Star Gazing At Eden Gardens State Park

181 Eden Gardens Road
Santa Rosa Beach FL 32459

Lawn on the North side of the historic Wesley House

Participation in the star gazing event is free with paid park admission of $4.00 per vehicle, $2.00 per bicyclist or pedestrian. This is an honor park, place your admission fee in the honor box at the entrance or utilize the available QR code.

Join the members of the Northwest Florida Astronomy Association and view the beauty of the universe. We start by setting up just before the sun sets to allow our guest observers to view the equipment and get photos before it gets dark. Once the sun sets, we transition to night time observing. Different size and design telescopes will be set up by dusk and celestial objects will be chosen with an eye to visual observation and variety. The objects visible will depend on the season and time of night but normally include bright galaxies and nebulae, star clusters, and planets. There are a couple of rules that need to be followed so everyone enjoys the event: Please do not touch the telescopes; an errant bump will cause a delay while the object being observed is brought back into view. This is a family event and children are welcome, but since telescopes are by design somewhat delicate and may be expensive, parental control is necessary. For everyone's safety and to minimize the effect on night vision, please, no flash photography. If you want a photo of the equipment please come early enough to get an image before dark. If you bring a flashlight, please use a red filter. While there will be plenty of telescopes available to view through, we invite you to bring your own telescopes/binoculars and join in the fun. Make sure you stop by the welcome table and pick up a free Sky Map.