Nov. 6, 2026
Friday / 6:00 PM
The Observatory offers programs exploring the history of astronomy and the history of the University of Michigan. We’re open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Admission is always free!
Check our calendar for programs and events!
Learn more about this newly reimagined, one-of-a-kind place, where the spirit of science and discovery link the past and present.
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What role did Washtenaw County play in the Civil War? Join us on a bus tour of the sites connected to Black Civil War veterans who called Washtenaw County home!
Historians Deborah Meadows and Matthew Siegfried will lead visitors on a motorcoach and walking journey through Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti including historic Black neighborhoods, Depot Town, and Highland Cemetery, the final resting place of at least 19 Black Civil War soldiers.
This tour is presented in conjunction with the Frankel Detroit Observatory’s exhibit, “Fill the Ranks”: The Civil War and the University of Michigan, and is offered in partnership with the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County.
This tour is free, and registration is required: lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/jeg6b48
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Visiting Ann Arbor for Parents & Family Weekend? Make the Frankel Detroit Observatory part of your itinerary! 🔭✨
We have a full weekend of discovery planned! In addition to our regular open hours and observing night, you can join a campus walking tour and explore U-M’s rich history. We’ll also be staying open late on Saturday for even more opportunities to observe the night sky! 🔭
Join us Friday for a campus walking tour! Choose from two tours:
4-5:30 PM: Creating Michigan: Key Moments in U-M’s Early History
6-7:30 PM: Paths of Protest: Stories of Campus Activism at the University of Michigan
Tours are free, but registration is required! Sign up on our website: detroitobservatory.umich.edu/visit/#tribe-calendar
Bring your family, explore campus, and discover something new at the Frankel Detroit Observatory. We can’t wait to see you! 🌠
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When the Detroit Observatory was built in 1854, it was considered far from U-M’s main campus, which was centered largely around what we now know as the Diag. As the Michigan Daily later described it, “... the Observatory stands in solitary dignity on a high stretch of land overlooking Ann Arbor and the Huron river valley.”
This 1911 photo offers a glimpse of the area before the main hospital and nearby residence halls were built—and before this quiet corner became part of today’s bustling campus.
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