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Los Angeles's Griffith Park

As one of the largest urban parks in North America, covering 4,210 acres, Griffith Park is known all throughout California and especially Los Angeles as place to go to escape from city life. It has been referred to as Los Angeles’s Central Park because of its importance to the city and its location amidst the metropolis of the Greater Los Angeles Area.

Griffith Park is named after Colonel Griffith J. Griffith, a Los Angeles area philanthropist who purchased much of the present-day land in 1882 to create an ostrich farm. This was mostly to create a property boom in the area, and as people started to move into Los Angeles, Griffith began funding city improvement projects. Most notable of these were the Griffith Park Aerodrome, the Greek Theater, Griffith Observatory, and the park itself, which grew in throughout the years into its present size.

Much of the fun of Griffith Park is in the buildings that Colonel Griffith funded throughout his life. The Greek Theater takes the form of a massive amphitheater, making it a great place to watch a concert or a show. Griffith Observatory allows visitors to take a look at the stars in wonderful detail, while the planetarium provides insight into the workings of the cosmos.

Hollywood history has been made throughout Griffith Park in that several important movies were filmed, at least in part, at Griffith Park. Rebel Without a Cause, the classic 1955 film that starred James Dean and Natalie Wood, used the Griffith Observatory as a backdrop for some of the film’s key scenes, while the Back to the Future films used areas of Griffith Park for their special effects sequences.

The beauty of Griffith Park, though, is that it is a massive natural preserve in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city, so pack a picnic basket and head out there. There are also hiking trails throughout the park and plenty of beautiful views of the city and the surrounding area to be had.

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Bill Morgan also writes for EverythingLosAngeles.Org. Find information on Los Angeles, CA for your next visit.

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