Camp Cullom’s Prairie Grass Observatory has released its 2026 public open house schedule, offering North Central Indiana residents multiple chances to explore the night sky. The Camp Cullom astronomical observatory is located between Frankfort and Mulberry in Clinton County. Open house nights provide a popular family-oriented activity complete with space videos in the Galileo Gallery, meteorites on display, laser constellation talks, planets, star clusters, deep sky objects like galaxies and nebulae and background information with guided telescope tours of this astronomical buffet.
There is no charge for the Open House nights. Camp Cullom is funded in part by the United Way for Clinton County.
Events begin in April and continue through late October, with all sessions starting after sunset at the observatory. Parking is available on the east side of Camp Cullom’s Nature Center.
Open houses begin in April
The first public open house is set for Saturday, April 18 at 8:30 p.m., followed by a Friday, May 15 session at 8:55 p.m. Camp Cullom and Prairie Grass Observatory are located at 6815 W. County Road 200 N, Frankfort. “Our goal is to give families a chance to look through large telescopes and see planets, star clusters and galaxies they may have never seen before,” Observatory Director Russell Kaspar said.
A special Moon-focused open house is scheduled for Saturday, June 20 at 9:20 p.m., paired with an afternoon Glover’s Ice Cream Social earlier in the day. Kaspar said combining a social event with observing helps introduce first-time visitors to both the camp and the observatory and gives Camp Cullom the opportunity to partner with Glover’s Ice Cream, one of Indiana’s only independent family-owned ice cream manufacturers in the state.
Summer star party and fall finale
The observatory will also host a Friday, July 10 open house at 9:20 p.m., leading into its busiest stretch of the summer. Public nights during the annual Indiana Family Star Party are planned for Friday and Saturday, Aug. 7–8, when visiting amateur astronomers set up dozens of telescopes on the prairie field east of the Nature Center. “On star party nights, people can wander from telescope to telescope and talk with observers from all over the Midwest,” Kaspar said. More information about the largest star party in Indiana is available at IndianaStars.com.
The 2026 season wraps up on Saturday, Oct. 24 with a chili supper served from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Camp Cullom followed by the Observatory Open House from 7:00 to at least 11:00 PM. Kaspar said proceeds from food and donations help maintain Camp Cullom, its observatory, facilities and support educational outreach.
What visitors can expect
Prairie Grass Observatory is a volunteer-run facility at Camp Cullom featuring several telescopes, a roll-off roof building and an education area used by school, youth and scout groups. On clear nights, volunteers guide guests to views of the Moon, planets and deep-sky objects under relatively dark rural skies protected by a Clinton County lighting ordinance. “You don’t have to know anything about astronomy to come out,” Kaspar said. “If you can find Frankfort or Mulberry on a map, you can find the observatory and we’ll take it from there.”
Visitors are encouraged to dress for cool evening temperatures, bring a lawn chair or blanket and use only dim or red flashlights so eyes can adjust to the dark. Parking for all open houses is on the east side of the Nature Center, not at the observatory buildings themselves, to keep headlights away from the observing field. “We want people to have that ‘wow’ moment when they step out under a truly dark sky,” Kaspar said. “Protecting that darkness is part of the experience.”
The Camp Cullom experience also offers an excellent 23 hole Disc-Golf course, Nature Center, over 5 miles of marked trails, play ground, lodge, camping areas, two ponds, 12 acre stand of Blue Stem Prairie Grass, youth programs such as the Camp Cullom Academy of Science and much more.