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Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles

2800 East Observatory Road, Los Angeles, California

Description

The Griffith Observatory is located on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park. It is open to the public and contains a space and science-related exhibits, a planetarium as well as great views over Los Angeles (at night in particular) and the Hollywood Sign. The building's architecture has clear Greek and Beaux-Arts influences. There are 60-90mins shows held at the Planetarium throughout the opening days, but tickets need to be purchased and this is beyond the scope of this review. Trivia: the planetarium was used to train pilots in celestial navigation during WW2 and astronauts for the Apollo lunar missions.

Access & Transport

Griffith Park is open daily from 5:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Road parking and lots are open. There is paid parking available in and around the Observatory It is also possible to walk from Hollywood Boulevard, 'Hollywood/Western' station (B line) is 2km away. The LA Department of Transportation operates daily low-cost DASH Observatory/Los Feliz public bus service from the Vermont/Sunset Metro Red Line station to the Observatory More info on getting there: https://griffithobservatory.org/visit/getting-here/

Instructions & Recommendations

We recommended walking there from Hollywood and combining with a visit of Griffith Park.

Meta review

The Observatory is not only very popular, but it is also regularly used as a movie set so you are likely to have seen it on the big screen, should you watch some Hollywood productions. Visitors there enjoy both the views and the informative exhibits (the Tesla coils in particular) with a few recurring negative comments relating to parking cost in the park, waiting times and the Covid-related checks / restrictions (those have now been lifted)

Environmental & Social

The Foundation continues to support and promote the Observatory as a home for science literacy, education, and public astronomy. It is free and also has a fifth-grade school program and teacher resources. Marginal environmental footprint.

Conclusion

This will please a wide range of travellers and residents both for the views and the content, children included as some of the exhibits are quite engaging. Sunset is a good time for photography.

Key positive

Educational exhibits

Good views over Los Angeles

Free admission

Key negative

Can be quite busy

Parking cost for those electing to drive there

Suitability

No restrictions

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

Updated in July 2023

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit

av. transport time:0h 30m

est. visit time:1h 30m

Regulated hours

Monday -

Tuesday12:00 - 22:00

Wednesday12:00 - 22:00

Thursday12:00 - 22:00

Friday12:00 - 22:00

Saturday10:00 - 22:00

Sunday10:00 - 22:00

Pricing
Planetarium shows cost $10/$8/$6 depending on age
Free

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