The Griffith Park is named after the very successful businessman Griffith J Griffith who made fortune from a mining syndicate in the 1880's. He donated more than 3,000 acres to the city of Los Angeles which became Griffith Park, and he bequeathed the money to build the park's Greek Theatre and the Observatory.
The observatory and accompanying exhibits were opened to the public on May 14, 1935, as the country's third planetarium. Within the first 5 days of opening, more than 13,000 persons visited the museum! During World War II the planetarium was used to train pilots in celestial navigation. The planetarium was again used for this purpose in the 1960s to train Apollo program astronauts for the first lunar missions.
When booking your private tour in Los Angeles, this is usually the start of your experience. It is the perfect location to start the day as you have a great overview of the city from Santa Monica to Downtown and even Long Beach on a very clear day.
