Biosphere 2

I wanted to be more positive about thus review,, but simply can't do it. I did this tour about 25 years ago and loved it. Seeing all the mechanical workings with the air handlers and the "lung" was informative. Being able to see a lot of behind the scenes areas was fascinating. Hearing stories about the "biosphereans" who were involved in the original experiment was what made the facility what it was. Now, none of that. Other than a little walk through the kitchen and theater areas, it was pretty much a glorified botanic garden tour. And, not a very good one at that. It pretty much seemed all the biomes pretty much blended together and there was little difference between areas. It seemed guava and coffee plants were located throughout the biosphere. It seemed plants were simply thrown in that would grow in certain areas. It all seemed chaotic and like an experiment gone wrong. The app works, but a real tour guide can answer questions and you can interact with them. I thought you could just listen to the tour, but you needed to see what they were showing on the screen at times. I want to see it in real life, not on a screen. Arrows were marked on the ground so that was easy to follow. The information presented was pretty much all of what is being done now. Sorry, but I am much more interested in the history and the original experience than what is currently being done. Staff was indifferent to say the least. The staff member in the kitchen was great. Easy to talk to and answered questions. The registration area was a disgrace. There were three staff members in the desk area you had to walk past when leaving. They didn't even acknowledge us. They were more interested in asking each other what they did for Thanksgiving. Sad, really. Could say å lot more, but will end it here. Definitely not worth the money (currently) and have had my fill of this site.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect but somehow my expectations were exceeded. I enjoyed being able to set my own pace to tour the facility with the self guided audio tour. One thing I was not aware of was that the app needed to download 226 steps to be able to function. The full download took about 30 minutes so just keep that in mind. Open the app and let it update prior to arrival. Super informative and interesting way to spend a few hours.

Loved it. What an amazing setup and how much there is to see and experience. We also did the behind the scenes tour of “ the lung” which I highly recommend. How much technologies went into the creation of this habitat that recreates what we take for granted here in our beautiful planet earth! Everyone should go and see to appreciate what we have !

Biosphere 2 is one of Arizona’s most unusual and thought-provoking attractions, offering visitors a blend of scientific history and immersive exploration just north of Tucson. Built between 1987 and 1991, the massive glass-and-steel complex was originally designed as a sealed environment where humans could live alongside self-contained ecosystems, testing ideas related to space colonization and Earth’s sustainability. While the original human-isolation experiment made global headlines and sparked controversy, the site has since evolved into a respected research and education center operated by the University of Arizona. Today, visitors tour lush biomes including a rainforest, desert, savanna, mangrove wetland, and a miniature ocean, all enclosed under one roof in striking contrast to the surrounding Sonoran Desert. From a visitor’s perspective, Biosphere 2 feels both futuristic and reflective—part museum, part working science lab—inviting guests to think about climate, ecosystems, and humanity’s relationship with the planet while experiencing one of the most ambitious environmental experiments ever built. Great for a family visit or if on a roadtrip through Arizona just 30 miles outside of Tuscon. It will capture the imagination of young and old. I highly recommend the tour.

This is a neat experience for a field trip and my kids definitely learned a few interesting facts during our self guided tour. It’s $15.00 for students and it takes 1 1/2 hours tops to walk through.

Very unique place. People decided to create isolated place and see if 8 people can leave self sufficient on 3 acres with plants and animals of their choice. This place helps to visualize how complex our planet is. This place was designed for 10 people but later they realize that there will be not enough food for 10 and reduced number of people to 8. They found out that without the wind trees grow weak and brake. It was not enough oxygen. The place was sealed and 8 people leaved there for 2 years. I would recommend to take extra tour to the lung.

The tour was interesting, but we were underwhelmed by the depth of it. We were really hoping for a look into the workings of the biosphere without having to purchase and additional tour. We also would have liked more information about current research and the technological applications that have come out of that research. We still enjoyed it!

This is my second visit to the Biosphere 2. My last visit was in the late nineties. There has been an amazing upgrade since then. It's so cool to hear about the interesting experiments happening in this unique space. The history lesson about the need for transparency in science is much appreciated. I loved being able to see the different biological zones and the human habitat from the first experiments in creating a sustainable ecosystem. (harder than it looks) From the innovative "lungs" to the LEO experimental slopes to the beautiful and clever architecture, I was impressed by the creative use of the facility. I did miss hearing the interviews with the original biospherians. I guess those videos are still somewhere on the internet. They talk about how they felt about the original experiment before, during and after. The app was very helpful. You need to download and install the app, and then download an additional 1gb of media before you get to the site. The WiFi is not reliable. But watching the videos on the app was a very good way to get a tour at your own pace.

Great experience!!!! Learned so much about the history and research and love that it's still being used for research today. We opted to book the optional/additional lung and library tours and glad we did! Got to see really cool features and functions in person which was way better than just reading about them :) very clean all throughout and knowledgeable/friendly staff. Wish we could eat the fruit that was growing inside!

I'm from Tucson and hadn't been to Biosphere 2 until recently; I've officially found a new favorite place to take family when in town. The campus is beautiful and features a self-guided walking tour. I took about an hour and fifteen minutes to walk through start to finish and listen to some of the tour, which according to their website is exactly how long they expect people to visit. And while I didn't use it, there is also an accessible route to the different areas. My visit was kind of impromptu, and I went wearing ballet flats and a sundress. While I wouldn't recommend this, you can take the tour at your own pace so this was not an issue. In addition to good shoes, I would make sure you're well equipped with water and sunscreen. A lot of the tour is outside and you're subject to our Sonoran desert. If you like The Martian, The 100, or Lost, look no further - Biosphere 2 feel like you've been immersed into an unreal science fiction fantasy.

This is truly such a unique and must try experience. I'm in awe to this day of what I've seen here and learned. It's a fairly easy experience to have, plenty of accessible spaces. The story and education behind it all is really impressive, it continues to be a work in progress of new and old projects coming through. I'm excited by the development. The views and feel of the spaces themselves are really so great, it's hard to explain how unique it is to travel through the Biosphere. A heads up to download the app entirely before and/or there before walking if you'd like to have the audio and videos available for viewing during the walk around.

Information was interesting. Glad we went to see Biosphere 2, I always wanted to go and see.

Biosphere has been on my list of places to check out for a while now. We had family visiting from Texas and they wanted to go, so this was the perfect opportunity. Overall, it's 4 stars for me simply due to the experience of that day. The weather wasn't great. Not biospheres fault. Just nature. And, actually I'm glad it was pouring rain, we always need more moisture is AZ. It just made for a wet and cold day walking around the property. The tour takes about 60-90 minutes. Self guided tour requires you to download the app. Cell signal is not good out there, they have wifi in the building. The tour is half inside and half outside. They have different areas you can visit such as the LEO (landscape evolution observatory), mangrove, ocean, desert, and rainforest. I can imagine on a nice day, it's great to walk around outside. The area I enjoyed most was the desert since it's not like our desert here in AZ, it's more the type of desert region found in Baja Mexico. It was lush, green, with flowers. The ocean area is neat too. The rainforest was cool, but a bit of let down, you can walk in and look at it, but can't walk through it. Open for Tours Monday-Sunday 9am-4pm Adult $27, Senior $25, Child (5-17) $15 Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day We went on a Friday and there were plenty of people visiting but didn't feel crowded.

What a surreal experience! Felt like I was in the ISS!! What a most interesting time and enjoyable, peaceful day. Just amazing what Man can do!!! Even bought a fee things at their gift shop!!

Visiting Tucson for the day so we decided to stop by the biosphere on our way down from Scottsdale. We are so happy that we did so! It's honestly a really fun experience. The price is very fair and it is a self-guided tour. They do offer guided tours as well, however, we chose to do the self-guided. You download an app, and at each stop (about 115 of them) the app tells you more about each location. You start outside to get views of the exterior and then you move into the desert dome, after that you head into the ocean dome and end in the jungle dome. You can make it a quick stop or spend as much time as you'd like. It's open from 9am to 4pm and there is no set arrival time. The last tours are allowed in at 3:30pm so it's a really freeform type of experience. I would highly recommend to anyone.

This is a very interesting and fun place. I came here with my husband on a Sunday and we made it just in time to do the self tour before they closed. We arrived at 3pm and they close at 4pm but try to have everyone out no later than 4:30pm. The self tour with listening to each audio video took us about 70 minutes. Keep in mind there are multiple times you need to go up and down stairs. This isn't a problem for us, but if you're slower moving then the tour may take you longer. Make sure to download the app prior to arrival so that you are ready to go with the self tour. Please remember to bring headphones. There were so many people without them and they were listening to the audio out loud and it was very distracting when I was trying to listen to mine on my headphones. The fact that there is an ocean and a rainforest in the middle of the desert is just mind blowing. This is definitely a great place to visit and I want to come back to do the lung tour.

Everyone should see the Biosphere2. Interesting human experiment as well as environmental effort.

Super cool experience! My husband and I went to the Biosphere on a Sunday and had no issue getting tickets. It is recommended you purchase tickets in advance, as they only have 40 slots available per every 30 min. It's nice because you can see how many slots are available when you book - that way you know ahead of time how many others will be going through at the same time. The tour itself is very organized. They have an app for it that you can download either beforehand or on their wifi if you choose. We brought earbuds as to not disturb other groups or have to weed through which audio we were listening to. There was a fairly big group in front of us using a single phone on full volume, so I was happy we had the earbuds. The employees walk you through how to use the tour as well before you set out. It is *mostly* handicap accessible - the group in front of us had someone in a wheelchair, and we overheard that their lift is currently out of order (Aug 2022). Unfortunately, they aren't able to see the living quarters or the lower level. The rest of the tour, there are both ramps and steps available. The tour is approximately 1 mile in total, so be prepared for that! It is also mostly outside. We really enjoyed learning about the Biosphere experience and all the research that is being conducted there. I would highly recommend checking this out, especially if you're a science nerd like me :)

Absolutely a wonderful place to visit. Enjoyed the rain Forrest, the ocean was interesting, just a reminder to definitely wear comfortable shoes.....

I read some negative reviews and almost backed out. Glad I didn't. I had a great experience! Staff were friendly and helpful. There is WiFi throughout the facility. Also, video rooms and placards with info throughout. Not sure what those 1-stars were talking about. Worth a visit!

The audio tour went better than expected. Mix of indoor and outdoor exhibits so not too hot. Very interesting. Would recommend to friends and family.

Imagine wanting to recreate life on earth inside an enclosed land-based Arc in search of scientific possibility and innovation. One of every plant, some animals, even it's own ocean along with a crew including a scientist and a physician or two, and then imagine your Eden quickly degrading into a hell scape without enough food, oxygen or medical care. Welcome to Biosphere 2, the experiment that went horribly wrong in the desert outside of Tuscon, and now a university research center (originally, Columbia University and now run by the University of Arizona) and spot that tourists can visit and do some disaster gawking. Enjoyable, fascinating and a little moldy (yes, growing on the walls) Biosphere 2 is worth a visit if you have a morbid fascination for failed experiments, 90s futuristic architecture, indoor rainforests, or university laboratories.

Very interesting place! You'll learn that they failed to create a natural utopia. All the scientists couldn't keep a few species alive, really shows you G-d's Hand.

First part of the tour is self guided. This worked well. Self guided means self paced. So much to see. Learn. Absurd. The history is also rich. The second tour into the "lungs" was guided. This was fantastic. Our guide, Orville, was knowledgeable, engaging and kept our group focused the full tour. He is a gifted educator and speaker. His personal touch made the tour exceptional. Highly recommend. Will repeat simply to learn more about this amazing facility.

This place is AMAZING!!! So many ecosystems located in one place in the middle of the desert no less! It was FASINATING to learn about the two year experiment of the people who lived there for two years. (sidebar: imagine that for a moment, they lived exclusively in the Biosphere for TWO YEARS!!!) It didn't yield the result that they wanted it to but they learned so much from the experience!

This is one of the most interesting and educational things to around Tucson. It was around 80 degrees in Tucson and when we got to the Biosphere 2, the temperature had dropped to about 70 degrees. I brought a coat, but didn't wear it. It was a sunny day and going in some indoor areas made it rather warm. We downloaded the app but didn't use it much. The have a couple videos along the path to give you some information. I highly recommend this if you are taking a road trip through AZ. We bought tickets ahead of time but could have easily bought them there. It wasn't crowded at all.

If you're in Tucson stop on by the Biosphere 2. Learn about how the scientist lived, studies they we're working on and how the Biosphere functions. Buy your ticket online and down load the App which is for the self guided tour. The beginning of the tour will be outdoors as you walk around the property stopping at various points of interest. The best part of the tour is inside where you can walk through the garden and rain forest area. I do wish that they would allow us to see more of the inside property. I could see through a window one of the apartments of the scientist. It was really cool to be able to see what the living conditions were for them. I would've liked to have been able to go upstairs to the library even though it's several flights up. I would've liked to have seen the doctors office, Kitchen, research lab, even if it was just from behind the glass window. $25 for a self guided tour is a bit steep. I think $15 is a fair price. Having said that, I did enjoy the trip and I am glad that I stopped by. It is something that I've been wanting to check out for a while now.

Employees are rude. Soooo rude. My family went today and the woman behind the counter that we showed our tickets to just said "follow the red arrows and download the app and start here with the first video". Also she told me that "there are some stairs but there will be separate paths so you can use your stroller". Well the App DID NOT WORK. We saw other people with iPads and we asked what those were for and they told us "if your app isn't working they give you the iPad". Which is interesting because I pulled up my app and she(the woman we showed our tickets to) saw that mine wasn't working right there at the counter to which she said "oh don't worry the videos will load"- the first video did but none of the rest worked. Anyway, once we got to the "kitchen" the person working said "you should leave your stroller because there's a lot of stairs" lol.... I said "will the path loop around and bring me back here so I can get it?" He said it would. It did not. So once we figured that out we had to walk all the way around the building to retrieve my stroller. Once you walk through the different biomes, (Does it smell like mold inside or is it just me?) and you exit the rainforest which brings you back outside, the red arrows disappear?? No one told us this would happen. Maybe the app explains this? We wouldn't know. They say it's 50/50 indoors and outdoors but it feels more like 70% outdoors. Don't go when it's 110* degrees out because you'll be miserable and apparently so will all the employees. On our way out we saw a family completely struggling with zero direction. Apparently they weren't even told to "follow the red arrows". This place is a joke, don't waste your money. If your interested, watch a YT video on it.

I'm embarrassed to say I've lived in Arizona intermittently for about 8 years, primarily in Phoenix, and I had never heard of Biosphere 2 until this week. A family member has been visiting and suggested we check it out... I'm so glad we did! What very important work has been done, and is being done at this site. Allow 2 hours to visit. Dress in layers for the different climates you'll experience.

The future is here, and it was done like 20 years ago! Innovations and biological reserves like this are so important for us all looking forward. So much to say about this place but let's just say they have a man made Tropical forest and ocean in the middle of the desert Go to support and understand what the Biosphere 2 is all about. You will not be disappointed with what you find. - Get Involved - Future Proof World - Biological Innovations

Really fascinating Definitely bring the entire family It's an amazing experience to be in The Lung Feels futuristic and like a glimpse of the possibilities of food production on other planets Definitely check it out

I've always wanted to visit here and we decided to do a little staycation in Arizona. We took a quick trip down to Tucson and made this one of our destinations. The site is run by the University of Arizona now and is used for research. They obviously still have COVID precautions in place. So instead of a tour guide you use an app on your phone. They did a pretty good job with the app but it just wasn't the same as a real guide. Still all things considered it worked well enough. My family of four really enjoyed the walking tour. My 17 year old daughter who is into biology and wants to attend the UoA in a year was really impressed. Plus she got a ton of great photos to post online. I love things like this and definitely want to come back when the real tour guides return.

Was really nice but the self guided tour was sad compared to the guided tour from before, they used to show you more cool places but oh well. The staff was very nice and took some photos for us and made up for it :) the rain didn't stop us from having a great time and it was very quiet! A bonus! Hooray!

Talk about an attraction where the organizers put little to no effort in. There are no plaques, no brochures, no guides whatsoever to either give you context or simply make walking through it interesting. All they offer is a guided recorded tour that you can ONLY access by downloading their app. Hmmmm. I don't like being forced to do things. Boring. Poorly designed. Where's the path? we wondered at many times. Lazy. The whole time we kept wondering: What was Biosphere 1?!! We found out literally as we left the park. Saw an outdoor sign. The very last line said Biosphere 1 is...the Earth! You'd think they'd have mentioned that in a more obvious way elsewhere...perhaps even inside the Biosphere, you know, that place you paid $25/person to go inside of?

The first time we attempted to visit Biosphere 2 we purchased our tickets in advance online without checking the forecasted weather. We scheduled during an anticipated rain storm so we called to see if we could reschedule. They were very accommodating and we were able to go at a later date and time. A few weeks later we headed up to Biosphere 2 but didn't realize the weather would be much cooler than it is in Tucson (snow was on the ground)! So it's might be good to consider if you're visiting in the winter, you may want to bring extra layers. We enjoyed the self guided tour (downloaded the app prior to arrival and listened to a few associated podcasts on our drive up which was informative and made the tour more interesting because we had useful background information). It took us a little over an hour to complete the tour but it could take longer depending how much you read along the way, photos, time in the gift store, etc. Overall, it's a great experience and crazy to think about the scientists who spent over two years sealed up in this system; growing, harvesting and preparing their food as well as all of the social dynamics that probably played out. Wear your walking shoes and at this time masks are required. Enjoy!

Fascinating human experiment done here in the 90s to see if a group can live in an enclosed space resembling our planet. They continue to do interesting research today and the Biosphere itself is really interesting to see in person. However, the self-guided tour is poorly done. Good information on the videos, but the wifi was only working half the time and groups of people listening at different times in the same area made it difficult to concentrate. The posters and signage is a bit out dated and the branding could use an update. Find a few UA students to whip some marketing / branding up and it would make the whole place feel a bit more with the times.

We were out of town visitors, and took our children to it. I thought the price was quite steep for the experience. It is definitely cool to see one time. But I don't know if I would recommend it coming back. I also thought that their app only was not very friendly. We were also experiencing torrential down pour, that did not help. The rainforest part was very very cool. The rest of it it was OK. The whole thing we finished in one hour. I would give it three out of five stars.

Well worth visiting . Real life science experiment in person. Took less than five minutes to pay and get in. You download an app on your phone and watch videos as you walk around which perfectly explains everything. Areas are marked by numbers which are then paired with the application to listen on a video.

Biosphere 2 is a must-see for Tucsonans and visitors alike. It's currently owned by University of Arizona and houses several scientific research projects primarily related to water and climate. Want to know what happens to a rain forest when temperatures increase and precipitation falls off? They've done it. How is water flowing through landscapes influenced by their evolution in time, and by climate change? This and other questions will be answered by the Landscape Evolution Observatory. The "Under the Glass" tour that's included in the General Admission Fee offers an overview of the amazing projects, as well as insight into the 'technosphere' that includes a stop in one of the 'lungs' that helped control air pressure when the environment was sealed. For $8 more, you can add on an ocean/beach tour where you'll learn more about rising ocean temperatures and coral reef research. Another $8 will get you an outdoor history tour that covers construction of the biosphere and some insight into what being a crew member was like. Tip: If you want a deeper understanding of what living in Biosphere 2 was like, read up on the original mission and occupants before you go (e.g., Mark Nelson's article "Biosphere 2: What Really Happened" in Dartmouth Alumni Magazine). You'll have a different perspective when you tour! If you're lucky, you may get Claudio as a guide. He's been there since pretty much the beginning and will answer questions about that era.

Its a big property and a lot of walking. Go when the weather is nice and take your time.

We (my husband and I) have always seen the billboards as we make our way to Tucson, AZ. We always said "We have to go check this place out" Luckily, it was our time to venture to Biosphere 2. It was either go see some snow - MEHHH, didnt want to fight the traffic nor get stuck on the side of the freeway due to black ice..hahaha! We will stay dry and cool! lol - Biosphere 2 it is... We made our reservations and came at least 45 minutes earlier than our expected time which was nice because it wasn't crowded, it was just me, my husband, and his cell phone as our guide. Okay, here is where the three stars come into place. As much as I enjoy having a self-guided tour from our PHONE using up OUR battery and listening to some detailed points along the way. It is NOT the same as if you have a physical GUIDE to elaborate more in details of what certain areas were once used for, we couldn't ask our phone questions?? and it would respond back to us with an elaborated answer. I understood about the CDC, wearing of Mask, and keeping our social distance. However, having a physical tour guide with a minimum of small groups you can still do all of the CDC protocol and for those that strictly want to do their own self guided tours, they can have that option. But, I prefer having a guide that can answer our questions and talk a little bit more on each building... We saw one of guides on the property and we kept asking him questions and we got more information from him than we did from our phone. Especially, the important part of "The Lungs" what it does for the Biosphere 2 - it's pretty cool as he describes it as a human lung - breathing for Biosphere 2. He also gave us much more information about "The Ocean" and how most of their self sustainable was brought in from people from Hawaii. Dr. Ruth Gates, Director of Hawaii Marine Biologist who came to teach them how to re-birth the coral reef... But, lots of things that this Biosphere 2 can do that are having lots of missing components as far as growth and electricity. If they were able to tap into the right resources. Hawaii has been doing this for many yrs/centuries of living self sustainable. Agriculture has always been the key component in food, energy, electricity and etc. Taking care of the land instead of destroying it is one way but, there is NO money in Agriculture and no profits... Sadly, politicians and government rather focus on other things that will bring money versus helping the environment and its citizens! Biosphere 2 was created to see how it would be if we were to live on another plant. If you havent see the movie, its a must so when you go to the Biosphere 2 you get a much better understanding of why it was built (which is kinda weird movie), what the dome was used for, how did the Biospherian survived and what else plants/vegetables and animals could of been in there to help with the Co2 and etc? This is a great place to take the kids to enjoy a day out to Biosphere, very clean and safely social distance. Lots of picnic table to have lunch all around the property. However, if your really Hungry - we went to Lupe's Mexican Restaurant right after and it was amazing! Awesome customer service too.... One thing I also forgot to mention - I wish they had an area were we could view a introduction movie and to give a brief breakdown on what Biosphere 2 was...You can again, do it safely by controlling how many ppl are going in - like a small museum and having the movie play on its own and ppl can come in or not... But, they need to bring the guides back on.... Physically and have small groups of 6 ppl (which includes kids)

Nice half day experience (including the drive up) for an educational tour and a stroll around the grounds. We got a groupon, so the admission was more worth it than full price! Once you get there, there isn't much else beside the tour and walking around - food and drink options are minimal and are just one gal serving drip coffee and pre-packaged food.

If your idea of a good time is touring a moldy greenhouse that is badly in need of repair, this place is for you! The University of Arizona should be ashamed to have their name attached to this overpriced roadside attraction. It appears as if no maintenance has been performed at this facility in years, and the staff, almost all volunteers and temporary hires, are about as knowledgeable as the rotting vegetation that predominates the interior of the greenhouse. The idiotic "app" that is required for visitors to load prior to entering this dump does not work, and there are no brochures or printed guides primarily because the management has some bizarre eco-sensitivity about using paper. Biosphere 2 is a fitting monument to a failed experiment, and no amount of money, public or private, can disguise the fact that this place is a total ripoff. SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!

I highly recommend anyone do this tour. While we went during COVID, and it was empty with tourists, it was fascinating. You can only go in the main dome and the Rain Forest but it was still worth the cost. I wish they could have had a live tour guide versus the phone tour, but it's the times we are in. You learn why they ended up pumping oxygen in and why it failed. The structures are unreal. Go, even during Covid and paying full price, I'd do it again.

It's a long trip and when there a short self guided tour but worth it. It really makes you feel sad at how we treat this planet seeing the beauty they have here. The research they conduct here you get insight at to just how important it is. And it should have you go away having a bit more respect for Earth. Just the amount you get to see is small but their research here such as trees needing wind and effects of Co2 and runoff are just a very small amount of the vast information this place produces. It is a golden treasure that is worth at least once going to see. And if you ever get to work with UofA or to help with a project absolutely jump on it. This place at least for me was humbling and beautiful.

The Biosphere 2 is a disappointing attraction with little to offer. First, Biosphere 2 is exorbitantly expensive at $25 per person, with ridiculous add-on features that are about 30 minutes each, costing another $12 per person per option, of which there were two. The tour consists of using a pretty unreliable app that relies on cell service in the middle of nowhere. The information isn't all that interesting, and I was extremely disappointed with the lack of information on the entire project. The Biosphere itself has numerous things shut down for "renovations," but it seems like it's been like that for years, with dead and abandoned plants riddled throughout. The views are spectacular, and the project itself seems like it's interesting, but I wouldn't recommend doing it based on the prices they charge.

2nd visit 1st was about 10 years ago and was the best thing I had visited sooooo disappointed gone were the tour guides and some of the more exciting areas to see also NO information about the people who lives there and their struggles only info now is about the ecology aspects don't waste your time or money

The ticket cost is 25$ pp. it is a very interesting place. They are recreating the earth's climates and is now being used in studies on climate change and rainwater. There is an app to download that is played at stations throughout for the tour. I would have liked more time in the rainforest.

Great visit. Very interesting and educational and enjoyable to every age group. Will go again.

Just went today with my mom while she was in town. It was a gorgeous day to be outside and how often do you get to wander around a Biosphere? lol I'd agree that $25 per person is a bit steep for what it was, but overall it was really cool to learn about how the property just started with some lady building a house, and then it slowly expanded to more and more buildings and I'll let you learn the rest. It's really more like a 45 minute tour, unless you're walking super slow and reading every single sign that you see. We drove over an hour to get out there, but it was still totally worth it. I had a great time hanging out with my mom who I rarely get to see, we experienced a very humid rain forest, saw cool plants, lots of insects and reptiles running around and the staff both inside the main office and throughout the Biosphere were all super friendly. Our app wouldn't bring up one of the videos, so the gentleman brought us back to the sign and gave us all the details from memory and it was very informative. Don't let some of the folks scare you off because they claim it's not worth the time or money. Go try it and see how you like it for yourself. I personally loved it, and I am not even close to a fan of science or agriculture lol

I volunteered on a second grade field trip and was shocked that the Biosphere is not set up for groups of children. We were hushed upon arrival due to an ongoing conference. It's hard to contain 66 excited students after a 45 minute ride. Only groups of five were allowed in the entrance at a time which caused a huge delay. The bathroom situation was so limited that some kids waited a half hour to go. There was only one bathroom in the actual biosphere. Later we were told that the students could use the Employee only bathroom. For $12 a student, there were no guides or directions. Parents were asked to download video clips on their phones for the students to watch. The videos were way,way above the students' understanding plus watching a phone screen outdoors is impossible except for the one holding the phone. The lunch situation was a challenge. Bringing lunches a quarter mile away down a roughly paved path on steep inclines with a rickety cart proved to be time consuming and caused further delays. Most of the picnic tables were out in the sun. Again, kids had a hard time with the lack of bathrooms and one teacher didn't eat because she took groups of kids to the bathroom. The parent volunteers were NOT pleased having spent that much money for what they got. Plus, the cold welcome left a bitter taste for everyone. Do NOT go to the biosphere if you have students in the lower grades. Also, if you DO go, bring tablets so the students can actually see the videos. They would need internet to access them though.

Such a gem! Nothing quite like it out there. The tour was set up very well, and we learned so much along the way. Awesome to see the whole property. The folks who greeted us along the way were friendly. Weather was perfect too-- not too hot. It's very humid inside the dome itself so going on a cooler day is great. But enjoyable year round I'm sure.

I was so fucking excited for this experience, but oh my god it was so limited! It took max 30 minutes to walk through all it had because 3/4 of the entire exhibit is closed off to the public!!! Chains and fences block of literally all the interesting places that you see and would like to go to!! So fucking disappointed, can't believe I wasted 25 dollars

I've always wondered where the 1st Biosphere was or is. Why is it Biosphere 2? Well, WE are Biosphere 1-planet Earth! Kudos go to my dad for figuring that one out for me! Super geeks unite. I thoroughly enjoyed getting a behind the scenes look at this insane science experiment and engineering feat. Pretty incredible it still attracts worldwide attention and is still currently doing ground breaking research.They're soon going to be attempting to grow their own coral reef! Be forewarned, there is nothing really "Interactive" about going on a tour of the Biosphere. You're not going to Six Flags guys! With the basic tour you go through the various ecosystems, Rainforest, Ocean, Desert and the tunnels and spaces that link it all together. My group added on the Ocean tour for $8, I'm not sure it was worth it, you just walk down onto the beach for 25 minutes, the same beach you can see clearly from the regular tour. The best part of our $8 ocean add on was our entertaining tour guide, Claudio, who is quite the character and has been with the Biosphere a very long time. Throughout the tour there aren't any super small spaces, a few large tunnels, but as someone who sometimes gets uncomfortable in tight elevators, I had no problems. There are stairs and it is a lot of slow walking and standing around with few places to sit. I went in July and the temperature varied throughout the tour, you will likely get a bit sticky at different points on the tour. There were spots with fans and cooler spots throughout, so you're not sticky and miserable the entire time. I do wish I would've done a little more homework ahead of my tour so I could more easily picture the original crew attempting to live in this enclosed system. Overall, it was fascinating and I'd bring my Tucson visitors here again anytime. MONEY SAVING TIP! Make sure to show and mention the $5 off coupon from the website. I've heard tickets are often on Groupon as well, wasn't available when I went so I just used the website's coupon.

This was on our child's must see list. I must first say it's probably better when it's less than 100 degrees outside. Aside from that, it's fascinating to see, but could use something that pops. Interactive displays, videos, something of the more modern museum style. Also, since guests walk by some parts of the facility that are still doing experiments, it would be great to learn about those experiments and how they work.

It was a pretty amazing experience to go where scientists lived for two years without exiting. The ecosystem areas were not what I expected. I thought they would be Shangri La-type habitats fun for visiting, but they are science experiments with exposed grates and PVC. I came to appreciate the importance of each ecosystem to research (as opposed to use as an immersive gaming venue--what I guess I was expecting). I loved having a tour guide, seeing the crew's quarters, and watching the video about the crew at mealtimes. Hearing about the crew's experiences (i.e., hand-pollinating plants, partitioning resources, social conflict) was fascinating. I also loved the exhibit about survival on Mars. Seeing the science behind having humans survive in an inhospitable atmosphere is truly incredible. Don't miss Biopshere 2 even if it is two hours out of the way. And, plan to arrive in time to take an extended tour. You'll thank yourself.

Very cool, unique place! Love walking through the different controlled ecosystems. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. Only thing I wished for was a tour guide, you had to download an app and it was a self-paced tour. App was easy to use, just my personal preference! Definitely is a good place to go to if you love nature, the environment, or sustainability/science.