Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
4.4(284)google
4.1(37)yelp
PlanetariumKidsIndoorInteractiveImmersiveEducational
Overview
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center is located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a unit of the university, Morehead receives about one-third of its funding through state sources, one-third through ticket and gift sales, and one-third through gifts and grants. First opened in 1949, the dome theater in planetarium was used to train astronauts from the Gemini, Apollo, Mercury, Skylab, and Apollo-Soyuz missions in celestial navigation.
Practical Info
MonClosed
Tue10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Wed10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Thu10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Fri10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Sat10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sun1:00 – 6:00 PM
Suggested Duration2-3.5 hours
Best TimeAn iconic year-round indoor facility steeped in space history (where Apollo astronauts trained). Plan your visit for Saturday or Sunday mornings between 10:30 AM and 1:00 PM to secure prime seating for the premium fulldome theater science presentations before afternoon birthday parties arrive.
Getting ThereLocated right on the UNC campus edge at 250 E Franklin St. Drive straight to the venue; a dedicated paid visitor parking court (Morehead Lot) sits directly in front of the building facade. Multiple complimentary Chapel Hill Transit routes drop off right at the Morehead building gates.
Travel Tips
- Located on the UNC campus with zero dedicated free spaces; the small on-site Morehead pay lot fills quickly on weekends. Divert to the Raleigh Road Visitor Lot and follow the paved path to the main doors.
- The Fulldome Theater locks doors instantly at showtime; to maintain complete darkness for star projection, zero mid-show entry, exit, or mobile screens are tolerated. Arrive 15 minutes early for security.
- As a historic NASA Apollo astronaut training site, heavy school field trips saturate the exhibits on weekday mornings; recreational visitors should book slots after 13:30 to bypass youth group congestion.
Reviews
Positive
- The Fulldome Theater features excellent digital projection, delivering deeply immersive and visually stunning space shows for all ages.
- As the historic training site for NASA's Apollo program astronauts in celestial navigation, its educational value is unmatched.
- The interactive science exhibits are cleverly designed, allowing kids to learn physics and astronomy concepts through hands-on experiments.
- The staff and educators, mostly UNC students, are highly knowledgeable, deeply enthusiastic, and incredibly patient with younger visitors.
Heads up
- Aside from the planetarium theater which requires a ticket, the main exhibit hall is quite small and can be fully covered in 30 minutes.
- The building's restrooms are limited in capacity, and some multimedia interaction equipment in the older section is occasionally broken.
- Located in the heart of campus, the venue lacks a dedicated free parking lot; visitors must use paid campus garages and walk a distance.
- Weekday mornings are frequently packed with school field trips, making the indoor exhibits extremely loud and chaotic for regular tourists.