Griffith Observatory

One of the leading centres of public astronomy, the Griffith Observatory is a fascinating science facility and one of the most famous attractions of LA and indeed southern California.

The observatory is a fun and informal public observatory, with a planetarium, an observatory, and tons of science exhibits. Some of these exhibits are extremely innovative, including the cafe of the observatory itself - the Restaurant at the End of the Universe - which has on one of it's walls the largest astronomically accurate image ever made. The facility is divided into 6 zones - the Wilder Hall of the Eye, Ahmanson Hall of the Sky, W.M. Keck Foundation Central Rotunda, the Cosmic Connection, Gunther Depths of Space Hall, and the edge of Space Mezzanine. All of these zones are specially dedicated to a specific subject, for example the Cosmic Connection displays the history of the universe fantastically, the Gunther Depths of Space Hall contains models and exhibits on the solar system and the space, and so on. The observatory is also the best vantage point for the famous 'Hollywood' sign. Griffith Observatory was built in 1935, by the funds left by Griffith J. Griffith in his will. He also left instructions on how the observatory is to be run, and what is to be it's purpose, and those rules are still adhered to today. It is why admission to the observatory is free, though some special exhibitions have a small add on price.