Chabot Space & Science Center Reviews
Reviews
4.9 out of 5 rating
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4.9 out of 5 rating
68 Reviews
98% recommend it
Awards
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![Sunshine]()
Sunshine M. Sent on 10/31/2023A night to remember
We were so happy that we chose the Chabot for our wedding, we got so many comments from happy guests about how unique and memorable our wedding was. We chose to have our wedding indoors in the planetarium, but the Chabot also has outdoor spaces available and is surrounded by redwoods that make a beautiful backdrop for photos. The Chabot events team is AMAZING! They were super responsive throughout the entire planning process, and their recommended vendors list was a lifesaver. I can't recommend the Chabot enough!Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Hey Sunshine! Thanks so much for your kind words, and so soon after your wedding! You and Aldo were such a joy to work with, and your ceremony photos are stunning. We're wishing you so much happiness. -Alex, Chelsea, Rasheda & Samantha -
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![Catherine]()
Catherine B. Sent on 11/29/2023Magical and Perfect
Chabot was absolutely incredible. We searched for cool wedding venues in Oakland, it was the first result to pop up, and we locked it in. The space is absolutely amazing and the guests loved being able to wander the exhibits and socialize, experience the Planetarium, dance around a rocket, and enjoy the general ambiance and magic (feedback is that it was the coolest wedding they had ever been to). The team, Rasheda, Chelsea, and Alex, were wonderful to work with. They were super communicative and organized, helped us stay on task, and were always available for questions from us and our wedding planner. The bonus is that the cost of the venue goes back into the STEM program for kids! If we had to do it all over again, we would 100% choose Chabot. It doesn’t get more magical than the wonders of space surrounded by a redwood forest.
Photography credit to: Wedding Feels Photography- Joel Jauregui
Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Thank you so much for your words! We think the Center is pretty magical too, and were so honored to share your special day with you. Wishing you so much warmth and happiness! -
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![Madeleine]()
Madeleine B. Sent on 09/03/2023Beautiful Oakland gem of a venue with an amazing staff
This venue was a great space for our needs/desires for our wedding: indoor/outdoor space, surrounded by nature but modern/accessible, lots of space for tables, bar, food, dancing, band...the staff was extremely organized, nice and professional. We planned this wedding from France and they were very helpful with everything that comes with planning an event from abroad. Our guests all raved about having access to the telescopes, and the volunteers made it that much more fascinating by going above and beyond with their explanations of what we were gazing at.Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Madeleine, thank you so much for leaving such a thoughtful review! Planning from abroad is TOUGH but we were so grateful to work with such a kind and open couple. Thank you so much for choosing Chabot! Warmest wishes - Alex, Chelsea, & Rasheda -
![Michelle]()
Michelle A. Sent on 12/06/2022Wonderful team, unique venue, and fun for everyone!
Chabot was such a unique, fun space that our wedding guests of all ages enjoyed, and the events team there was excellent to work with from start to finish! As one might expect from the venue, the events team has wedding execution down to a science. Scheduling time with their team, touring the venue, and planning out details was all very easy and went smoothly. We also were able to rely on their team for vendor recommendations and timeline estimates to help with the planning process.
Start time doesn’t have much wiggle room because it is an open museum, but there’s a ton of flexibility in other areas like where to have ceremony/reception, set up of tables, and even what you might want projected on the Planetarium! While the decor was flexible, too, we felt we didn’t need to spend much on this line item because of the museum’s exhibits and existing decor.
Our guests had a fantastic time, with kids entertained throughout and adults having fun exploring too! Our ceremony was in the Planetarium complete with free show, we were able to set up our photobooth in front of starry skies for fun photos, and we lucked out with clear skies and views of Saturn and its rings through the telescopes!Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Hi Michelle,
Thank you so much for the kind review! We loved working with you too and are so glad you and your guests had a wonderful evening. Your pictures are stunning!
We hope to see you visiting us for telescope nights soon!
-The Chabot Events team -
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![Erica]()
Erica S. Sent on 07/09/2022Such a unique, wonderful venue!
My husband and I are nerds, and when we visited Chabot for the first time, our imaginations ran wild with all of the cool things we could do with our wedding there. We chose Chabot as our venue, and we are so glad we did. Everyone at our wedding had a blast. We had so much fun, but so did our guests, and I’ve never seen kids enjoy a wedding so much. Afterwards we heard from our guests that it was the happiest/funnest/most unique wedding they’d ever been to. It was such a joy.
We chose the Across the Universe package, which was great: getting married in the planetarium (thanks to Nicole for helping us with the planetarium A/V!), cocktail hour among the museum exhibits, and dinner and dancing in the Astronomy Hall. Our guests all loved the public telescope viewing, too.
In addition to how cool the space itself is, the museum staff were great to work with. Samantha and Nicole were both friendly, and they were so helpful as we navigated changing COVID safety requirements on top of all of the usual wedding challenges. They were very communicative and worked well with all of our other vendors. We had a perfect wedding day, and a big part of that was working with such a rad venue.Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Erica, thank you so much for the kind words! Your guests were an honest delight to host, and we simply loved to see how much fun everyone had with the exhibits. Thank you for including some of your photos for us in your review, hoping Panda & Sloth had a great space adventure!
XOXO
Samantha, Nicole, Chelsea, and the rest of the Chabot team -
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![Brian]()
Brian G. Sent on 04/29/2022Chabot is FREAKING amazing!
Chabot helped with every step of the process and ran our amazing wedding perfectly! We had our ceremony in the planetarium and reception on the first floor of the Spees Building. Decorating was easy because it already had it all! Everything was beautiful and we had many guests rave that it was their favorite space for a wedding that they had attended.Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Haha! Brian, we freaking loved you too! Thanks for being such a dream client, and be sure to stop in and see us often!
XOXO,
Nicole, Samantha, Victoria, and the rest of the Chabot team -
Becca S. Sent on 04/12/2022
Great place for a galactic wedding!
From the time we got engaged, my now husband and I thought it would be so cool to get married at a science museum. Chabot did not disappoint!
We first visited Chabot in May of 2020, two months after we got engaged, and right in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. We worked with Samantha, Nicole, and Victoria, who were all awesome. From the get-go the Chabot staff were extremely flexible and accommodating, and that only continued throughout our experience with them (we had to reschedule once due to Covid). Rain was threatening the day of our ceremony, and the Chabot staff did not miss a beat with helping us through a backup plan.
Our guests had a great time, we had an awesome time, and we can't recommend Chabot highly enough as a venue for geeky weddings.Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
It was such a pleasure working with you and Patrick. Thank you for including some of your photos for us in your review! I know the cloudy skies weren't part of your plans, but they certainly made for some great drama shots with your dress! I'm so glad the day worked out and we skirted the rain.
Wishing you so much joy,
The Chabot Events Team -
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![Audrey]()
Audrey T. Sent on 03/14/2022We feel so good about our decision to use Chabot
By supporting Chabot, you are supporting an amazing educational institution and this is something my husband and I feel great about. The museum itself has captivating exhibits that are all so visually pleasing. Our guests also talked about how much they loved driving deep into the redwoods of Oakland to get to Chabot. We also enjoyed working with all of the event coordinators who were so responsive and helpful as we navigated our wedding plans. They are a fun bunch. We also appreciated Chabot's hands-on response to COVID and how they expertly worked with our diverse vendor team. You should definitely try to take wedding pictures inside and outside of the 3 big telescopes. We held the reception in Astronomy Hall and took on a cocktail style dinner that our guests told us they loved. The format was meant to be more fluid and comfortable so that people could talk and meet each other. You can get very creative with that space.Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Hi Audrey!
Thank you so much for sharing your day with us and for supporting the Oakland community! You designed such a beautiful event, with so much care and attention to detail. We were thrilled to be a small part of it. The Chabot staff/volunteers are wishing you all the best, and hope you'll be back to visit the Center often!
Warmly,
Samantha, Nicole, & Victoria -
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Qinshi P. Sent on 02/17/2022
Amazing venue
We had our wedding at Chabot and used their Across the stars package. The staff were super helpful in helping us pick how to cool things to show the planetarium during the ceremony. They were very responsive to any emails that I sent. I guess thought it was the coolest wedding ever because of the planetarium show, exhibits, and also the telescopes are open at night time. Also free parking lot.
Our vendors loved location because there was plenty of parking and space for them to set up their tents outside.Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Qinshi,
Thank you so much for celebrating with us at Chabot! You were such a pleasure to work with through your planning process, and we are wishing you so much joy together ahead. I hope you'll be back to visit us soon!
Warmest Wishes,
Samantha, Nicole, and Victoria -
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![Jane]()
Jane M. Sent on 03/17/2021So flexible and supportive to work with!
Chabot was so flexible with my fiancé and I as we navigate the covid wedding process! They were so kind, helpful and professional with all our interactions. The vendors they recommend were also so great to work with as well! We would highly recommend working with them!Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Hi Jane! Thank you so much for your review. It was a pleasure to work with you. We are wishing you nothing but joy in your marriage! -
Cody D. Sent on 06/20/2021
Stars & Garters!
The team at Chabot Observatory strikes the perfect balance of accommodation, professionalism, enthusiasm and engagement. Ample staffing and infrastructure without overbearing on our easy-going wedding desires and self-produced attitude.
And when we had a foggy night obscuring the stars, the guests still enjoyed tours of the beautiful telescopes, dancing on the great patio, and transportation to the joys of our night!
Thanks Chabot!Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Hey Cody & Camille!
Thank you for choosing us to be part of your special day! You put in SO much work, patiently navigating around Covid restrictions this year, and we were so happy to see it come together for you. It was a truly beautiful celebration, and the Chabot team is wishing you all the best in your future together.
Come visit soon!
Samantha
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![Mark]()
Mark M. Sent on 09/20/2020Absolutely awesome! Great venue, AWESOME staff, great vendors :)
Just got married here on their Observation Deck for the sunset micro-ceremony with their telescopes, and it was awesome. We'd just had to move our whole wedding due to the wild fires when we happened upon this and could not be happier with how it turned out, all planned within a couple days! Samantha at the Chabot was incredibly helpful and reassuring about everything. The caterers she referred us to were incredibly helpful and able to handle our sudden needs. The facility and everything was set up for distancing and safety. The Astronomers were awesome, thank you Gerald and John! I wish I could rate it higher!Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Hey Mark!
Thanks again for such a thoughtful review- I shared it with our astronomers and you made their day. We are so happy that you had a great evening during a year that is, undoubtedly, the hardest one for weddings we've ever seen. You and Sarah are troopers and we know you will have a long and happy marriage.
Stay safe and be well,
Samantha -
Megan Sent on 11/08/2020
Wonderful venue with an events coordinator who's ready for anything!
We could not be more pleased with Samantha at the Chabot Space & Science Center. My husband and I were looking for an outdoor space to host our microceremony during COVID. Samantha was responsive, professional, and exceedingly flexible. She let us look at the venue before our wedding so we could get a sense of the space and recommended a great florist to help us decorate. When the weather changed 48 hours before our scheduled ceremony and authorities recommended evacuating the Hills because of high winds, a red flag warning, and an imminent power outage, Samantha worked with us to reschedule our ceremony so that it happened five hours earlier, allowing us to avoid the inclement weather. This obviously means that we weren't able to do the telescope viewing that is normally included in Chabot's wedding packages, but we're looking forward to using the telescopes eventually when it's safer to do so. We were so impressed by Samantha's efficiency and competency. During a really stressful weekend when we had to make quick decisions with less than a day's notice, we knew we could count on Samantha to support us and help make sure that in the end we got married.
The venue is also beautiful. It's set in the middle of a redwood forest on the top of a mountain. It's extremely quiet except for birds and the odd daytime hiker, which we only saw because we had to move it to the daytime (and didn't mind anyway). Samantha also helped us find a spot in the redwood forest to take pictures, and they turned out great! If you are looking for a place to safely get married with a small number of people during the pandemic (we only had our immediate families there), I highly recommend the Chabot Space & Science Center. The bathrooms felt safe (the stalls and extra sinks are closed to support social distancing), you can use the office to change (and it's mostly empty because astronomers work in the middle of the night!), and there's plenty of room outside for everyone to socially distance and yet still hear each other because of how quiet it is up there.Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Hey Megan!
Wow! I'm thrilled to read this. I am so happy that the day worked out for you. Red flag warnings on top of a pandemic; but you handled everything 2020 threw at you with such grace. I think that's a great testament to a strong and happy marriage. Chabot is wishing you all the best, and I hope you'll keep an eye on our social media for exhibit and reopening announcements coming up in the next couple months. You'll need to visit for our first night of telescope viewings! -
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Diana C. Sent on 10/29/2020
Incredible micro-wedding experience at Chabot!
We hosted our micro-wedding at Chabot this month and had an absolutely amazing experience. First of all, Samantha (the venue coordinator we worked with) was extremely responsive and patiently answered all of our COVID, decorations, etc. related questions. The volunteers for the viewing were kind and happily answered our questions about space, the telescopes and the research they do. And of course, the venue itself is beautiful. It's surrounded by redwoods, which created the perfect backdrop for photos. The observatory itself sits on top of a hill and catches a perfect sunset for the ceremony and reception. We were able to bring in our own alcohol (no liquor) and caterer, tables and chairs were provided for us, and the overall price for the rental was one of the best we saw. 10 / 10 would recommend for any COVID (or non COVID) weddingChabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Hi again!
Diana, I really appreciate all the thought that you and Alex put into reviewing us. It was such a pleasure working with you. I know it wasn't the wedding you originally planned, but I think it came out stunning (Just look at that picture!). I'm wishing you all the best in planning the bigger celebration next year! And be sure to make time to come see the new exhibits in the summer!
Cheers,
Samantha -
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![Linda]()
Linda L. Sent on 07/17/2021Absolutely out of this world, all of our friends were jealous
When friends found out our venue would be at Chabot, many kicked themselves for not having their own wedding there too. Chabot was actually the first location we went to see and after I found out dogs are allowed if a waiver is signed, I was SOLD. The staff was always communicative, especially in keeping us up to date with all changes for safety due to Covid, and their list of vendors is fantastic. Our wedding date was right after CA announced its reopening, so there were a lot of changes and uncertainty during planning, which we expected, not because of Chabot, but because of the pandemic.
We hired Holly D photography, Carrie Dove Catering, BluEdge Entertainment, and Diana Dorsey. Everything, and I mean everything was perfect, except the sky was foggy on our full moon wedding night. We were not able to use the telescopes but the astronomers were still there to answer any and all questions our guests had for them.
We worked with Samantha, Nicole and Lisa from Chabot, which was great as they were always on the same page and if it was a bit difficult getting a hold of one, sending an email to all of them at once made things so simple.
Our ceremony was in the planetarium and we took pictures afterwards while our guests watched an educational show, then a laser show. During cocktail hour and the reception, if there are any children, parents can bring them to see all open exhibits! Starting in Nov, they will have new NASA exhibits. This was great for all ages. If you are looking for a location that is less traditional and more unique, it really does not get any better than Chabot and their staff!Chabot Space & Science Center's reply:
Oh my gosh, Linda! Reading this made our day! Lisa, Nicole, the astronomers, and I are so delighted that you enjoyed your night. You handled all the Covid-replanning like champions, and we are so grateful to have had you as our guests. THANK YOU for choosing to support STEAM education for the Oakland community with your venue choice. And I can't wait to see you visiting us for the new exhibits this Fall!
Sending warm wishes,
Samantha -
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