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Experience the wonders of the cosmos and the beauty of the night sky in our awe-inspiring planetarium dome. Our live programs offer something for everyone: a fun night out, an inspiring field trip, a birthday party destination, and a venue to learn more about our place in the universe.

You can choose to join us for a scheduled public event or book a program for a private group. For more information, click on the button below that interests you.

Public Events

Private Groups

Buy Tickets

If you’re ready to attend a public event, visit VBO Tickets to conveniently make your purchase on our secure website. Please note the date and time of each event in the list to make sure that you are selecting the event of your choice.

If you are a UWM student or UWM Planetarium member, be sure to log in on the site before making your purchase. This will allow you to access any ticketing benefits to which you are entitled.

Buy Tickets

Location & Parking

Address

The Manfred Olson Planetarium is located inside the UW-Milwaukee Physics building:

Physics Building Room 139
1900 E Kenwood Blvd
Milwaukee, WI, 53211

The main entrance to the Physics building is on Kenwood Blvd.

Accessibility

There is one wheelchair-accessible entrance via the path between the Physics building and EMS building off Cramer St. (see map below).

Unfortunately, our rooftop stargazing deck is not wheelchair accessible.

Map

Parking

There is no free parking on campus. Please allow extra time to park when you visit.

Cunningham Lot parking is available for purchase just north of the Physics building. The entrance is at the corner of Cramer and Hartford. Please be sure to avoid the spots that are for permit holders (they say “This spot is reserved for staff/faculty”). Pricing varies from $1-2/hour depending on the time and day.

You may be able to find street parking (both metered and free) but be sure to read the street signs for restrictions.

Payment for parking spots can be done by using the Parkmobile smartphone app or pay stations located on the perimeter of the lot. Purchase a parking ticket from one of the booths by entering your license plate number and the amount of time you will be parked. The booth accepts cash, Visa, and Mastercard.
For additional information, please visit Transportation Services.

How to park your vehicle.

Transportation

The Green Line and 66 bus routes have stops near the Physics building. Other nearby routes with on-campus stops are the Red Line, Gold Line, 22, and 30. For more info see the MCTS website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our live public events are open to everyone! We offer a range of planetarium shows, stargazing with telescopes on select dates, and more. For a full list of events see our Calendar. We also book private reservations for schools and other groups.

We do not have set open hours. We are only open during public events and by private reservation.

Most of our planetarium shows, which include stargazing and questions, last approximately 60 minutes. We also have other events with shorter 15- to 30-minute planetarium shows. For a full list of events see our Calendar.

For ticketed events, we recommend purchasing tickets in advance as our shows often sell out. We also sell tickets at the door starting 30 minutes before the stated start time. If tickets are sold out, you can have your name added to a waitlist at the door. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee admission to waitlist attendees.

Free planetarium shows are first come first serve. Check in at the ticket table in the hallway outside of the Planetarium starting as early as 30 minutes before the show start time to reserve your free spot.

Ticketed events are usually $6 general admission and $5 for UWM students. Other events are free.

Parking instructions and maps are available on our Plan Your Visit page.

Yes! We recommend that your child is 4 years or older and comfortable to sit in their own chair in the dark.

Yes! There is one wheelchair-accessible entrance via the path between the Physics building and EMS building off Cramer St. There is room for up to three wheelchairs in the planetarium theater. Visit the Plan Your Visit page to see maps and more information.

We accept checks, cash, and credit cards.

You can purchase a membership online, by mail (PDF), or in person before a public show.

We can seat 63 people.

Stargazing with our telescope is held on the 5th-floor observing deck of the UWM Physics building on select dates, weather permitting. For the schedule of dates, see Stargazing.

For general inquiries, email us at planetarium@uwm.edu. Visit Contact Us for other ways to reach us.

We ask that you stay seated until the end of the show because opening the door will ruin the beautiful dark sky for the rest of the visitors. Visitors are encouraged to use the restroom in advance.

Our planetarium is indoors. We suggest that you dress in layers because sometimes the theater can be too warm or too cold. We also ask that you avoid light-up shoes.