frosty drew observatory

The observatory is pretty cool, in a pretty dark location. The main telescope they have is pretty powerful and you can see planets pretty clearly. The night we were there, they were looking at Jupiter, one of my favorites. I went here one night with family visiting from out of town, and we all had a great time.

Every clear Friday night, the Frosty Drew Observatory opens its rustic doors to a huge telescope for star and planet gazing. The people who are in charge of it are knowledgeable, eager to answer questions, and very helpful when young eyes are having difficulty focusing through the lens. It is very small inside and there's usually a line - so in summer, have your bug spray, and in cooler seasons, dress appropriately. You wait, chatting with others in line, then climb a mini-spiral staircase, put your eye against the lens and see what mystery the astronomer has put in your view. Moon craters, stars, it's all fascinating. There is also a fairly new indoor facility there that offers programs about everything space-related. Not sure of their schedule, but you can google it to find out. Also, can google their website each Friday night to find out if they'll be open. They stay open VERY, VERY late - a good activity for anyone with insomnia.

Friday nights, when its a clear sky, open your eyes to the endless fabulousness of the evening sky. The volunteers are extraordinarily knowledgeable and friendly. You'll be surprised what's UP there.....now that you can see it all!

I went on a Friday when they open the observatory to view Saturn and the stars and took my 5 year old son who has a fascination with space and the planets and it was a great experience for him and left him even more enthused.

This little observatory, tucked into Charlestown's Ninigret Park, is a fantastic resource. Their programs are terrific, and on clear Friday nights, the public can go and look through that giant telescope.To make it even more awesome, Charlestown, where it's located, has one of the darkest skies on the New England coast. Perfect for star gazing.

We visited on one of the free Fridays and were the only family there. The large telescope was manned by a very enthusiastic volunteer who is extremely passionate and knowledgeable about the equipment and the skies. Although clouds limited our ability to see very much, he shared some amazing photos taken at the observatory and gave our son some wonderful tips about homemade options for viewing the sun. They claim to have the darkest skies in Rhode Island and I can believe it..we almost drove right by missing their entrance as everything is quite dark. I cannot think of a better place to go to see a meteor shower or to catch a spectacular astronomical happening if you are in the vicinity.

If you like night sky viewing this is a great place to check out. On Friday nights the observatory is open free of charge. There are always helpful people there and pads to bring and set up your own telescope on.