If you're a local, the Griffith Observatory is one of those places you never get tired of visiting…read more We've been back countless times, and every visit feels a little different. There's something here for every age. Kids especially love the hands on science exhibits, and the planetarium shows are absolutely worth experiencing. It really is one of Los Angeles' greatest gems. Before La La Land made it even more famous, it was a peaceful spot where you could wander without the crowds. These days it's on almost every visitor's must see list, so parking can be a challenge. I'd recommend skipping the hassle by taking the free shuttle or hiking up. The hike is a fun, moderate effort with rewarding views along the way. There's also a café where you can grab coffee, snacks, or a light bite while taking in the surroundings. The views are spectacular any time of day. During daylight, you can see everything from Downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica, along with the iconic Hollywood Sign. But the real magic begins after sunset. Head to the back of the observatory, where you'll be treated to one of the most breathtaking panoramas of the city as millions of lights transform Los Angeles into the City of Stars. Whether you're visiting for the exhibits, the architecture, the planetarium, or simply the views, Griffith Observatory is a place I'd recommend to anyone visiting Los Angeles.

Griffith Observatory is literally one of my FAVORITE PLACES of LA…read more Nestled in the midst of Mount Hollywood, Griffith Observatory has been around even before World War II. It was opened in 1935 with the notion that astronomy could be made accessible to the public. Over time, it has become an LA icon. It has left its mark throughout Hollywood. It was featured in the classic Rebel Without a Cause, with the talented James Dean. It hosted the unforgettable dance and song in La La Land, with modern stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. I have been fortunate enough to have visited the observatory countless times in various stages of my life. My immigrant parents took me here since I was a little kid. Maybe that's what spurred my love for astronomy at such a young age. I used to dream of the planets, stars, and galaxies, and I fondly remember my glow in the dark solar system and stars that bedazzled my bedroom walls. In elementary school, we had a field trip to Griffith Observatory, where we got to experience the Planetarium. I was in love. We viewed the celestial bodies and analyzed the constellations. I was hooked. I knew I wanted to be an astronomer at the ripe age of 9. Now I most recently had the pleasure of exposing this beautiful place to my young daughters. Today, the observatory remains a beautiful historic landmark of Los Angeles. It serves to educate the public about the world that is much more vast than we could ever imagine, beyond our little Earth. Its backdrop is just as breathtaking, offering gorgeous views of LA, assuming the fog and pollution is low. The views are so beautiful, my husband and I took our engagement photos here. Griffith Observatory will always hold a special place in my heart. If you are visiting LA, this is a must see destination.

For those who may not know, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, is free from 3 to 5 p.m…read more maybe only on weekdays but maybe weekends too. I am not sure, but most of the information is right, if one is compelled they can fact-broaden my statement. I went to take advantage of this offer but it was June 19th and in honor of the holiday everyone got in for free on this day. But apparently it was a last minute decision. So poor reporting seems to be more like offering information as it comes, not in a malicious way, or incompetent way, more in like the town crier gives what he knows in excitement and it is the responsibility of hearers to know what to do with the information, including vetting it responsibly or accepting it as a gift when given by surprise, even though it could have come in handy earlier. So I entered and I made a beeline to the Butterfly Pavillion. I think it was 12 dollars and worth every single cent. And I write that as a full-blown understatement because exaggeration did not seem the way to go. Like saying this place was worth more than 12 dollars, it was worth the weight of a camel's back in gold. The experience was beautiful. And that statement can be easily understood. I mean butterfly garden + momentary visit= beautiful. But more than that it was a type of beautiful that I had not experience before. It was a new facet of nature's beauty that I experienced. Mostly because I had never interacted with butterflies in this way. For instance, there was a butterfly with wings that were a strong bold blue, almost neon, and for sure, vibrant. Like a royal blue not because it was that shade but because amongst blues it would have palatial lineage in its shade. We were warned that butterflies might be on the ground. And on two experiences two were. The first I encountered was not flying. And the younger members of the experience made sure to announce the butterflies presence and its vulnerability. I feel like sometime in this place's history a butterfly did get stepped on. And for no other reason, than the natural happens. In the second occasion, a butterfly was trying to fly or stand still and could not because the winds made it topple. During that moment a butterfly apparently landed on my back. Man people, if not all, wonder if a butterfly will land on them? And what it would mean? I mean, it could be good news. Saying that a butterfly landing on a person is an omen of disaster does quite fit the visual of the insect and what horror brings. A butterfly did land on my wrist and of course one can't help but feel special. Like, the butterfly chose me and its trying to communicate something. Something important that the universe wants me to hear. What exactly that is? I am not sure. I need to reflect on that later or I will know when the butterfly effects comes clearer in time.

I've been here a couple time and I feel like it's different each time I come depending on who I'm…read morewith. This time, I came with my toddler and it was a lot of fun! I appreciate that the museum isn't too big so that it's doable in less than 2 hours (provided you're not stopping to read signs etc since youre running after your LO instead..). My LO had a fun time running and racing through exhibits especially the diorama ones. The exhibits are pretty limited and small in size so you're not overwhelmed or worried about finishing this place. I think the older my kid gets, the more we can do and interact with. But for my 20 month old, it was a great way to spend about 90 min. There are bathrooms everywhere. This is a huge plus for me lol! Parking is $20! It's kind of pricey given the amount of time we spent (or didn't spend...) but it's so easy to get to the museum from the parking areas so convenience wins out. Tip: if you're an LA public library or county library holder, get free tickets through their Discover and Go page. We went to the museum this way and were able to spend a lovely Saturday morning here free (minus parking...).

The California Science Museum is the best and maybe only option for kids and adults to experience…read morethe world of science around us in Los Angeles. The Space Shuttle Endeavor is here and might have been what initially drew me to the museum but they have an IMAX theater as well as new rotating exhibits to keep things fresh. The current new exhibit is Mummies. And don't forget to go outside and see the SR-71 Blackbird by the parking structure.

This place has changed so much the last time I came more than a decade ago!…read more I wanted to bring my son to experience the wonders of science and since o only had to pay for parking, that's not a bad deal. However, I forgot it's next to a stadium so there's cars going into the parking lots and it's confusing when you see a $60 parking sign but luckily museum parking is not the same. The place definitely changed, it seems so much darker, simplistic, and less colorful than I remembered. We didn't purchase any of the specific exhibits so we only went to the free pertinent exhibits which we went through within an hour! I had to slow my son down and because it's so crowded he didn't want to wait in line to look or try anything. I was able to get him to watch some videos playing around the life cycle exhibit, and then he got hungry so we went to the first floor food court. I know it says no food or drinks in the exhibits but I saw a lot of people snacking and drinking in the area, I don't think staff realized because it was so crowded. At the food court, they had a variety of stalls and we went straight to the burgers and pizza, we ordered a pizza and chili fries which my son ate mostly pizza and the snacks i brought. Thy also had a mini market convenience stall which sold snacks as well and a cafe which had ice cream and coffee. I think this place is decent, I can see some of the old things left behind like condiments station and furniture set to the side, so I think they are always revamping the pla

We spent 2 hours here, but could have spent so much more time if we didn't have a deadline. We went…read moreon the free day (first Friday of the month), but with that free ticket you only get 2 to 3 hours in the afternoon before the place closes, so it's a great taster to make you want to come again! Our kids ages 2 to 7 all had a great time! There was so much to do, from walking through the river and doing water play, to sand play in the pretend lake, to crafts (that we didn't have time for), to climbing equipment, and building/engineering/physics activities. Plenty of things to do both indoor and outdoor. The physics section is great for older kids too, even middle school (but the rest of the museum is definitely geared to elementary).

Free Parking, confusing at first as it's a shared lot for the park. There was a line upon arrival…read moreso you can actually buy tickets online and bypass the other line. The museum is both indoors and outdoors. There's several activities that are geared towards older kids such as sitting on seat and self-pull to go up. Or a tug a war type thing. The other outdoor activities are for all ages, they have areas where you can bang on stuff to hear the sounds. There's an indoor which I feel the younger ones loves such as the train table or the parachute. Overall there's activities for all ages. There was even a spot if someone wants to read and do storytime. Fun overall. It can get pricey. I'm not big on places charging adults as it truly is more for the kids.

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.

I went on the Docent led tour and we had a blast the man (I really wish I knew his name, he's a…read moreprofessor of physics). Such a fantastic tour and a lot of information to take in. The tour lasted 3 hours and we had two people that were using walkers and they were patient and got them up to the various areas, don't be discouraged, not a lot of walking. Though getting up the Elevator involved a pully system and we only had a few people almost fall off (kidding, you don't get to be on the elevator, the man you meet in the Sun Telescope room however does go up there to align the scope every day.) So yes your feet will be on the ground, aside from a few steps up to the main area. We plan to come up there at night, but it does require good driving skills to get up there, just drive safe and slow, you'll be okay. Was jazzed that I can see the Observatory from my location here at home w binoculars.

Visiting Mt. Wilson Observatory is a great opportunity to learn about astronomical history, as well…read moreas the history of scientific endeavors in the Los Angeles area. Einstein was here, after all! The location itself is stunning, offering great views of the L.A. area. And the observatories, preserved by the valiant efforts of firefighters after too many wildfires to count, are something to see. We, unfortunately, sprung for the allegedly 2-hour tour at $20/person. The funds support the observatory, so no problem there. However, our docent was extremely long-winded and had no sense of time management whatsover, even on one of the hottest days of the year. After we were almost 3 hours into a supposedly 2 hour tour, we decided to leave early due to exhaustion and boredom. (We were starting to feel like we were on a cruise to Gilligan's Island......)To be honest, there was not much that we saw or learned on the tour that couldn't be seen just walking around and looking up information online. So, my recommendation is: donate money to the Observatory by all means but skip the docent tour unless astronomy is your biggest passion in life. Also, remember you'll need an Adventure Pass to park in the Observatory parking lot near the trailheads. Definitely worth a visit!

I highly recommend their live night telescope viewing…read more Jim, their resident Astronomer is the best. He knows more about astronomy, interplanetary science, and the solar system than it should be legal to know. Plus he is a nice guy who is willing to share his knowledge. Jim also used to build propulsion rockets for the Space Shuttle flights. I learned so much from his 2 hour seminar and hands on viewing. I may even go out and buy a telescope now he got me so excited. Parking was easy and free at the meters on Pico after 6 PM. The Planetarium is on the 2nd Floor of the John Drescher building. After the class where he points out what you are going to see, everyone walks outside together to the viewing area where his associates set up multiple telescopes. Wear walking shoes, dress warm, eyeglasses or no-glasses are fine for viewing, bring cash only for the event, and have a coffee before coming. Because when you sit in those comfortable theater seats, recline back to see the dome, and he turns off all the lights...I don't know about you...

This is a small, low-key planetarium show led by a passionate, knowledgeable, engaging, and funny…read moreamateur astronomer, Jim. Jim's enthusiasm for space exploration and astronomy is infectious and you leave the planetarium show with a renewed sense of wonder at all the mysteries right above us. Street parking is really easy to find the night of the show and sometimes volunteers bring their own telescopes for night sky viewing. I've seen some really incredible things at the night sky viewings: sunlight slowly filling the craters on the moon, the rings of saturn, a double star-system, and the "star nursery" in the Orion Nebula. Whenever I leave the show, I feel like I was in on some special secret. Oh, and if you can't tell by the address, this is at Santa Monica College

My family and I were first-time visitors to this museum, and we truly enjoyed our visit…read more First and foremost, admission is free with advanced online reservations required. Parking was $19.00 for the first three hours with validation. The art museum is truly a gem of Los Angeles. It can be challenging to reserve tickets because open time slots fill up quickly, especially during the summer months when many people are on vacation. The artwork on display is mesmerizing, beautiful, and thought-provoking. Personally, I appreciated every single piece of art I observed, as so much work, love, and dedication went into each item on display that one can only wonder what the artists were thinking or feeling as they created their masterpieces. The entire museum is well-maintained, spotless, and fun. Security is extremely important, as evidenced by the many staff members closely monitoring the large crowds around each section of the museum. Staff members are also there to answer any questions. I wish to rerun here very soon with family and friends, as our visit was educational, inspiring, and fun.

My family visited The Broad Museum a couple of days ago, and let me tell you, the exhibits are…read moreworld class. Even though the museum is free, I suggest getting tickets on line to reserve a timed-entry in advance, It does get crowded. I did notice that there are some exhibits that require a separate paid ticket. Parking was $29 unless validated. Then it dropped down to $19. Definitely worth visiting. You won't be disappointed.