Palomar Observatory — Attraction in Valley Center

I've heard a lot of people recommend this place saying it was a fantastic observatory to visit. I've visited Griffith Observatory before and although I wasn't expecting it to be nearly as big and interactive as that, I felt like Palomar was a little anti-climactic. The grounds are nice and well kept, and we walked into the main dome that was open. There was no staff that we could see there except the woman in the gift shop.

When you walk into the main dome, there are stairs that lead up to a second floor where you get to see the telescope through a glass wall and look up at the inside of the dome through the glass ceiling. There are several posters around the room with information on the telescope and its findings, but it's pretty basic and not a whole lot to do in there. I can't see being entertained in that room for more than 10 minutes. It is a fascinating telescope to look at, but there's just not a ton going on in that room. I think the visitor center/gift shop has more to look at than the actual observatory. There are a few interactive things to see in there and they got this really mellow ambient music playing that makes you feel like you walked into the future in a galaxy far far away.

Besides the observatory itself, the drive up was beautiful. I think I actually enjoyed the journey up better than the observatory itself. We did ask the woman in the gift shop about the tours they have and they only run on the weekend, there are two tours a day, with a max of 30 people a tour, and it is first come first serve with tickets they sell at location only. So I would imagine there are quite a few people who drive all the way there on the weekends expecting a tour that end up not having being able to. The tours are 1 hour and include an extended walk around the inside of the observatory behind the glass wall.

I guess I was expecting a little more from this place based on what others had said about it. It's not a bad visit, but it's also not going to keep you busy for very long, so I would suggest finding some other things to do in the area, or packing a picnic or going on a hike...

I have lived in the San Diego area for several years now. I've always heard from friends that I have to go and see the Polomar Observatory. Well it finally happened and I was not disappointed in the least! We recently purchased a 2018 Mustang GT, and wanted to take it for a fun drive. Well we got it! Polomar Observatory is accessible by a few different routes, we took the S6 though. It was a fun and windy drive all the way up the mountain. If you get car sick, it might be a little hard to handle. When we got to the Observatory we didn't know what to expect. Parking was free and readily available, even for larger rigs. They have ADA accessible parking as well. There is NO CHARGE to visit the Observatory or Museum! We decided to hit the museum after we walked around. I have to tell you that it was such an amazing view and easy walk. The Observatory is amazing, with art deco inspiration throughout. When we walked up to the viewing area we were met with a volunteer that answered all of the questions we had. He was very informed and we could tell he loved and was passionate about it. The Observatory closes at 4pm so make sure you get up there early enough to not be rushed. There isn't too much to see, but I say you could spend a good hour on the property. The Observatory itself is not ADA compliant to the public. After seeing several signs about persons with mobility issues it seems you need to notify the volunteers ahead of time to arrange a special tour. The bathrooms are gender specific and...

In about 07-08 I went here with my grandparents. I’m from Oregon and my grandparents are from San Diego so every summer we did something interesting while I was visiting. So my grandparents decided to go check out this observatory. The day we went yall were actually closed due to a fundraiser dinner/gala sort of thing. I, being 9 years of age, was understandably super upset. All I wanted to do was see this massive telescope that saw the stars and learn about our solar system.

So we just hiked around a bit and saw the nature views instead. Later that month, my grandpa had sent an email asking to see if there wasn’t a better time to come up again because his granddaughter would love to try again. Instead they sent him a massive package & apology to give to me, full of poster sized pictures of constellations and nebulas taken from the Hubble telescope, a brochure of the observatory, fun facts, a full newspaper of the observatory and a photo of the creator of the Palomar Telescope. Whoever the manager was or whoever read that email, you seriously changed my life. I will forever remember getting this package in the mail. It’s people and places like this that make kids and grandparents feel like they can wonder without...