Fulfilling My “La La Land” Fantasies At Griffith Observatory: Los Angeles, California

If you are looking to find some of the best views of Los Angeles, then you will definitely want to include a stop at the Griffith Observatory on your LA itinerary.

Prior to last week, I had never actually visited the Griffith Observatory (despite living in California for 4 years). In an effort to fulfill my “La La Land” fantasies, on my recent visit to LA, I knew a visit was a must. I even dragged my boyfriend along, although I am sad to report there was no spontaneous dancing involved.

Despite the fact that my boyfriend didn’t suddenly burst into song, I had an excellent time taking in the incredible views and learning about the stars, which, let’s face it, most Angelenos can only see on Hollywood Boulevard (thanks, LA smog).

Keep reading to learn more about visiting the Griffith Observatory, and discover if this LA hot spot will make it on your list of things to do in Los Angeles!

Oh, and just in case you want to listen along:

 

Getting there

The Griffith Observatory is located within the massive Griffith Park. Griffith Park is over 4,000 acres-making it one of the largest parks in the United States! Since the park is so big, there are several entrances. If you are planning on visiting the Griffith Observatory, be sure to plug in the Observatory address into your GPS to avoid winding up at the wrong entrance.

Address: Griffith Park, 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Parking

Once you enter the park, you’ll begin driving up a road to the Griffith Observatory. As you get closer to the observatory itself, you will start to see a parking lot, as well as cars parked along the road. I recommend grabbing one of these free parking spaces and walking to the Observatory. The walk is beautiful, and you’ll save some money.

If you are on a time crunch or would prefer to avoid trekking uphill, then there are spaces at the top where you can pay to park for $4.00 an hour.

Admission

One of the best things about the Griffith Observatory is that it is FREE! Yay! While entering the observatory itself is free, if you’d like to see any of the Planetarium shows, you can purchase tickets for $7.00, or $5.00 for seniors/students. You can find more information on the Planetarium shows and showtimes here.

I opted to skip the shows and simply enjoy some time wandering the Observatory.

Visiting the Observatory

I must admit that my main purpose in heading to the Griffith Observatory was to see the views of LA. That being said, the Observatory itself is definitely worth walking around, particularly if you have kids or enjoy science/stargazing. Some of the most popular features of the Observatory are the painted Central Rotunda, Foucault Pendulum, and Tesla’s Coil.

Gif: Giphy

I was most excited to see the Rotunda and Pendulum (after all, they were in “La La Land”), but I did have fun checking out all of the exhibits and snapping some pics with Albert Einstein.

The Views

After looking at some of the exhibits, you’ll probably want to check out the views which are pretty darn spectacular. If you can, try to time your visit with sunset.

I’d say to allow 30 minutes-1.5 hours to walk around the Observatory, depending on how into science exhibits you are.

Once you’ve had your fill of the stars and planets, head outside and take a peek from the many vantage points available to you on the different floors of the observatory.

You’ll be able to enjoy panoramic views of the sprawling LA skyline, and will definitely be able to see the Hollywood sign nestled among the mountains.

There are even binoculars if you’d like to zoom in on the city below.

One thing that is important to note is how smoggy LA is, which will obstruct your view a bit. Unfortunately, the day I went was pretty smoggy. If you are looking to take spectacular photos, try to time your visit after a rainfall (not that it rains that often in LA!).

If you are patient, then hang out after the sun has disappeared to watch the lights of the “City of Stars” glitter below.

Overall Thoughts

Was it a little disappointing that Ryan Gosling didn’t appear out of nowhere and sweep me off my feet? Perhaps. (Although I don’t think my boyfriend would have liked that very much).

That being said a visit to Griffith Park is definitely worth it, and I couldn’t believe I didn’t go sooner!

For more information on visiting the Griffith Observatory, be sure to check out the official website!

Now excuse me, I’m just going to listen to this song on repeat while dreaming of LA.

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Have you been to the Griffith Observatory or been to any of the locations featured in “La La Land”? Let me know in the comments!

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