Griffith Observatory

About

Griffith Observatory sits on the south slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, looking out over Los Angeles with the Hollywood Sign on the next ridge. It is run by the City of Los Angeles, and admission to the building, the grounds and the public telescopes is always free.

Inside are about 60 exhibits on the sky and the universe, spread over four public levels. The Samuel Oschin Planetarium runs live shows with a presenter, and those are the one part of the visit that needs a paid ticket, bought at the booth or at kiosks in the building. The Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater shows films through the day. Staff run an hourly Tesla coil demonstration, and on clear days a noon talk in the Gottlieb Transit Corridor follows a beam of sunlight marking the Sun's highest point. After dark, the public telescopes open when the weather allows, and once a month local astronomy groups set up dozens of telescopes on the lawn for a public star party.

The building is open noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. It is closed Mondays, though the grounds and the bus still run. Evenings, weekends, summer and holidays are the busiest times, and the road up can close when traffic backs up.

Getting there takes some planning. The LADOT DASH Observatory/Los Feliz bus runs daily from the Vermont/Sunset Metro Red Line station for a small fare. Paid parking fills the lot and the road shoulders near the building, and free parking near the Greek Theatre means walking up to a mile uphill. Rideshare drop-off is next to the front lawn. The rest of Griffith Park, with its trails and the Greek Theatre, is just down the hill.

Accessibility

Griffith Observatory is wheelchair accessible. All four public levels and the grounds are reachable by elevators and ramps. The building is a historic landmark, so a few spots cannot fit a wheelchair, and the Observatory provides equivalent experiences for those.

Accessible parking spaces are in the south part of the Observatory lot, first come, first served, for cars with official plates or placards. The DASH buses that climb to the Observatory have a wheelchair lift or ramp, and disabled access shuttles are let through even when the road is closed, dropping off at the horseshoe driveway in front of the building.

The north doors to the Historic Level do not work for wheelchairs, so use the ramps at the east and west entrances. The inside of the Zeiss telescope dome and the west rotunda of the Ahmanson Hall of the Sky are also out of reach. Nearby equivalency stations show those spaces virtually, including the telescope view. Complimentary manual wheelchairs are loaned at the Center of Gravity desk on the middle level with a photo ID.

Accessible restrooms are on the lower levels and next to the parking lot, and the parking lot restrooms are gender-neutral. Both theaters have wheelchair and companion seating. In the planetarium it is near the back, and during busy times a wheelchair user and one companion get priority seating.

Hearing-assist devices are available from theater staff, the Event Horizon Theater offers open captions on request, and ASL interpreting or CART needs five business days' notice. Museum guides can help visitors who are blind handle meteorites and other tactile objects on the lower level. Planetarium shows include a loud explosion or bright flash, and the Tesla coil is loud, so bring headphones if noise is hard for you. Service animals are welcome. Call (213) 473-0800 or 711 relay with questions.

Checked by Accessible America, September 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in California

• Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (Los Angeles)
• Universal Studios Hollywood (Los Angeles)
• The Getty Center (Los Angeles)
• San Diego Zoo (San Diego)
• Yosemite National Park (Yosemite)
• Exploratorium (San Francisco)

Photo credits

• Griffith Observatory with its three domes behind a wide lawn crossed by paved walkways.: Wheelofphotos, Public domain (source)
• Paved paths lead across the front lawn to the Astronomers Monument, with Griffith Park hills beyond.: Serouj, Public domain (source)
• A wide concrete terrace with a curved ramp at Griffith Observatory, looking toward the Hollywood Sign.: Steveshelokhonov, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)