Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Glymur
Bones on display in the museum.
RSU Anatomy Museum
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The Phono Museum features decades of different sound technology.
Phono Museum Paris
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Ivan the Terra Bus
The Bus, the Myth, the Legend: Ivan the Terra Bus
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Los Angeles Griffith Observatory's Tesla Coil

Griffith Observatory's Tesla Coil

High on a hill overlooking Los Angeles lives a world famous, high power conical Tesla Coil.

Los Angeles, California

Added By
Rachel James
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Tesla Coil   star5112 / CC BY-SA 2.0
  Ori Neidich
Griffith Observatory: Tesla Coil   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
  starrybluenight / Atlas Obscura User
  Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
  starrybluenight / Atlas Obscura User
Griffith Observstory lower level   notoriousFIG / Atlas Obscura User
  notoriousFIG / Atlas Obscura User
  lange2512 / Atlas Obscura User
Griffith Observatory   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

One of the more memorable exhibits at the fabulous Griffith Park Observatory is the Tesla coil. Its lightning discharges thrill crowds of locals and tourists alike, usually every hour on the hour.

The Tesla coil is enclosed in a newly designed alcove for maximum wow factor, and its giant arcs and wonderful zapping noises are better than ever. While our favorite tragic science figure Mr. Tesla designed the coil to someday transport the world's electricity by air, this coil's loftiest chore is lighting up a neon sign – nevertheless, it remains a sight to see.

This particular coil was once owned by Dr. Fredrick Finch Strong – physician, theosophist and enthusiastic electrotherapeutics experimenter. Finch Strong was fascinated by Tesla's 1893 description of the effects of alternating currents on his research team and began experimenting with high voltage therapies himself. He went on to write a book in 1908 – High Frequency Currents – about his theories on using electricity to affect patients' "vibrations."

Finch Strong donated the major components of the coil to the City of Los Angeles. It was rebuilt and given a home at the famous observatory where it has been on display since 1937.

The Tesla coil is free to see anytime during normal observatory hours.

Related Tags

Observatories Nicola Tesla Tesla Coil Strange Science Instruments Of Science Electrical Oddities Day Of Rivals Inventions

Community Contributors

Added By

Rachel

Edited By

LeighE, Martin, Jaszmina Szendrey, notoriousFIG...

  • LeighE
  • Martin
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • notoriousFIG
  • starrybluenight
  • lange2512
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • Fred Cherrygarden
  • MtnLady
  • Julius Spada

Published

April 28, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.griffithobservatory.org/
Griffith Observatory's Tesla Coil
2800 East Observatory Road
Los Angeles, California, 90027
United States
34.118378, -118.300352
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Mt. Hollywood Tunnel

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Los Feliz Murder Mansion

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Ennis House

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Los Angeles

Los Angeles

California

Places 237
Stories 62

Nearby Places

Mt. Hollywood Tunnel

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Los Feliz Murder Mansion

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Ennis House

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Los Angeles

Los Angeles

California

Places 237
Stories 62

Related Stories and Lists

How to Find the Best Stuff in the Night Sky From Absolutely Anywhere

how to

By Jessica Leigh Hester

The World's Top 100 Wonders in 2018

List

By Atlas Obscura

Los Angeles' Top 10 Wonders of 2018

List

By Atlas Obscura

The Nikola Tesla Grand Tour

nicola tesla

By Annetta Black

Happy 156th Birthday Tesla: An Art Tribute

By Dylan Thuras

Upcoming Explorations - Obscura Society

obscura day

By Annetta Black

Related Places

  • Note Leyh in the sphere.

    Kaukapakapa, New Zealand

    Electrum

    One of the world's largest Tesla coils.

  • Nikola Tesla Museum, Belgrade

    Belgrade, Serbia

    Belgrade Tesla Museum

    Nikola Tesla's ashes are held in a golden sphere, surrounded by his works.

  • HAARP Antenna Grid with Electrical Transformers

    Gakona, Alaska

    H.A.A.R.P.

    An auroral research program that superheats the ionosphere.

  • IceCube Research Station

    Antarctica

    IceCube Research Station

    The world's largest neutrino telescope searches for secrets of the universe at the South Pole.

  • Dearborn, Michigan

    Edison's Last Breath

    A sealed test tube said to hold Thomas Edison's dying breath was given to the inventor's friend and mentee, Henry Ford.

  • A model of the Marconi’s original Table Head station at Glace Bay.

    Glace Bay, Nova Scotia

    Marconi National Historic Site

    Site of the first official transatlantic wireless communications.

  • Sudbury, Ontario

    Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

    A neutrino detector built into the largest man-made underground cavity in the world.

  • Reed Reactor

    Portland, Oregon

    Reed College Research Reactor

    World's only nuclear reactor operated by liberal arts undergraduates.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.