by John Weirick Sep 14, 2026
Thirty minutes outside the geographical boundaries of Beloit, Wisconsin, past cornfields nearly ripe for harvest and toward Williams Bay on Geneva Lake, my family turned up the driveway to enter green lawns studded with trees. We circled the drive and parked next to an academic-looking stone structure with domed ceilings on opposite ends. We had arrived at Yerkes Observatory, quietly one of the most significant places for the advancement of astronomical observations dating back to the 19th century, and a destination on my list long before I knew of anything else to do in the area.
This was one stop on my family’s late-summer weekend in Beloit. Our fall calendar was filling up, and we wanted a final push to capture the last of the hot days and sunshine, without the frantic scurry of beaches or water parks or popular destinations. As fall peeked around the corner, signaling the return to school for the household, we wondered if we could fit in one more trip that wouldn’t require much planning or much saving and spending.
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