It's sad that this planetarium was closed for renovations and then Covid happened and ever since…read more2020 they never re-opened. When you go to their website it says "temporarily closed" however being closed for going on 6 years does not seem like it's temporary - which is unfortunate!

Found this on Yelp and so happy to have gone tonight! I've gone to the planetarium at Mt. SAC, but…read moreit's really far to me now in Long Beach. This is close and convenient to the 22. The show we went to tonight was really cool and interesting. Patricia Sullivan hosted and she was fun, welcoming and made things easy to understand. Loved seeing the constellations projected onto the planetarium dome and then there was an awesome presentation about the solar system afterward. I'll definitely be back! I only gave four stars because I was hoping/looking forward to a Night Sky Live that was included in the program notes, but it didn't happen. I would also love to look through telescopes, so not sure if that's a different program altogether.

We spent 2 hours here, but could have spent so much more time if we didn't have a deadline. We went…read moreon the free day (first Friday of the month), but with that free ticket you only get 2 to 3 hours in the afternoon before the place closes, so it's a great taster to make you want to come again! Our kids ages 2 to 7 all had a great time! There was so much to do, from walking through the river and doing water play, to sand play in the pretend lake, to crafts (that we didn't have time for), to climbing equipment, and building/engineering/physics activities. Plenty of things to do both indoor and outdoor. The physics section is great for older kids too, even middle school (but the rest of the museum is definitely geared to elementary).

Free Parking, confusing at first as it's a shared lot for the park. There was a line upon arrival…read moreso you can actually buy tickets online and bypass the other line. The museum is both indoors and outdoors. There's several activities that are geared towards older kids such as sitting on seat and self-pull to go up. Or a tug a war type thing. The other outdoor activities are for all ages, they have areas where you can bang on stuff to hear the sounds. There's an indoor which I feel the younger ones loves such as the train table or the parachute. Overall there's activities for all ages. There was even a spot if someone wants to read and do storytime. Fun overall. It can get pricey. I'm not big on places charging adults as it truly is more for the kids.

Tickets for the planetarium shows cannot be purchased online or in advance. They must be purchased…read moreabout 30-45 mins before each show starts. Usually the lines are long if you try to purchase the tickets near the front entrance. But there are a few kiosks and other box offices available inside the observatory. Kiosks are the easiest way to purchase the tickets and avoid the frustratingly long lines. It is advised to go inside the planetarium at least 20 mins before the show starts. For some shows, the entrance to the planetarium is from the West terrace. On a cold night, it can get very chilly and the lines and wait times could be long. So, make sure to wear warm clothing. Coming to the planetarium shows, I viewed the 'Signs of life' and 'Centered in the universe'. Both of them are well made, perfectly timed and very informative. I enjoyed them thoroughly.

first of all, the ticket line was way too long, I had o wait under the sun forever just to buy them…read moreand honestly that already killed my vibe. On top of that, parking was $10 per hour -- I mean, come on, that's crazy. I was already a little in a bad mood, so maybe that didn't help, but still they should really fix how they do the ticket distribution. It felt super disorganized. Now, the good part, the dome is beautiful, the projections look amazing, and the whole vibe inside is actually pretty cool. But I just couldn't fully enjoy it with all the stress before the show.

I went on the Docent led tour and we had a blast the man (I really wish I knew his name, he's a…read moreprofessor of physics). Such a fantastic tour and a lot of information to take in. The tour lasted 3 hours and we had two people that were using walkers and they were patient and got them up to the various areas, don't be discouraged, not a lot of walking. Though getting up the Elevator involved a pully system and we only had a few people almost fall off (kidding, you don't get to be on the elevator, the man you meet in the Sun Telescope room however does go up there to align the scope every day.) So yes your feet will be on the ground, aside from a few steps up to the main area. We plan to come up there at night, but it does require good driving skills to get up there, just drive safe and slow, you'll be okay. Was jazzed that I can see the Observatory from my location here at home w binoculars.

Visiting Mt. Wilson Observatory is a great opportunity to learn about astronomical history, as well…read moreas the history of scientific endeavors in the Los Angeles area. Einstein was here, after all! The location itself is stunning, offering great views of the L.A. area. And the observatories, preserved by the valiant efforts of firefighters after too many wildfires to count, are something to see. We, unfortunately, sprung for the allegedly 2-hour tour at $20/person. The funds support the observatory, so no problem there. However, our docent was extremely long-winded and had no sense of time management whatsover, even on one of the hottest days of the year. After we were almost 3 hours into a supposedly 2 hour tour, we decided to leave early due to exhaustion and boredom. (We were starting to feel like we were on a cruise to Gilligan's Island......)To be honest, there was not much that we saw or learned on the tour that couldn't be seen just walking around and looking up information online. So, my recommendation is: donate money to the Observatory by all means but skip the docent tour unless astronomy is your biggest passion in life. Also, remember you'll need an Adventure Pass to park in the Observatory parking lot near the trailheads. Definitely worth a visit!

For those who may not know, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, is free from 3 to 5 p.m…read more maybe only on weekdays but maybe weekends too. I am not sure, but most of the information is right, if one is compelled they can fact-broaden my statement. I went to take advantage of this offer but it was June 19th and in honor of the holiday everyone got in for free on this day. But apparently it was a last minute decision. So poor reporting seems to be more like offering information as it comes, not in a malicious way, or incompetent way, more in like the town crier gives what he knows in excitement and it is the responsibility of hearers to know what to do with the information, including vetting it responsibly or accepting it as a gift when given by surprise, even though it could have come in handy earlier. So I entered and I made a beeline to the Butterfly Pavillion. I think it was 12 dollars and worth every single cent. And I write that as a full-blown understatement because exaggeration did not seem the way to go. Like saying this place was worth more than 12 dollars, it was worth the weight of a camel's back in gold. The experience was beautiful. And that statement can be easily understood. I mean butterfly garden + momentary visit= beautiful. But more than that it was a type of beautiful that I had not experience before. It was a new facet of nature's beauty that I experienced. Mostly because I had never interacted with butterflies in this way. For instance, there was a butterfly with wings that were a strong bold blue, almost neon, and for sure, vibrant. Like a royal blue not because it was that shade but because amongst blues it would have palatial lineage in its shade. We were warned that butterflies might be on the ground. And on two experiences two were. The first I encountered was not flying. And the younger members of the experience made sure to announce the butterflies presence and its vulnerability. I feel like sometime in this place's history a butterfly did get stepped on. And for no other reason, than the natural happens. In the second occasion, a butterfly was trying to fly or stand still and could not because the winds made it topple. During that moment a butterfly apparently landed on my back. Man people, if not all, wonder if a butterfly will land on them? And what it would mean? I mean, it could be good news. Saying that a butterfly landing on a person is an omen of disaster does quite fit the visual of the insect and what horror brings. A butterfly did land on my wrist and of course one can't help but feel special. Like, the butterfly chose me and its trying to communicate something. Something important that the universe wants me to hear. What exactly that is? I am not sure. I need to reflect on that later or I will know when the butterfly effects comes clearer in time.

I've been here a couple time and I feel like it's different each time I come depending on who I'm…read morewith. This time, I came with my toddler and it was a lot of fun! I appreciate that the museum isn't too big so that it's doable in less than 2 hours (provided you're not stopping to read signs etc since youre running after your LO instead..). My LO had a fun time running and racing through exhibits especially the diorama ones. The exhibits are pretty limited and small in size so you're not overwhelmed or worried about finishing this place. I think the older my kid gets, the more we can do and interact with. But for my 20 month old, it was a great way to spend about 90 min. There are bathrooms everywhere. This is a huge plus for me lol! Parking is $20! It's kind of pricey given the amount of time we spent (or didn't spend...) but it's so easy to get to the museum from the parking areas so convenience wins out. Tip: if you're an LA public library or county library holder, get free tickets through their Discover and Go page. We went to the museum this way and were able to spend a lovely Saturday morning here free (minus parking...).

Affordable So Cal experience. Multiple shows and showtimes. Clean inside and out and plenty of…read moreparking. We watched "Explore". Would like to see other shows.

Before I get into the actual Planetarium experience, I want to say that the staff was very helpful…read moreand were wonderful people. 5 stars for them all. HOWEVER - as a consumer, The Planetarium experience isn't about staff-interaction, it's supposed to be about mind-blowing visual / aural entertainment. And that's what my 2 star review is about... Lame. James Hood's MESMERICA features a well-conceived score (mostly electronic with brass/string/percussive simulation) and computer-generated graphics that we felt were very-well thought out. The message of hope, spiritual unity and the importance of 'living in the moment' were needed and well-taken. All that said, WHY were there 3 incredibly distinct blue "light stains" visible 100% of the time on the dome?? Every single graphic that played out on that dome was diminished greatly by those light stains - they were insidious and distracting to the point of turn-off. "Once you seem them, you can't unsee them" - and it ruined the entire presentation. Furthermore, it was obvious that the MESMERICA score didn't have enough music and graphics to carry a 45-minute presentation. 30 minutes would have done it. Seriously. As a 45-minute presentation, it felt far too long. If you're going to do a presentation that relies on slick graphics and visuals (like, isn't that the entire purpose of selling tickets to a DOME SHOW??) you have GOT to clean up that light distraction. Horrible! Sorry, I can't show pictures of it as photography/videography were disallowed.

The California Science Museum is the best and maybe only option for kids and adults to experience…read morethe world of science around us in Los Angeles. The Space Shuttle Endeavor is here and might have been what initially drew me to the museum but they have an IMAX theater as well as new rotating exhibits to keep things fresh. The current new exhibit is Mummies. And don't forget to go outside and see the SR-71 Blackbird by the parking structure.

This place has changed so much the last time I came more than a decade ago!…read more I wanted to bring my son to experience the wonders of science and since o only had to pay for parking, that's not a bad deal. However, I forgot it's next to a stadium so there's cars going into the parking lots and it's confusing when you see a $60 parking sign but luckily museum parking is not the same. The place definitely changed, it seems so much darker, simplistic, and less colorful than I remembered. We didn't purchase any of the specific exhibits so we only went to the free pertinent exhibits which we went through within an hour! I had to slow my son down and because it's so crowded he didn't want to wait in line to look or try anything. I was able to get him to watch some videos playing around the life cycle exhibit, and then he got hungry so we went to the first floor food court. I know it says no food or drinks in the exhibits but I saw a lot of people snacking and drinking in the area, I don't think staff realized because it was so crowded. At the food court, they had a variety of stalls and we went straight to the burgers and pizza, we ordered a pizza and chili fries which my son ate mostly pizza and the snacks i brought. Thy also had a mini market convenience stall which sold snacks as well and a cafe which had ice cream and coffee. I think this place is decent, I can see some of the old things left behind like condiments station and furniture set to the side, so I think they are always revamping the pla