Tahoe Star Tours

Tahoe Star Tours, operated by Tony Berendsen and his son Ryan, has been giving tourists unforgettable views of the skies above the Sierra for the past two decades. Tony is a past president of the Astronomical Society of Nevada, telescope operator for the Fleischmann Planetarium in Reno, President of the Northern Nevada Science Coalition, and owner of Tahoe Star Tours. Tony is a true guide to the stars and planets and creates a unique experience with each hosted tour. He begins every stargazing session with a poem about the stars and an easy-to-understand introduction to astronomy. From there, the unique exploration of the skies unfolds. Ryan operates a variety of Celestron telescopes and teaches guests how to use Celestron astronomical binoculars.

Over the years, Tony and Ryan have added Snowshoe Star Tours and Kayak Star Tours to their repertoire, providing one-of-a-kind backdrops for stargazing. In addition to the skies, Tony is extremely passionate about the arts and uses Tahoe Star Tours as a platform to merge the two worlds. Several times a year, the tours feature musical accompaniment from the Lake Tahoe area’s most accomplished musicians.

As part of the Celestron team Ryan and I consider Tahoe Star Tours as the boots on the ground part of the effort. We bring astronomy to the masses. Our mission “One day everyone will walk out under a starry sky they understand” has many layers, but primarily it is about helping people understand what they are seeing in the night sky, and specifically what they are seeing through the eyepiece.

We are very aggressive in this effort, putting together over 50 astronomy shows yearly, bringing thousands to the eyepiece over the last decade at the Cosmoarium at Northstar, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, and special corporate events in the Lake Tahoe Region; for as many as 600 guests at a time.

At Tahoe Star Tours we strive to be the best outdoor astronomy experience in the world, that is why we have partnered with the best telescope manufacturer; Celestron.