stuff with the old Arecibo logo. I got a lanyard ($4) and an AWESOME heat activated coffee cup ($12) that's hands down the coolest souvenir we picked up on vacay. Besides my obvious fascination with the engineering principles behind such an undertaking, the massive dish is best known as the climatic setting in GoldenEye, the best of 007's films (fight me bro). Arecibo was also featured towards the beginning of the sci-fi film Contact, as well as in the underrated ensemble action film, The Losers. Fun fact: during Pierce Brosnan's first foray into the role, he was too scared of heights to go on the suspended catwalk. Sissy. I'd happily run across that thing while firing a Walther PPK at Sean Bean. Maybe *I* should step into the role of Her Majesty's Finest. Hell, I've already got an exotic Bond girl in Nichole C ;) * TL;DR * Whether you're a movie buff like me or just have an obsession with the stars in the sky, this place is a must-visit on a trip to Puerto Rico. It's not easy to get to, but the hassle of travelling there is 100% worth it. It's been an absolute game changer for the scientific community. Put simply, Arecibo's Observatory is one of the most important astronomical and engineering achievements of the 20th century. The massive aperture is awe-inspiring and the scale of it cannot truly be realized until you witness it in person. Make sure to take plenty of killer photos. Thanks to minds far more brilliant than mine, we've been able to look past our solar system, through the Oort Cloud and into the Local Cluster of Galaxies, allowing us glimpses into the great unknown. The telescope's powerful capabilities even sent the SETI message into deep space. So........do I believe in extra-terrestrials? Absolutely. Our universe is far too massive, far too complex, for that not to be true. Though the odds of finding others "like us" are tremendously small, there lies no doubt in my mind that intelligent life exists somewhere out in the cosmos (the Drake Equation proves this). Make no mistake my friends, we are not alone. Finding proof of that, well, it's merely a matter of time.

This place is definitely worth the $12 & the mini hike you have to take to get there. Just wish someone warned me first lmao! I'm so out of shape! Once you get there, you pass a guard, drive up. (I recommend using the restroom before you pass the guard because there aren't any up top for visitors.) You get there, pay $12/adult. You walk in and watch a short 5 minute video, then walk out of the door, onto steps where an employee explains the telescope to you.. for about 10-15 minutes, they then ask if you have any questions.. if not, you get up and look at the beautiful, big telescope right in front of you. It's a breathtaking view! The radio telescope is massive! It's the best part. It is truly amazing. Then after you look at it, you can go in the gift shop, then go back inside to see the mini museum they have. It isn't really big. But its an amazing experience.

I was so sad to hear and see that the telescope had collapsed and was destroyed! I did not know about it. It happened in 2020. I remember going in 2006 for the 8 millionth time to see it and it was always a marvel. I'm just sad that I finally got to take my wife and kids and it wasn't there! The tour guide was great and the place is still worth going to.

The Arecibo Observatory is the second largest radio telescope in the world. Up until 2016, it was the largest. At an impressive size, surrounded by nature, is this breathtaking radio telescope. It is definitely a place to visit for people who enjoy science, historical facts, and impressive technology. Even though it could use a bit of tender, love and care, The Arecibo Observatory is still appreciated amongst science lovers and history buffs.

I wasn't too impressed with the Museum and tour at Arecibo Observatory. It's a bit tricky to get here, lots of small, windy roads. But I did use a regular ol' GPS and it eventually got me there. If you're coming from San Juan, budget in at least an extra 20-30 minutes to get there. The entrance fee is $10 per person + tax, so $10.70 per person. The museum itself has 2 floors of exhibits. If you want to really learn, there's a lot of reading boards with big paragraphs, and not too many hands-on activities. The tour comprises a 15-minute video about the history and significance of the Observatory, followed by walking out to the satellite. Your tour guide gives some brief info about the satellite, and then there's time to view it. However, you can't really do much except take pictures from behind the metal fence. You can't get closer for obvious reasons to maintain the satellite. Overall, I was pretty underwhelmed, I didn't think the museum had too much to offer, and the tour was not very impressive. Perhaps if you have a specialized interest in these times of observatories/satellites, then this place would be for you though!

Although a bit antiquated, AO is still a marvel to look at. I visit the observatory every chance i get. I recommend you arrive early because the place closes at 3pm. I like come after 130pm in an effort to keep away from the loud school groups that engulf the place.

I first visited this place back in 1998, and again in 2015, and it's always super cool and AMAZING every time I go! This radio telescope is MASSIVE, and was in the 1997 movie Contact, and you're in awe being in it's presence. I don't recommend this place if you have problems walking long distances in a upward climb, because it's a bit of a hike to get up to the actual site where it is. But it won't disappoint if you're into space, telescope and technology. Very cool place. Oh yeah, the drive up to where Arecibo is located is a bit tricky and takes a while to get to it. But it's definitely worth the time if you're into seeing cool things while in Puerto Rico.

Awesome learning experience and great view of the radio telescope. The observatory has a lot of information that simple to understand and really interesting. Anyone who loves science and particularly astronomy should make a visit to this landmark. After parking your car, you have to hike up a ton of steps but that wasn't a huge issue.

I am a pretty big science nerd. I love astronomy, astrophysics, quantum mechanics, stuff like the Drake Equation and Fermi's Paradox. This radiotelescope is in the movie "Contact" which is one of my favorite movies of all time. Point being, I was pretty excited to see this place. It was my first time in Puerto Rico to visit new in-laws nearby. First, getting to the observatory is easy. Its. It nearly as bad as previous reviews say. Seriously, it's 2017. If you're using a roadmap from 1997 it might be confusing. But if you are using Google maps on your Android or iPhone, there is no issue whatsoever. Yes, it is a very narrow and winding mountain road with lots of potholes and bumps, but that is Puerto Rico for you. Go 20-30 mph and you'll be a-ok. We finally got there and parked, had to walk up a long and steep hill that we were indeed warned about by signs and security guards. The price of admission was $12 per person. Okay, whatever, PR is in an economic crisis and I'm on vacation, let's do it. Shoot, an extra $15 per person for the VIP tour? I'm a space geek, hell yeah let's do it!!! No. Don't. The $12 visitor center was small and mostly signs with text. The buttons on the displays didn't work, and lots of lights were out. The bathrooms inside the facility were out of order, the bathrooms outside the facility were out of order. Had to walk around a dang mountain to take a pee The extra $15 VIP tour. Man. Not even close to worth it. The tour guide was 20 minutes late. The bus was then 5 minutes late besides that. We get in the bus and the VIP tour is this: "and here is our break room! This is one of my favorite places to be because I'm lazy, hahaha! And this is our gas station where we fill up our buses with gas! To your right is the basketball courts s me employees use in their break!" Etc etc etc. Utter nonsense. The only cool part was how close we got to the dish itself. Not worth 15 a ticket though. All in all, I went with my girlfriend, and we spent $60 on regular admission and VIP tickets. Not worth it at ALL. For what we got, we shouldn't have paid more than $12 total. A complete disappointment.

Worth the trip to Arecibo. It's $12 per person and it's interesting to see. You get a bit of science science and get to see some meteors and other interesting things but the highlight is the dish. It is the largest radio telescope in a beautiful part of the country. Still a good thing to see maybe on a slow day in Puerto Rico. We went cause it was raining in Carolina and it wasn't there the tour was about 1-2 hour and hen after we went to La Poza Del Obispo swimming so it was worth the 1.4 hour drive to Arecibo.

It's more like 2.7 stars. Only come if your willing to hike up a long hill to see a big dish and some old exibits explaining the how the thing works. I think it's claim to fame, (other than just being a really big piece of metal), is that it was in one of the James Bonds movies way back when. It all could be really interesting if you are just really fascinated by this stuff. Otherwise it's long hike up the hill to look at the dish and then your done. There is a nice pretty nature back drop for the dish but you can see that in a lot of places. If you plan on driving here yourself use GPS the roads are really windy and hard to follow.

This place was such a letdown. I regretted paying that $10 admission afterwards haha. The whole place is so outdated, and it needs a serious makeover (insanely overdue lol). The displays have that yellowish tint like when old newspapers sit out for a long time. Half the buttons did not work and the lights on the displays were out of commission as well. Pretty sure nothing has been updated in the whole place in 20 years. The only halfway decent/interesting thing they have there is this fog/smoke machine. The video we watched prior to seeing the telescope was old and outdated as well. The information they provided about the telescope was actually interesting, which is why I'm not rating it one star. The place was that bad that we would rather have spent that $10 on the soda machine outside and have a soda party lol.

Super hard to find and very confusing as you're trying to drive on a narrow path with limited signs to follow. We pulled over so many times just to ask for directions and the residents speak very limited English. Parking is free. There's a small uphill walk with the humidity and sun beaming you'll be a little tired. $10 per adult to go into the observatory. There's vending machines for soda outside. Mid way up the walk way to the ticket booth there's a little drink shop. Make sure you get a piña cola slush. It's BOMB! Super delish! They have ice cream, water bottles, soda, juice, etc as well. Inside the observatory which is actually pretty small compared to the Griffith observatory back in LA you get to walk out the door and and there is, the really awesome satellite. Biggest in the world or so they say. It's been in 007 & contact. Outside there's also a small refreshment vendor ( I.e. ice cream, hot dog, drinks, etc.) There's also a short 20 minutes video about the satellite but if you're like me,I fell asleep unfortunately. Overall, I would reccomend going just to learn a piece of history and see it for your very eyes. You can use your cellphone but only on airplane mode. Pictures are okay.

You have to set your expectation to come here. If there is a science geek in your party, chances are, he/she will be very delighted. If your party isn't about science and/or take no interest in it, then you may have a "that's it?!" effect. My husband is a science geek. He even said it was underwhelming to him. You do get to climb a hill to get to see a big disk. Some intereting display/exhibit, but overall, a short visit. So if you are not already out in the area for something else, it's a bit of waste of good vacation time for me. We planned our day trip with the nearby window cave (highly recommended) and plotted a scenic route to visit nearby cities. So it wasn't "out of the way" for us. We spent maybe 30-45 min at the observatory, took some pictures, checked out the gift shop, and was done with it.

Be really nice if Yelp was to notify people that it's closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Drove up there and wasted our time to find out that it closed. Will not return. By the way, lots of places closed due to Hurricane Maria. We been driving to places for hours to have to turn around.

The road getting here is windy and tricky. We got lost (no GPS) maybe twice and lost a hubcap off our rental car. I don't think it's really worth it, but maybe for some it is. We paid $10/person to go inside to check out the dish and that was all. Since it took us so long to get here, we watched the film (bring a sweater, that theater is freezing!) they have which is informative and tells you the history of it all. We then walked around some of the exhibits, but that was a bit boring. We were there for about 30 minutes and that was it. Note: we did this the same day as checking out the Rio Camuy caves as the drive is about 30 min. apart (of course, if you don't get lost...).

Get ready to climb up, what we called the hill from hell at 90 degrees. Once you reach the top of the Observatory get ready to join a tour that starts with a video. The video will cover how this project got started and explain the hand-off to Puerto Rico, Once the video has played you'll line up and walk to the observation deck with your tour guide.

So you drive to the middle of nowhere (thank god for Garmin) and then you trudge up a big hill (which I watched some out of shape people struggle with)... and then there it is, the giant satellite dish. There's some exhibits (some which work, some that don't) which really didn't hold my interest. So really, I drove an hour to see a giant satellite dish. The guard told me they're considering about adding a tram ride to go beneath the dish - it appears that it just sits on the ground, but it's actually raised up enough that you can walk underneath it. I'm not sure that I would go back even with a cool tram ride... but it is an interesting photo op.

Boy is this out in the middle of nowhere! Went out there before but it was closed, my daughter was so excited to get to see it this time. Cool tour, interesting things to see, facility is very nice and clean. If you're in the area and in to this sort of thing it's certainly tour you won't regret.

The "museum" has three interesting interactive features, a couple of rocks and several pictures. One 20 minute lecture in Spanish and another in English, where you learn a James Bond movie filmed a scene there. (Spoiler) You are then lead outside to see the radar. The empanadas that are sold on the observation deck were the most interesting part of this "attraction". The gift shop was a joke and to add insult to everything they charge an astronomical price to see this after you have hiked up several hundred steps straight to the top of a mountain side with no trolly or transportation to assist you. Save yourself the physical pain and a empty wallet. The pictures on the Wikipedia page are better than the real thing.

Great place to tour! The staff were excellent and very knowledgeable. I enjoyed the film presentation and the talk from the woman afterwards. I'm glad I read previous reviews concerning the walk up to to the observatory. We discovered that they will drive you up the mountain if you're unable to make it on foot. The gift shop was just the right size and I was able to purchase great gifts for my young grandsons. I highly recommend this tour as a highlight to their trip to Puerto Rico.

I went to Puerto Rico to work as part of the disaster relief efforts. On a day off I went to the Arecibo Observatory, the security officer was friendly in explaining that even though the dish was damaged and the awesome tours were no longer occurring, I was allowed inside to take pictures and buy souvenirs from the gift shop. It is a must see site whether you are a tourist, a relief worker, science lover or James Bond.

I and my husband are super-geeks, so we very much enjoyed seeing the observatory. I was Jodie Foster for a few hours.... The geographical setting is fascinating, and the scale of the dish and the receivers/antenna are impressive. The visitor center was mildly entertaining, but it was a bit schizophrenic: Some of the exhibits were extremely elementary, while others spoke in a technical language I couldn't follow. Have to say I agree with Dave S. about the film. 'Tis a bit cheesy. But I thought it was appropriate to see a historical depiction of what life was like in the observatory during its heyday. The best part was the grin on my husband's face, and seeing him wear the geeky Observatory t-shirt I bought him in the gift shop.

I loved his place. Its definitely a trip worth combining with Rio Camuy Caverns. The narrow hilly terrain can ensure the drive is quite long, but definitely worth it. The $10 admission ticket is money well spent. I suggest watching the well made documentary before beingbawe struck by this magnificent engineering work. Gemma, our guide for the tour was helpful both with the information about the observatory and suggestions on nearby places. Her suggestion for a roamntic dinner in Salitre was spot on.

I'm honestly baffled that people expect to see a giant optical telescope when they arrive here. Aricebo is a *radio* telescope, which is every bit as powerful as a visible light telescope, but for radio waves. Anyway, do yourself a favor and read the wikipedia page on the observatory. If it bores you, seeing in person won't help. As for our experience, it was amazing to see the scale of the telescope in person. I've been wanting to see Arecibo for years and it was awesome to stand before the enormous dish and learn about its construction and usage. It's apparently operational 24/7 and we watched it rotate which was really cool. They must've updated the video because we found it really entertaining and it explained how the radio waves are collected. The exhibits are interesting but after an hour or so we definitely had our fill. Absolutely worth the drive out from San Juan! We found the route a bit confusing but there's a map on their website which really helped, plus our GPS!

The tour is $12...DO NOT PAY FOR IT. You can go inside the visitor center for free, and head on out to the observation deck area for the giant radio telescope. It is an impressive feat, especially for something built during the 1960's, but unless you are a diehard fan of telescopes it is not worth paying $12 for the tour. The tour mainly consists of 2 theater presentations. Inside the visitor center there are meteorite samples, some info about SETI and more. Note that you will not be allowed to have your cellphone on unless it is in airplane mode. You can still take pictures, just make sure it's in the aforementioned mode.

Arecibo is located at the top of the mountain, so be prepared to drive up a very small and windy road. Considering some of the roads we had to drive through in Puerto Rico... what's new? The Observatory charges $10, which is actually pretty pricy considering some of the other landmarks we visited that were free but considering its recent renovation, I was willing to shell out the $10 in support of the sciences! When you walk into the Observatory, there are a lot of displays discussing how the dish works, history fo the observatory etc. You can go into the auditorium to watch a film about the history of the Observatory, some of its main discoveries, and hear from some of the scientists who worked there. Then you will exit the auditorium into the viewing patio, where you can look down on the grand dish itself. Everyone in our group spoke Spanish, so they showed the Spanish version of the video. Our guide gave us a little synopsis later in English. I would call myself a science geek, but even with that, I cannot say that I was super impressed with what the video showed or what I saw with my own eyes. I don't know why, but I was expecting a telescope. And I was sort of excited to see a planet. But don't be misinformed like me! Arecibo is an observatory. The big dish they have there is able to measure the velocity and speed of say, an asteroid in space, but they do not have a big telescope for you to look through to see Saturn. You will be able to admire the dish itself though, and appreciate how nature had created this perfect spot for them to build this dish made up of tiny plate reflectors. Coming from California, I have visited Griffith Observatory many times. Although Arecibo is no Griffith, it is able to offer you insight into some of the history of the study of space in Puerto Rico. The people here are warm and friendly, and you can tell that they are all very proud of what this Observatory has to offer. Conclusion: If you're going to be in the area, pay Arecibo a visit. If you're not going to be passing through, don't bother.

This place is a great site. You can watch a video about the the largest satellite and tour the place on your own. They had a human cloud maker and some cool meteorites. To go here you must be prepared to take a serious walk up a hill. Not a place to go in high heel shoes! I didn't exactly plan to go here so I wasn't dressed for the occasion. It was worth the climb though. I love history and science and I love that this place isn't far from my home. The drive up the mountain is rather nice too. Its the true Puerto Rican life style...not the city-life that San Juan portrays. There are signs everywhere leading the way up. They have a nice small souvenir shop where you could buy pictures of the full satellite. As much as I tried, I couldn't get a full picture of it with my camera. You're just too close.

We stopped by here after going to Camuy Caves (go to the caves!!!) and I was disappointed. The drive is neat because you get a taste of the more rural & desolate areas of PR. Once you arrive at the observatory, you have to walk up 50 steps but it was a pretty easy walk. After paying admission, we entered r the exhibit area which I thought was lackluster & left me wondering, "WHERE IS THE TELESCOPE!?!?" They run English and Spanish tours on a schedule so if you want to go on one -- make sure you arrive accordingly. When we asked, the next one was in 40 minutes & there was nothing to keep us occupied for the next 40 minutes. We opted to just walk out through the doors & to the telescope by ourselves (it's located in the back next to the bathrooms). After 5 minutes of looking at the telescope -- the last tour actually came out too so we just listened to the tour guide (freeloading fun!). The tour basically consists of watching a movie of the history of the observatory & then the guide takes you out to clarify, provide extra input, & answer questions. I don't think we missed out on too much. It's cool to swing by & see the telescope especially with its history & magnitude but if I was crammed for time -- I'll just skip it.

Yes, Arecibo is out of the way. Yes, it takes effort to get to. But when do you get the chance to see something that's the worlds largest anything? Right, not that often. So take the trip out, watch the short presentation, and check out something really big. The staff is really great and helpful. Plus, it beats trying to get a tan when it's cloudy.

This was one of the most, if not the most, informative science museums I've ever been to. There was so much information posted on the boards of this two-level science museum. I loved how there was a 15-minute video that showed the history of the Arecibo Observatory, and the museum is operated with a number of young, passionate students that were happy to share their knowledge with you. I never knew anything about a radio telescope until now. Definitely interesting to see it in real life, but it wasn't as humongous as I thought it would be. It's really awesome to see this place dedicated to advancing society's understanding of the universe. It was definitely a great day trip! If you're open to a day of learning about the galaxies and physics, this is a good place for you.

If, like me, you think educational filmstrips are hilarious, you will enjoy this place. The highlight for me was the "A Day in the Life of Aricebo" film from the late 80s that was shown in the theatre. It details the travails of two visiting astronomers as they arrive from abroad, with mechanics, cooks, and electricians working behind the scenes so the academics can get their prized career-making wiggle on a graph. I suspect they have less visitors these days now that you can do everything remotely through the internet, but the segment detailing the aricebo cafeteria food is still entertaining. Displays are ok, they have a tendency to go from shallow explanations to extremely complex ones over the course of a sentence (e.g. they might want to explain how magnetic fields work before tackling pulsars), so many displays assume at least a high-school physics knowledge, which may put kids to sleep. The dish and mechanism itself is very cool just due to the gigantic scale of the thing. You can't get to see the growth underneath the dish as a visitor. If you are unwilling to climb stairs for Science!, skip the observatory and head back to the fried plantains.

This place was pretty cool and if you are into science, you will appreciate their museum. They have planets and a periodic table in spanish....oxigeno, carbono....etc its like nerdvana. There is a presentation on the satellite given in both languages and at the end you get to see the satellite. you can always go to the back ,skip the presentation, to see the satellite. Totally recommend!!!!

Cool satellite dish and photo-op and definitely a must for James Bond fans of any age but, the $10 entrance fee into the inside museum was so disappointing! I know it's tough to make Science cool and accessible but, the little educational stations/exhibits were just filled with too much technical information and not enough hands-on applicability. The observatory exhibits could definitely use some updating! The drive to the observatory was long but I actually enjoyed driving through the small neighborhoods and the scenery isn't bad at all.

Geeky science fun! I'm biased though, being a scientist myself. The views of the telescope are breathtaking and had my geeky scientific heart squealing in delight. The visitors center had a number of informative (and even some interactive) displays...the scientific content was relatively basic but there were a couple of more advanced concepts presented and they made good use of interactive items to help illustrate ideas. If you appreciate science, mathematics, and/or engineering topics -- or even if you just like seeing how things work -- this is most definitely worth a stop. It is a bit of a hike up from the visitors parking to the visitors center - but it's not like they time you so take it easy if you're out of shape.

I love this place. I've gone here quite a few times as a kid and it has changed tremendously. The drive is a bit confusing for those who do not pay attention to the roads. If you look for the observatory symbol while driving, you cannot get lost. The roads are typical of Puerto Rico- drive slow because there are lots of potholes. Get gas if you are low before you head up the mountain- heaven forbid you run out of gas getting there :) $10 entry fee- I dig it. English or Spanish tours are available. The museum is pretty cool, especially for little kids. I took my cousins here to see the largest telescope in the world! I have always loved this place. Side Note: If you are in the area, I would make this one of a few stops along the way. I would also go to Utuado (oh-too-ah-do) to get some Taino history/see caves, take a day trip to Ponce, and drive around the coast to San Juan if you are staying there. You can also choose to visit las Cuevas/Cavernas Camuy or las Cuevas Ventanas (another cool cave). Either one is awesome but have an entry fee for cars. If you choose Camuy, know that it fills up early, so I would go there first- but it makes getting to Arecibo Observatory a bit trickier. Make sure you have a map or your handy dandy GPS.

Seen GoldenEye, or Contact? Ever fancied yourself as James Bond or Dr. Ellie Arroway? Come to Arecibo Observatory and see for yourself the giant radio telescope hovering above a natural sinkhole in limestone karst country, with a backdrop of verdant lush hills rolling away to the horizon. Arecibo Observatory is an engineering marvel. It was built in three years in the late 1950's by some folks who wouldn't take no for an answer. The exhibits tell the story of the observatory's construction in rural Puerto Rico. Since then, the "dish" has been studying our atmosphere, planets, and objects throughout our galaxy and beyond. It's a tremendous interdisciplinary tool for all types of science, bringing together atmospheric physicists and rocket scientists. The visitor center is the only thing resembling a science museum in Puerto Rico, and while the exhibits may be due for an update, the science they present is good and the new video is well-produced and informative. Driving up the hill to Arecibo Observatory you first get a glipse of the support towers and it's then that you get an idea of how absolutely big this thing is, and how difficult it must have been to build. And yet, decades later, it's still precise to a few milimeters and producing excellent scientific results. The route to the observatory is marked with signs at each turn going up the hill; if you do get lost, ask for "The Steep Hill" and "El Radiotelescopio". Watch out for dogs and horses on the road! To the reviewers who were expecting to see planets through an optical telescope: that only works if it's clear at _night_. Visiting an observatory during the day and expecting to see planets? Drop me a message if you're confused as to why that would be difficult.

Most boring tour I have ever been on. Most of the exhibits were broken, and the movie you have to sit through is complete crap. You get what you pay for, and the drive isn't worth it. The actual telescope is very cool! Stay away from the food, and make this a quick pitstop on an adventure to do better things.

The Arecibo Observatory is very cool, and absolutely worth the $6 ticket, but the science fair exhibits in the vistors center are utterly lame. That is, unless you like to pretend you're in old episodes of Saved by the Bell. Except you're not Zack, Slater or even Screech. You're one of the "dweebs" they routinely mock and stuff into lockers. What's in their lockers? The stuff they put up in the vistors center. Go, laugh at the sad fate of Pluto's last stand as a planet on a scientific foam board from the mid 90's, then walk outside and desperately try to squeeze the entire Observatory into your DSLR lens.

Wow, so not worth the drive and $10 admission Fee. I pretty much spent my time and money to get a picture of this cool piece of technology. Driving there was fun..thru the rural mountainous areas. Seeing the observatory was fun. Spending the time and money was not fun. Walking up the hill and around the boring exhibits was not fun. The gift shop was quite depressing. There are so many things to do in PR, I would recommend against going here..unless you've already done everything else..

This place is great for all ages. Once the video is over its out to see the huge telescope. Too bad you cant get closer or get in the booth to see the data. They do have a small concessions outside, cheese dog was a nice treat.

This is such a beautiful and breathtaking sight to visit. We came here after visiting the cammuy caves and for the view alone it was worth the visit. My husband is very much into stars and astronomy so even though I enjoyed this it was more a visit for him. We saw a little film, we looked around a very informative museum and we came out onto the observatory deck. Everything was so beautiful it's worth seeing if you come to PR.

I'm not a huge science/space geek, but I thought it was pretty cool! The museum and learning center had lots of info on astronomy and the telescope itself, but I honestly didn't feel like reading all the text panels because I was lazy. We watched the 17 minute introductory film which wasn't Oscar worthy but still answered my basic questions about what the dish is all about and its basic history. My main reason for going here was because I'm a huge James Bond fan and the final scene of Goldeneye was filmed there. I didn't really investigate much in the visitors center to see if there was any behind-the-scenes stuff from that movie because the center was flooded with school children as I was wrapping up. And, I was ready to go after that. The drive is out of the way (hour and 15 minutes from where we stayed east of Old San Juan). There are signs that take you the observatory off PR-22 to Hwy 129 and then over to 635. It was a fun thing to do on our last day on Puerto Rico as my legs were tired from excessive hiking in El Yunque and Old San Juan.

Mmm. Very cool place to visit but considering the infamous crappy turning and dangerous roads in retrospect I'm not sure it was totally worth it. Don't get me wrong, once you see "El Radar" or the actually satellite, it is very beautiful and breathtaking. But that's pretty much it. I paid like 10-12 bucks for admission to act like I was interested in some astral informational stands. The place is pretty clean and you will have to climb some stars to get to the actual observatory site but it's not hard work for anyone relatively in shape. Just in case your severely handicap or just lazy they offer a free of purchase golf cart to bypass stairs. Anyway, theres a small souvenir shop which is kinda meh. The guides here as with any typical touristy spot in PR are bilingual ( English/Spanish) guided presentations. There are some educational presentations and stands of space and stuff but I feel like it is geared towards kids...like preteens kids. Cool stuff but a bore for me. The actual view of El Radar is beautiful, breathtaking but lasts only a couple seconds after you realize how massive it is but yet so far away. Overall, it is a once in a lifetime visit. It is a great view but just not something I could gaze at time after time. If you want your typical tourist fare then go here but as a local its not such a big deal I am told.

Please don't go with high expectations. This place is really overrated. There are some exhibits in the main hall and after that you go to a platform to look at the dish. While the dish is great to look at, it would be even better if there was a walking tour. It's also can be confusing to get here. Got lost several times trying to find this place driving from San Juan. If you are heading to Camuy Caves this makes a great side trip. The informational movie is useless. It tries to present a day in the life of the observatory but comes off as irrelevant and haphazard. The entire audience left half way through the film. Summary: Drive here, pay $6, look at dish, take picture, and leave.

Incredible find in the jungle. I'll never forget seeing it. When we were there you could walk right up to a little bitty building and look through the windows to see scientists reading all the panels with hundreds of dials. Occasionally, they would glance up at us. I learned what a radio telescope was that day.