Part of the Griffith triumvirate (which includes the Greek Theatre and Griffith Park), Griffith Observatory opened to the public in 1935 after "Colonel" Griffith J. Griffith donated $100,000 (that was a lot of money in those days) to the city of Los Angeles to build a public observatory on top of Mount Hollywood.

In 1990, the LA City Council decided the observatory needed expanding due to the high volume of visitors, and in 2002 the structure closed to the public for renovations. Now the observatory is back, hauling its old charm into the 21st century. The exterior, which combines elements of Art Deco and Neo-Classical architecture, has remained relatively unchanged: the copper telescope domes, decorative ironwork, mythology-inspired murals and marble and travertine interior (procured at bargain prices thanks to the Great Depression) have all been restored. The Foucault pendulum, one of the observatory's original exhibits, still swings in the foyer. Now, however, the Observatory boasts a state-of-the-art 300-seat planetarium capable of transporting visitors throughout the solar system and back in time thanks to fancy lasers and a German-engineered projector. Also new is "The Big Picture," a 152-foot-long series of photo panels depicting the galaxies, stars, quasars and asteroids of the night sky— so far the largest astronomical image ever created. The observatory's smaller exhibits offer great opportunities for learning as well. Visitors can walk away knowing their weight on Jupiter, the anatomy of an earthquake, the life cycles of stars, the phases of the moon, how telescopes work and all kinds of "Jeopardy"-worthy factoids. Wolfgang Puck salads, sandwiches and panini can be found at the Cafe at the End of the Universe—and since someone has a sense of humor, Milky Ways are also available. —Elisa Jacobs