“The Lighthouse of the Sky” is the jewel of Hyde Park, moving here from Mt. Adams in 1873. Known as the birthplace of American astronomy for good reason, the Cincinnati Observatory is the first public observatory in the U.S. and has one of the country’s oldest working telescopes, dating from 1842. The elegant Greek Revival building was designed by Cincinnati Music Hall architect Samuel Hannaford. Fun fact: the Observatory’s original turret rotated on cannonballs! The iconic dome added in 1895 was surely a structural upgrade, but might be missing a little cool factor. Visit most weekday afternoons or weekend evenings, but call or consult the website for hours and specifics.