Showing your children the night sky is something of a miracle. There’s the wonder of the sky itself, the vastness of the universe that you yourself may sometimes take for granted. There’s the eye-opening, round-mouthed joy of children taking it all in. There’s the pleasure of being family together there in the darkness. Unless your children have been raised in a rural environment, the lights of suburbs or city may well have dimmed the full glory of the night sky. It’s almost a parental right of passage to show your offspring what stars really look like for the first time.

That stargazing brings happiness, togetherness, and a sense of awe is undisputed; the real question is where you should go to do your stargazing. Naturally, you’ll want a dark sky, with as little light pollution as possible, but you won’t want a spot so remote you’ll have difficulty heading back to wherever you’re spending the night afterwards.

PLANETARIUMS

Before you set out on a journey to explore the real night sky, it’s a great idea to take children to a made-made variation. Planetariums are an excellent resource because they can impart, in an usually short and succinct fashion, information about what you’re going to be seeing in the sky. In Los Angeles, we have Griffith Observatory’s varied shows, supplemented by looks at the planets and space in exhibits throughout the observatory as well as by the ability to look through a large telescope at a planet or two. Even if you don’t live in a large city, many colleges, including community colleges, have astronomy programs. Small teaching planetariums are often open to the public periodically throughout the year. If you can’t visit an actual planetarium, there are star charts, star projections, and on-line star presentations that are all great for giving kids a short course – and refreshing your own knowledge – on what you’ll be seeing in the night sky.

OBSERVER’S INN

The wonderful Observer’s Inn, which I’ve mentioned in a full article on this site, is another place to teach the wonders of the night sky. Located in Julian, Calif., where the skies are themselves stellar for viewing, this bed and breakfast’s private observatory conducts “star tours” four nights a week. Owners Mike and Caroline Leigh include non-guests in these tours, which last a bit over an hour and include the ability to look through four research-grade telescopes.

LOWELL OBSERVATORY

The area around Flagstaff – where Lowell Observatory, one of the oldest in the nation, is based, offers great star gazing once you get away from town. Drive west on U.S. 40 and pull off at any farm road exit, douse the headlights, and get out of the car. There’s the Milky Way.

DEATH VALLEY

Death Valley also offers excellent star gazing. The parking lot at the sand dunes area near Stovepipe Wells is a comfortable spot to look up and take everything in. If you’re staying at Stovepipe you’ll be less than fifteen minutes from your motel; stay at Furnace Creek and its twenty-five. Closer to Furnace Creek but not so close that the ranch and motel lights obscure your view, the parking lot at Zabriskie Point is also a good spot.

RED ROCK CANYON

Los Angeles residents will often drive to Red Rock Canyon just past Lancaster on Highway 14 to star gaze; if the weather is clear – no beach fog – fairly dark family campgrounds like those at San Diego county’s San Onofre State Beach offer excellent sky viewing.

MOAB’S ARCHES NATIONAL PARK & SAND DUNE ARCH

In Utah, Moab’s Arches National Park is open twenty-four hours, and Sand Dune Arch is less than 0.3 miles from the parking lot. Yes, star gaze from the lot if you’d like, or at the lot near the Park Avenue rock formations. But for more intimate, stunning gazing with soft sand under foot, bring a flashlight and take the short flat trail to the arch.

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK

Big Bend National Park in Texas is also big on stargazing. With over a hundred miles of open, paved road, there doesn’t need to be a particular spot to pull over and gaze up, but the Chisos Basin area is very accessible and has paved parking lots.

EAST COAST STARGAZING SPOTS

Heading east, upstate New York’s Lake George area often boasts clear skies and sharp stars. In Maine, The Penobscot Narrows Bridge offers vast views of the region, and when the weather is dry, equally grand views of the night sky. To the south, Kiawah Island, South Carolina has warm, dark beaches and relatively zero light pollution.

K’AU DISTRICT – HAWAII

Perhaps our family favorite night sky viewing took place on Hawaii’s Big Island in the K’au district at the tip of the island. Staying at one of our favorite bed and breakfast’s there, Kalaekilohana, we simply opened the french doors to our room, stood out on the balcony, and watched the sky unfold a few feet from our beds.

Wherever you go to look up into millions of light years, millions of stars – savor the view.

Typical beach sunset in Los Angeles

Even if your children aren’t old enough to ask the question “What’s a landmark?” it’s still time to introduce them to one. Los Angeles has many to choose from, all of them fun for the whole family. And it’s really nice to teach your kids early on that LA is a city with real history behind it.

FOOD FINDS

Let’s start with some food finds. El Coyote is Mexican food with style. Waitstaff in traditional Mexican costumes, decor for the holidays, and on weekends mariachis roam the premises. It’s been around since 1931, and serves inexpensive, child pleasing favorites under strings of glittery Christmas lights. What child won’t like a cheese quesadilla, or enjoy a sweet green corn tamale. Lead the kids through the warren of rooms with such kitschy delights as paint on velvet art and smiling Day of the Dead figures, and point out the photos of celebrities who’ve dined here over the years, including the big man himself, John Wayne.

Tots will love the extensive menu and parents will love the large portions and reasonable prices at Canter’s Deli, another landmark eatery in LA. Canter’s also started in 1931, that must’ve been a good year to start beloved local restaurants. The bakery items are made fresh daily and delicious, and your child will love a sweet noodle kugel or some comforting matzoh ball soup.

THEATERS

LA is a movie lovers town, and when your little ones are old enough to sit through a film, there are several iconic theaters you’ll want to show them from the inside. The now Disney owned El Capitan on Hollywood Boulevard has been artfully restored and the theater usually shows family oriented films. Exhibits depicting costumes or sets from the films are often a part of the ticket price, too. Just across the street is the newly supersized IMAX TCL Chinese Theater. The Asian decor is shined up and stunning, and the giant screen will make a child’s eyes wide and their mouth drop. Yours, too.  And just a few blocks away you’ll find the well known egg shaped roof of the Cinerama Dome. An Archlight first run theater, the Dome  was created to show widescreen Cinerama movies. Now it shows mainstream films in a vast and comfortable setting with a lot of history behind it.

GRIFFITH PARK VENUES

Now there’s a landmark – the iconic Griffith Observatory

What about some outdoor landmarks? One can’t miss is the Griffith Observatory and of course Griffith Park itself. From the children’s carousel and Travel Town at one end to the LA Zoo and many pleasant, easy hiking and walking trails, Griffith is a treat. Try a picnic in the shady Ferndell area of the park on the west side. But the Observatory itself also shouldn’t be missed. The view of vast LA spread before it, the green lawn for a family picnic, and a glimpse inside the giant telescope on its roof will all prove wonderful for a child. Slightly older kids will love the Planetarium shows and the exhibits that explain the explain moon, sun, planets, and stars. Everything except the Planetarium shows is free, too.

Plus, the classic Grecian design of the observatory buildings themselves are a lot of fun to explore. Note that the area is particularly stunning around sunset and offers a great tableau of California sky and LA city lights. It makes a great spot to view fireworks on the 4th of July, and Christmas lights in the winter.

PIERS

The Santa Monica Pier has been around for about 100 years

Or what about the Santa Monica Pier? Massive Ferris Wheel, or tot-sized bumper cars, there’s a ride to please everyone in the family. Lots of fun carnival games, a roller coaster built for child enjoyment, and naturally, the history of this pier which has weathered storms and been featured in countless film and television programs – that’s enough to claim landmark status alone. The old wooden boardwalk is just plain fun in and of itself, and it’s always a treat to watch the solar powered lighting change it’s colorful patterns on the Ferris Wheel.

Another pier worth peering at is the Redondo Beach Pier.  Neither fire nor storms nor redevelopment can quell this fishing pier, which also makes a great place for a stroll from the marina to the upper deck. Treat the kids to a few arcade games in the pier’s old fashioned Fun Center, where the prizes are pretty weird (what child wouldn’t want a shower cap from a defunct hotel) but the collection of skee ball, fortune telling, sporting games, and even a tilt-a-whirl are sure to delight. And be sure to listen for the sea lions out on the harbor barge.

HOLLYWOOD BOWL & HOLLYWOOD SIGN

Your kids will also enjoy a night at the Hollywood Bowl. Pick an evening when you can bring the family in to the cheap seats, in case little ones need to leave early or are restless. The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra often features singalongs – The Sound of Music, for example, or musical programs accompanied by clips from cartoons or classic films. The beautiful half shell will grab the kids attention and if they doze off midway through the program, they’ll still have a healthy dose of history and culture at this landmark.

And let’s not forget the Hollywood sign. The smallest children will need to be carried from the Beechwood Ave. parking area up the initial hilly path, but once it flattens – and becomes paved instead of dirt, its an easy walk to a great viewpoint below the sign for fun family photos and more great views of the city from this well known LA landmark.

Happy History!