Green Bank Observatory Science Center — Attraction in Marlinton

Located in the Quiet Zone. That means no cell service for miles around it and while you are there (no texting, voicemail, or phone calls, no Google mapping and directions.). Make sure if you have a group of vehicles going you make sufficient plans, since you cannot communicate with each other until you arrive. Our Garmin GPS did work, however. The parking lot is outside of the science center which is the first building on the left when you enter, it has satellites and educational kiosks. The center has a gift shop, restrooms, water fountain, trash cans, viewing deck, and a cafe with good food and drinks for reasonable prices. They offer a 30 minute video then 30 minute bus ride for the cost of admission. You have a tour guide providing information along the bus route. If you cannot ride the bus, like myself, you can walk to the telescope on your own. It's 1.5miles there and 1.5miles back. There are no restrooms, water fountains, trash cans, or benches along the walking route. It's a paved road with occasional tree cover. You must stay on the path. Prepare for the sun, prepare for hydration, and the right shoes for walking. You must turn off your cell phone once you cross the gates (whether you walk or ride the bus). You cannot even put the phone in airplane mode. Off completely. That means no photos with your phone, no video. You can bring a disposable camera and take pictures with that. Kiosks are available along the way, so even though you miss out on the tour guide on the bus, you can still gain knowledge of what you are viewing. The large telescope is bigger than you would imagine. The engineering that went into putting it together is impressive. You will also see a smaller telescope that has the world's largest ball bearing. The walk was pleasant, we saw lots of birds and a coyote. And although we did not see it, another visitor saw a bear. We were even able to witness the telescope turning and changing its positioning as we walked up to it. The landscape is beautiful and to me was worth the walk. Peaceful. Not much is around the center, although they do offer pamphlets of the surrounding area. Easier if you make all plans ahead of time since you cannot search your Google maps while you are there. Very few gas stations, no fast food, no grocery stores around. This is worth the trip, the landscape, the science,...

A must-see sight for this area It is hard to miss the absolutely massive satellite dish as you are driving down the road. We did not even know that this site was there when we planned our vacation. We were driving and saw it on the side of the road. This location has several things to see to include a visitors center, a self-guided tour, and a guided tour. The entire site is in the middle of a “Quiet Zone” that covers a large portion of the area meaning that your radio and cell phone coverage is probably severely limited so bring a map or download the map for the area to your phone. The visitor’s center was at the front of the site. You enter through the gift shop. Entry was about $5/person. They show you a film about the observatory history and the quiet zone. The timeline and history are displayed on the walls near the film auditorium. There is a wonderful science center with several hands-on displays to include a thermal camera, pulsar simulator, 3-d star map, and more. It was fascinating. All the staff was very friendly and helpful. This site also has a small cafeteria that has an excellent boxed lunch deal. We ordered a boxed lunch and the lady that made it brought it out to us when we had moved to another portion of the building. Afterward, you can go outside and get closer to the large telescopes or, if you pay and schedule it, you can get on the guided tour but with no active electronics. Overall, it is an absolutely great place to visit and I highly recommend it to fellow travelers for the site, the staff,...

Unfortunately, it's pretty much shut down in consideration for the health of the staff and visitors, but they still have walking and seated tours. You can see one of the huge radio telescope dishes in the nearby distance, which is as impressive IMHO as being 200 feet from it. Huge! Make reservations for a tour, and be on time (you cannot travel on the road to the area as fast as you or any of the navigation apps think you ought to be able to).

For those who have never traveled in this area of Almost Heaven (i.e.,WV) you should be aware that there is essentially no cell service for a radius of 40 miles (and intentionally so in the area of the Observatory, because the RF signals interfere with the purpose of the place!), and only one combination gas station, diner, grocery store, and hardware store (very nice, very clean, but very small) along that route. Therefore, download an offline Google Map of the area beforehand, and pack water and snacks (we also packed TP and baby wipes, just in case).

The closest civilization is Bartow, WV, but like most of the surrounding area, there's not much there, either, which is how people like it. Other than Green Bank, there is not much nearby (excepting the...