Observatory Park

My favorite place for a quick walk with dogs, a 45-minute ride on my horses, or a fun night out with my son.

I am not super into astronomy so I can’t get into too much of the “observatory” side of the park but I’ve gone to some events during meteor showers etc. While it’s technically a “dark sky” park, it gets crowded during night events and the headlights from the parking lot can be bright.

The park itself has:
Plenty of parking
well-maintained, flat trails with options to stay out in the open or go into the woods
lots of dog waste stations
Benches for resting or getting back on your horse if you need to hop off
A huge covered picnic area with grills
Restrooms
Lots of learning activities
All the photo spots you could want

Lovely, tranquil, very well kept park with solid public bathrooms. This place is really nicely planned out and the walking trail through the woods is spectacular!

Simply amazing. All astronomy or weather related. By day there is a scale walk of the solar system ("human orrery") and a footprint representation of the Great Pyramid of Giza to boggle one's mind with size. On a clear night the area has minimal light pollution for NE Ohio, and can be crowded with folks studying the heavens with bare eyes to high quality telescopes. Watch for special events like meteor showers to learn from specialists on hand at the events.

An amazing park just a short drive from most in NEOhio!

A great place for a nice walk during the daylight and excellent for stargazing at night! There are restrooms with handicap accessible stalls, and a nice covered picnic table area.

I could rave and rave about this place. I only wish that I have enough daylight to do all the trails and that things were open the day I stopped. Being the only dark sky park in Ohio is pretty freaking awesome. I hope to get back up one day and be able to stay after dark and stargaze.

To be completely transparent, I have never been here during the day. I cannot comment on the building interiors, their attractions, staff or cleanliness. That being said, this is absolutely one of the best spots in NE Ohio for stargazing. Granted, if you live in the surrounding Montville area then I guess you can just walk outside and get the same views. But for those of us in suburbia or more populated areas with much more light pollution, this is your spot. Whether you come here to shoot the stars, for a date night stroll or just to enjoy the view, your eyes will thank you. The walking trails throughout the park are gravel and there is random seating available along said trails. The center of the park is tall grass. Be sure you are prepared to come here. Check the weather for cloud cover. It’s also best to come during a new moon so you get the least light pollution possible. Finally, bring some bug spray for the warmer months. Oh and one more thing, be prepared to lose track of time. It’s easy to do here.

The park has nice level walking trails that vary from a meadow setting, a marshy area, and a wooded area. The trails have interesting themes that relate to astronomy. There are many educational signs to read with information about the planets. Near the parking lot, you will find a sun dial with information about how to use it. There are a few interesting sculptures, and one is surrounded by displays showing all the phases of the moon. Another shows the constellations. The main trail is surrounded by a beautiful meadow. I was there on a cloudy day, but if you visit on a sunny day, be sure to wear sunblock as you will likely be in full sun. The meadow trail is fairly flat, but is surrounded by various raised grassy knolls. On some of those, you will see some raised stones provide a sense of what it would be like to visit Stonehenge. As you walk around the trail, you will see full-size models of the four cornerstones of one of the great pyramids of Egypt. It's interesting to "connect the dots" to visualize the immense size of a pyramid. There are also signs near each model telling more about the pyramids and their ties to astronomy. While all the information is great, some of the signs are getting faded and need to be replaced before too long. The grassy meadow trail eventually loops over to a wooded trail which will lead you all the way to the Nassau Observatory station which is located about a quarter mile or so down Clay Street. There is also another part of the meadow trail that goes past a small pond. A pavillion with picnic tables is located near the parking lot. Restrooms are located in the Robert McCullough Science Center building. There is also the Oberle Observatory building, but I was there in the daytime so it wasn't open. I look forward to coming back one evening to look at the stars!

Great place to see the stars and wonders of our universe. Would recommend going in the summertime though. When I went out there was no one there. There was 2 feet of snow and it was 5 degrees. Why I also recommend going in the summer is you can see a lot more stars, because when there is snow on the ground it creates a reflection to your eyes and makes the stars harder to see. Overall a great experience. I will be going again! The Photos down below are a updated version! That’s what I saw this summer! I took these on a IPhone 14 Pro Max. And I think they turned out pretty good! :)

We're delighted to finally have a night devoid of cloud cover as all our previous attempts!
There is a lot of parking and fair visibility toward the red-lights lit path. We went on an evening without an event so no access to the telescope.
We went to see the Geminid meteor shower knowing we were quite early. Nonetheless, it was a delightful nighttime event. We look forward to more visits.
The only drawback was poor signage en route, but heck, that why we use GPS!
🤩 🌠🚗💨

Wonderful time had here. So many stars! Will definitely have to come back during the day

Just be advised that there is no potable water here except during peak hours at large events. Like the trails, Chris is great for the kids teaching about the stars and planets, rangers and staff keep order. I think if the parking lot was 4x larger it would still fill up during events, nice to see so much interest! Also when here at night please be respectful and point flashlights at the ground or use a red light. Looking at a bright light ruins your night vision for up to 45 minutes! The trails are very dark and those without lights need all the night vision possible.

Awesome place for a day trip , plenty of info to read about, and decent path to walk around. I've also been told it's a great place to star gaze

Such a beautiful park with gorgeous views of the stars. When the telescopes are out the guides are so educational towards kids an adults. We've seen multiple planets, nebulas, constellations, etc. It's one of our favorites.

If you love looking at the stars and taking a nice walk around a park. Then this place is for you

Aside from clever architectural features, this park is a wildlife haven to hike with short, medium, and extensive trail options for individuals, friends, or family.

Trails in the meadow are fine gravel and the structures are paved around with good accessibility

Very great and educational place to learn about the solar system and pyramids! Beware: it's an open field and the sun beats right down on you! Follow me on IG @mother_beast

We want to come back when the telescopes are open. Very dark. Pretty chilly, even for July 10th. We'll be back!

So far this is my favorite part I've went once at night and visited again another time during the say and walked 2 miles! Highly recommend for night trip. Wish there were more state parks open at night like this it was awesome view of night sky.

Excellent experience to view stars, meteors and planets. Great place to take photos with long exposures.

Great place. I love taking the kids here. Dates also. We were here for the meteor shower and camped out. No better or darker place around to bring your telescope and find interesting things to look at.