This place can get real busy fast though, so get here as early as possible. Especially if you’re planning on driving and want to find a space. We ended up parking on the roadside and walked the rest of the way up the hill, as we had arrived later than 10am and the traffic was already bumper to bumper.

As you walk up toward the Observatory head over to the right hand side where you’ll see the James Dean bust and from here there’s a great view of the Hollywood sign on the hill behind  you.

Make sure you have walk around the outside of the Observatory, around the back you’ll marvel at the some of the best views you can get of L.A.

Inside you’ll find the Foucault Pendulum, this cool contraption demonstrates the Earth’s rotation and is one of the largest in the world. The bronze ball is suspended by a cable that swings in a constant direction while the Earth is turning beneath it. The pendulum is mounted to a bearing in the ceiling that doesn’t turn with the building as it rotates with the Earth. As the day goes on, the pendulum knocks over pegs that are set up in the pendulum pit showing the Earths rotation. Showing my geeky side, but i think that’s kinda cool.

I suggest getting yourself a ticket to see one of the shows in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium, there are a few to choose from but each one has its own spectacular 3D show.

In the final room is the Depth of Space exhibit and the Big Picture explaining about the universe and beyond. You’ll also find a bronze statue of Albert Einstein, along with numerous other stuff on all the walls and the ceiling. You get to see in great detail each planet and even see how much you would weigh on every planet in the solar system and find an answer to that age old question, is Uranus big? Well you can find out here.

There is so much to see, do and of course learn. Timewise you can walk round in just a couple hours if your not all that interested, but if you are. Expect to spend hours if not the day going through it all. I’d be interested in seeing what the place looked like at night, especially the views of the city around the back. Its well worth the visit and I definitely recommend checking it out.