It's sad that this planetarium was closed for renovations and then Covid happened and ever since…read more2020 they never re-opened. When you go to their website it says "temporarily closed" however being closed for going on 6 years does not seem like it's temporary - which is unfortunate!

Found this on Yelp and so happy to have gone tonight! I've gone to the planetarium at Mt. SAC, but…read moreit's really far to me now in Long Beach. This is close and convenient to the 22. The show we went to tonight was really cool and interesting. Patricia Sullivan hosted and she was fun, welcoming and made things easy to understand. Loved seeing the constellations projected onto the planetarium dome and then there was an awesome presentation about the solar system afterward. I'll definitely be back! I only gave four stars because I was hoping/looking forward to a Night Sky Live that was included in the program notes, but it didn't happen. I would also love to look through telescopes, so not sure if that's a different program altogether.

Affordable So Cal experience. Multiple shows and showtimes. Clean inside and out and plenty of…read moreparking. We watched "Explore". Would like to see other shows.

Before I get into the actual Planetarium experience, I want to say that the staff was very helpful…read moreand were wonderful people. 5 stars for them all. HOWEVER - as a consumer, The Planetarium experience isn't about staff-interaction, it's supposed to be about mind-blowing visual / aural entertainment. And that's what my 2 star review is about... Lame. James Hood's MESMERICA features a well-conceived score (mostly electronic with brass/string/percussive simulation) and computer-generated graphics that we felt were very-well thought out. The message of hope, spiritual unity and the importance of 'living in the moment' were needed and well-taken. All that said, WHY were there 3 incredibly distinct blue "light stains" visible 100% of the time on the dome?? Every single graphic that played out on that dome was diminished greatly by those light stains - they were insidious and distracting to the point of turn-off. "Once you seem them, you can't unsee them" - and it ruined the entire presentation. Furthermore, it was obvious that the MESMERICA score didn't have enough music and graphics to carry a 45-minute presentation. 30 minutes would have done it. Seriously. As a 45-minute presentation, it felt far too long. If you're going to do a presentation that relies on slick graphics and visuals (like, isn't that the entire purpose of selling tickets to a DOME SHOW??) you have GOT to clean up that light distraction. Horrible! Sorry, I can't show pictures of it as photography/videography were disallowed.

5 years later, we returned for another show. Hands down, one of my favorite things to do with my…read morekids. Prices have slightly increased, but show me one place that hasn't raised prices...am I right? This time, we opted for the later show which was a 'full dome movie'. I'd never experienced one before and it was really cool. There are different themes each month so check the schedule. The movie was about extraterrestrial life. There are two powerful telescopes outside. You definitely don't want to miss it. Free parking right across from the planetarium. Mom approved! 5 stars!

Great place for a field trip! The show was very entertaining and educating for my kids. Everything…read moreseemed very organized and clean and I love that questions get answered by a scientist at the end. Parking was easy but costs a couple of $. Plan to be back sometime.

Knowledge is power and giving knowledge to the young ones is invaluable. Sparking their curiosity…read moreis rewarding and the Fleet Science Center delivers in a unique way for families. As soon as you enter, there are several exciting science based exhibits that immediately capture the minds and attention of the young ones. The Fleet Science Center provides many interesting designed science exhibits for all ages. You walk through the exhibits and have a great interactive experience. So many amazing activities to do and see!!! What a wonderful place to visit!!! Paid Parking is available now. Definitely a return visit call with the family!!!

Impressive tech, but proceed with caution for 3-hour feature films!…read more We were super excited to see The Odyssey here for our very first IMAX experience after waiting two weeks for our date! Having already seen the movie twice in a standard theater, we were curious to see how it translated to the Heikoff Giant Dome. Here is the full breakdown of how it works and what to expect: Essential Tips & Logistics for 6:30 PM Box Office Movies: Tickets & Arrival: You MUST buy tickets online in advance. The Science Center itself closes to the public at 5:00 PM, but line up outside around 5:00 PM--the queue fills up fast between 5:00-5:30 PM! Door Opening & Entry: Doors open at 6:00 PM sharp. Once tickets are scanned, you'll enter a second line inside. Members and ADA guests get priority boarding around 6:25 PM, followed by General Admission. Pro-Tip for Groups: Seating is first-come, first-served. It was literally a stampede when doors opened! Have one person hold your spot in the inside queue while another uses the restroom or hits concessions. Concessions: Everything is prepackaged (bags of popcorn, candy, canned sodas/water). No fresh movie-theater popcorn or fountain drinks, but fine for a quick snack. Seats & Seating Placement: Aim as high up and toward the center as possible! We sat in the lower half of the upper section. The seats are clean, comfortable, and feel brand new, but they do not recline. Staring up at the dome for nearly 3 hours caused some serious neck strain. Also, watch out for the glass balcony railings in the upper section, which can partially cut into your sightline. The Film Experience: The sound system is fantastic and the theater itself is spotless, but for a fast-paced action movie like The Odyssey, the dome format just didn't work for us. Being that close made it feel like watching a screen two feet from your face--fight scenes became a blur, and the dome curved the edges of the picture (buildings and straight objects looked noticeably warped/distorted). It felt a bit like looking through a fishbowl. Overall Verdict: No knock at all on the staff, Fleet Science Center, or the incredible tech--for documentary shorts or environmental films, this dome is probably mind-blowing. But for long feature films with heavy action, it didn't add to the movie and was a bit overwhelming. Glad we experienced it, but we'll stick to traditional theaters for feature films in the future! P.S. / Note for Fleet Science Center Management & Staff: I know queuing outside can be tricky to manage, but I wanted to share an observation in case it helps improve the queue process. We arrived around 5:10 PM and were about 10th in line outside. However, the group of 2 people right in front of us gradually grew to 12 as more of their party arrived over the next hour, and another pair grew to 8. By the time the doors opened at 6:00 PM, our spot in line effectively jumped from 10th to around 25th. While holding places for late arrivals is understandable to a degree, seeing groups multiply like that can feel a bit unfair to those who stood outside early. Some retail stores and venues (like those in Hawaii) handle this by handing out numbered queue cards or tokens per person as they join the line, preventing late-arriving party members from jumping ahead of early arrivers. Just a thought for future popular feature film screenings!

Absolutely loved this place. We came here for a homeschool field trip. There were two parts to the…read morefield trip. The viewing of the informational star session in the dome. The second part the kids and parents build mini rockets. Then they launched the rockets into the air and tried to catch them. The staff was so nice and helpful. They answered all of our questions and took their time with out groups. So much fun for the entire family.

We attended with our homeschool group and it was an amazing experience! Our host, Alex, was great…read morewith the kids! We built our rockets and then they got to launch it and try and catch it. Super fun and exciting for the kids. The planetarium show was great too. I've only ever seen the Griffith Observatory show and this was on par with that show without the drive or the high price. This is a lesser known gem and if your on the fence do not hesitate to check it out!

Tickets for the planetarium shows cannot be purchased online or in advance. They must be purchased…read moreabout 30-45 mins before each show starts. Usually the lines are long if you try to purchase the tickets near the front entrance. But there are a few kiosks and other box offices available inside the observatory. Kiosks are the easiest way to purchase the tickets and avoid the frustratingly long lines. It is advised to go inside the planetarium at least 20 mins before the show starts. For some shows, the entrance to the planetarium is from the West terrace. On a cold night, it can get very chilly and the lines and wait times could be long. So, make sure to wear warm clothing. Coming to the planetarium shows, I viewed the 'Signs of life' and 'Centered in the universe'. Both of them are well made, perfectly timed and very informative. I enjoyed them thoroughly.

first of all, the ticket line was way too long, I had o wait under the sun forever just to buy them…read moreand honestly that already killed my vibe. On top of that, parking was $10 per hour -- I mean, come on, that's crazy. I was already a little in a bad mood, so maybe that didn't help, but still they should really fix how they do the ticket distribution. It felt super disorganized. Now, the good part, the dome is beautiful, the projections look amazing, and the whole vibe inside is actually pretty cool. But I just couldn't fully enjoy it with all the stress before the show.

This has to be one of our favorite places to visit in Santa Barbara. I've personally been coming…read morehere for over 25 years, and I still love it every time. It's peaceful, relaxing, and the nature is absolutely beautiful -- minus all the poison oak during the summer, LOL! Whether you have little ones, teenagers, or just want to take a relaxing walk with your partner, this is a great place to visit. You don't need to spend the whole day here either. A couple of hours is perfect to walk around, enjoy the scenery, and unwind. Definitely one of our Santa Barbara favorites. Highly recommend!

What a fun little add on to a trip with kiddos to Santa Barbara. Enough places for learning but…read morealso for the kiddos to get some play in the day as well. I have a 4.5 yo and 22 month old and they both had lots of fun. Random but I do wish the gift shop was a bit more stroller friendly.

Griffith Observatory is a must-do on any visit to Los Angeles, whether you are a tourist, passing…read morethrough, or are a resident. The location is not only one of the most iconic and classic landmarks in the area, but it also has some of the best city views anywhere. On clear days, you can see all the way to the ocean, with the entire LA basin and the Hollywood sign spread out in front of you. It certainly puts the awesome scale of the city into a perspective you might otherwise never see. The observatory itself is also amazing, as they have some really neat scientific information displays, like a Tesla coil, and a periodic table of elements that has a real sample of each element you can view up close. They also have an actual chunk of the moon on display, so you can tell people you've been within a couple feet of the moon! For the more adventurous, there are also hiking trails all around Griffith Park, that you can start from the Observatory or walk all the way up to it. On weekends, it can get extremely crowded and they close the access road to the top parking lot, unless you have handicap or are on a tour. Be prepared to hike up that hill! The view at the top is certainly worth it, though. Five stars and if you haven't been, stop making excuses. Go!

I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to take the family here on a Sunday afternoon, I…read moreabsolutely avoid crowds when possible but here we are. Perfect place to check out the Hollywood sign from a different angle. The observatory was such a serene and beautiful place. I think it would have been so gorgeous after sunset... Highly recommend a show inside the planetarium - Centered in the Universe. The storyteller was amazing, though the AC and the darkness on a hot day in the middle of the show did put me to sleep for a few minutes lol. You get a clear view of LA if the pollution wasn't too bad and all in all the employees are friendly and knowledgeable. We parked at the Greek Theatre for free and took the bus up - 50 cent per person and 25 cent per senior. We ended up walking back down as it was less than a mile to our parking spot.... And there were probably two bus full of people waiting to go down the hill. This is a great "free" experience when you're in LA, the show inside the planetarium was low cost - $12 per person and $10 per senior. Worth the experience of spending a day here!

We had a wonderful time! We made it a point to stop here when driving from Temecula as we had never…read morebeen to a mission before, and we are so glad that we did. When getting the tickets, the lady helping us was so nice! We got our audio tour and started along the way. It really was beautiful and full of history! It's as old as the country! The audio tour and plaques along the way provided a lot of information and we spent at least 2 hours here wandering around and taking everything in, you could easily spend more time than that here. Beautiful grounds and it was amazing to see the original and uncovered structures that existed so long ago. You end up at the gift shop at the end and we left with a postcard and a magnet for home. Very reasonable prices in there and some cute things! Overall we had an amazing time and would love to visit other missions. Give this one a go!

What a great, historic site. Mission San Juan Capistrano was built in 1776 and is the seventh…read moreoldest Mission in California. View is truly grand and majestic. As soon as you enter you will see a gorgeous garden and remnants of The Great Stone Church, which was destroyed by earthquake in 1812. I also liked Serra Chapel, which is the oldest building in California that's still in use, based on online search. I felt at peace just sitting inside the chapel for few minutes. Current admission fee is $19 for adults and $11 for youth (5-17) years of age). Admission fee includes a self-guided audio tour but the device was kind of difficult to hear. There isn't a designated parking lot for the Mission but there are few public parking lots near the area. I was here on a weekday so was able to find street parking along Camino Capistrano. Most of the street parking is limited to 5 hours. There are plenty of restaurants within walking distance so it's a great location. You will definitely smell BBQ smoke coming from Heritage BBQ restaurant across the street.

Beautiful park in San Diego, CA! This is a huge park, lots of walking but well worth all the views…read more There is a botanical garden they do charge and it is a bit costly. The park itself is so big so I did not pay for the Japanese garden although it did look beautiful. There are several restrooms, clean. There are also several shops for souvenirs and food.

Balboa Park is easily one of my favorite outdoor spots in San Diego and, in my opinion, one of the…read morebest urban parks in the country. There is SO much to do here, and the park is absolutely stunning and very well maintained. When living downtown, I was here pretty much every weekend. I love walking through the park, running the trails, and bringing my dog. The dog park is huge and gives them plenty of room to run around, which is a major plus. You could easily spend hours just walking and exploring everything Balboa Park has to offer. Between the trails, architecture, museums, gardens, recreational areas, and incredible history, there is always something to see or do. Even after coming here so often, I still enjoy simply walking around and taking it all in. The history and architecture are really what make Balboa Park special. It's beautiful, full of character, and such an incredible part of San Diego. Whether you want to exercise, walk your dog, explore, have a picnic, visit a museum, or just enjoy being outside, this park has something for everyone. An easy 5/5 for me. One of the places that makes me love San Diego!