Griffith Observatory peeks over Los Angeles from the peak of Mount Hollywood like a loving, grandfatherly figure. I’d driven past it hundreds of times but always written it off as part of the landscape, until my sister and her fiance convinced me to make a day trip out of visiting the iconic LA landmark.

I learned just what I’d been missing all these years: the views—both of the heavens above and city lights below—are breathtaking.

It’s no wonder director Nicholas Ray chose Griffith Observatory as the location for the climactic shoot-out scene in Rebel Without a Cause. (A bust of James Dean on the premises commemorates the filming). The place exudes, well... star power.

The Universe Unfolds

The first thing we learned that Saturday afternoon was that the observatory’s surrounding urban oasis, Griffith Park, is great for hiking and biking. The busy day rendered our parking spot at a convenient distance for our own pleasant trek.

We had plenty of company—everyone from extended families to first-time dates made their way up to the winding road.

We were all rewarded with the observatory’s sprawling front lawn, majestic entrance and of course, everything we ever wanted to know about meteorites, gravitational pull and solar flares.

Since it was our first visit and we arrived late, our trio spent most of our time familiarizing ourselves with the lay of the cosmic land.

I was intrigued by the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater, where visitors can watch a presentation on the history of the museum, and the Samuel Oschin Planetarium, where generations of children see the universe for the first time on its state of the art overhead screen.

All that Glitters

Although I enjoy astronomy as the next girl and found the Observatory’s out of this world exhibitions to be fascinating, I tend to get distracted by bright shiny objects.

The Cosmic Connection, which illustrates the history of the universe in glittering Hollywood style - with bling and shining stars, seemed to have been created just for me.

A 175-foot wall is lined with pieces of celestial-inspired jewelry—stars, moons, suns—collected by astrology enthusiast Kara Knack over two decades. It begins with a bejeweled big bang and ends 13.7 billion years and 2,200 pieces of jewelry later, at the present day.

While breathtaking, Cosmic Connection could never compare to the free show visible in the sky above Los Angeles. In addition to three solar telescopes and the original Zeiss refracting telescope, which is intended for viewing of the moon and nearby planets, the Observatory staff regularly set up free-standing telescopes on the lawn just for enthusiastic visitors.

The staff stick around to answer questions and point out the hottest celestial bodies. I’m planning on making it to one of the Observatory’s star parties, where amateur astronomers take over the lawn for a community gaze fest once a month.

Entry to the Griffith Observatory's building and grounds is free. There is a nominal charge to see shows in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium.

Griffith Observatory is open from noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (closed on Mondays).