Mount Lookout's Ault Park earned a spot on Cincinnati CityBeat's list of the city's three best parks for moon-viewing and stargazing, published Monday, July 20, to mark Moon Day and the 57th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing.
CityBeat writer Case Fenner praised the park at 3600 Observatory Ave. for offering "an enviable glimpse of the night sky shrouded in the uninterrupted darkness" of the surrounding neighborhood. The 1930 pavilion, with its terraced steps rising from the Great Lawn, is the best moon-viewing location in the park, Fenner wrote. The park is less than two miles from most Hyde Park and Mount Lookout homes.
Ault Park closes at 10 p.m., leaving roughly two hours of post-sunset sky after dark falls in late July.
The Observatory up the hill
Less than a mile away, the Cincinnati Observatory at 3489 Observatory Place sits at the top of Mount Lookout. The nation's first public observatory houses two working telescopes and serves tens of thousands of visitors each year, according to prior WCPO reporting.
The Observatory is mid-renovation. Its larger Herget building, home to the Clark telescope and museum spaces, is closed while work continues under a campaign called "A New Phase." The goal is to reopen the Herget building by summer 2027, according to the Observatory's website. The smaller Mitchel building remains open, and programming continues at off-site locations.
Upcoming Observatory events
The Observatory's Space Ethics Series continues Tuesday, July 28, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for non-members, $15 for members, and $10 for students with valid ID.
On Thursday, July 30, the Observatory brings its inflatable planetarium to MadTree Brewing at 3301 Madison Road in Oakley for a pop-up stargazing night from 6 to 9 p.m. The monthly event includes planetarium shows, kids' crafts, and trivia. Tickets are $10 per person or $30 per family; children under 4 and Observatory members get in free. Walk-ins are welcome.
A full schedule of Astronomy Evenings and Family Astronomy Night programs is available at cincinnatiobservatory.org/events.
Upcoming at Ault Park
- Friday, August 14 — Shakespeare in the Park: "Much Ado About Nothing," 7 p.m. Free.
- Thursday, August 20 — August Summer Music Festival, 6 to 10 p.m. at the pavilion. The Remains perform. Free admission. Food and beverages for purchase. Kids' activities 6 to 8 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Ault Park Advisory Council.
