The inspiration for the Observatory and for Griffith Park came from Griffith J. Griffith, who was the benefactor for both. The idea of a “public observatory” was a very new one at the turn of the 20th century, but Griffith won out and had his observatory built so that people from all walks of life could be inspired by the wonders of the universe. Since 1935, the Observatory has provided southern Californians and visitors from around the world with chances to observe, to learn, and to be inspired. Exhibits inside of the observatory are constantly changing, so there is always something new to learn.
Aside from the exhibits inside, the observatory offers visitors amazing view of the city, the Hollywood sign, and if you time it just right, a beautiful view of the sunset. You can bring a picnic with you and enjoy the views on the front lawn with your family.
The most exciting part of the observatory however, is the telescopes. The main one they house inside of the observatory is free to look through. It allows visitors to see stunning views of the moon. My kids loved it!!!
We weren’t there just for the main telescope. We went to the observatory for the Star Party event the observatory hosts once a month from 2 pm to 9:45 pm. During this public viewing event people bring their telescopes and set them out on the lawn in front of the observatory for all to enjoy. It is a completely free event. We were able to see stars, Saturn, more closeups of the moon, and even a galaxy. If you ever decide to go, plan to arrive early because parking gets intense. Wear comfortable shoes because most likely you’ll have to park far away and hike about half a mile to get to the observatory.
Points on this trip:
I use my credit cards as debit cards and put EVERYTHING on these cards. I then pay them off in full at the end of the month. Every outing is used to earn my family points to use towards free trips.
It was a free viewing so no money was spent on tickets.
Parking was $30 dollars. They do take credit card. I’m currently working on the minimum spend for the Capital One Venture card, so I used it to pay which got me 2x the points. 60 points here.
Gas was $40 to fill up my tank. I used my Capital One Venture card to pay. 80 points
Food for our picnic for my family of 6 was $53. I used my American Express Gold charge card because it offers 4x the points for dining. Even though I’m working on my minimum spend for my Venture card, I cannot skip over a category multiplier that earns my family more points, so I used my Gold card to pay. 212 points
Total points earned on this outing: 352 points
Turn every outing into a points earner. Happy travels ☺️
