If you’ve ever wondered what thirty-plus years of stubborn creativity looks like, head to Watts. Simon Rodia built these soaring spires by hand, a few blocks south of 103rd Street, and the city has been arguing about them, saving them, and showing them off ever since. After a recent campus pause, tours and exhibitions are running again, which means you can step inside the fence and stand under the lattice where Rodia wired bottles, shells, and tile into concrete to make his idea permanent.
Rodia worked on the Towers from 1921–1954, alone, without cranes or blueprints, bending rebar against the nearby rail right-of-way and setting it in his own concrete mix. The result is a site of 17 interlinked structures and mosaicked surfaces, with the tallest spire reaching about 99.5 feet. You’ll hear the name he gave the place, “Nuestro Pueblo”, during the on-site tour, and you’ll spot his material palette the minute you step inside: fragments of porcelain, green soda glass, seashells, and the occasional figurine tucked into the cement skin.
The Towers carry a stack of designations that match their stature. They’re a Los Angeles Historic‑Cultural Monument (No. 15), a California Historical Landmark, and a National Historic Landmark. They also sit within the small Watts Towers of Simon Rodia State Historic Park, co‑managed locally and interpreted day to day by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs through the campus next door. If you’ve only seen them in photos taken from 107th Street, going inside the gates changes the scale. The columns arc over you like ribs; the tile and glass feel closer to a quilt than to a skyscraper.
The setting matters as much as the sculpture. The Towers rise from a residential block where front yards, corner markets, and the Metro’s A Line have defined daily life for decades. Look for the short Crescent Greenway path curving along the site’s edge; it’s a tidy reminder that the railroad and this artwork have always been neighbors.
The campus has a straightforward rhythm again. The Watts Towers Arts Center Campus at 1727 East 107th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90002 is open for office and gallery hours Wednesday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Tickets for the Towers are sold in person at the Arts Center front desk and tours are the only way to enter the gates.
As of early fall 2026, guided tours run Thursday–Saturday at 11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. Each tour lasts about 30 minutes and group size tops out at 20 people. The program is first‑come, first‑served: there are no reservations for individuals or groups, though campus staff will prepare for large groups if you give advance notice. The campus observes federal holidays and does not operate tours on rainy days. If the weather’s iffy, call ahead at the main line posted on site to confirm the day’s plan.
There’s one procedural curveball old‑timers know and first‑timers miss: payment is cash or check only, and checks should be made out to “The City of Los Angeles.” No cards or app payments are accepted. General admission is $12, $6 for seniors (62+) and college students with ID, and free for youth 17 and under. If you’re coming with a school group, the campus runs a separate education program priced at $3 per student, with accompanying adults covered at the student rate and other parents paying the general admission rate at the desk.
Practical rules are simple and enforced. No food or drinks are allowed inside the fence. Only verified support animals can enter any of the facilities, and staff may ask to see documentation. The easiest navigation trick is to treat the Arts Center as your anchor. Buy your tickets there, step into the galleries while you wait for your slot, then follow your guide to the Towers gate for the 30‑minute walk‑through.
The Towers are a rare Los Angeles landmark that is genuinely simple to reach by rail. Ride the Metro A Line to 103rd Street/Watts Towers Station; from there it’s a short neighborhood walk south to the campus on 107th. If you prefer to drive, the campus offers free on‑site parking at 10624 Graham Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90002, one block west of the galleries. That lot is also the logical spot to send a rideshare drop‑off or pickup if you don’t want a curbside scramble on 107th Street.
Because tours are first‑come, I like to time my arrival for the late morning slots. If noon sun is your enemy, the 2:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. tours usually put the western light across the mosaics you’ll face from inside the court. If you’re piecing together a transit day, the A Line is a single‑seat ride from Downtown’s 7th Street/Metro Center; build in time to step through the galleries before your tour window, since those 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. gallery hours only run Wednesday–Saturday.
Photography is welcome for personal use, but you’ll move with your group through a narrow, irregular space. Leave the tripod at home, wear closed‑toe shoes you don’t mind getting dusty, and expect to stop in tight corners while the guide explains Rodia’s technique. If you need a wide shot of all three main towers at once, the best angle remains the public sidewalk along 107th Street looking northeast across the fence.
People ask whether you really have to go “inside” to understand the Towers. You can see a lot from the sidewalk. You’ll understand more when you’ve stood under the arches next to the guide who knows which bottle came from which pottery yard. Here’s the ground truth on your options today:
| Option | Cost | When it runs | What you access | How to do it |
| Guided tour inside the gates | $12 general; $6 seniors 62+ and college with ID; free for 17 and under | Thu–Sat at 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00 | Interior court and towers up close; includes a stop in the Arts Center galleries | Buy tickets at 1727 E 107th St front desk; cash/check only; groups capped at 20 |
| Exterior viewing from the street/park edge | Free | Anytime you’re in the neighborhood; tours not required | Full exterior view through the fence from public sidewalks along 107th and Graham | Walk up, frame your photos, then consider a gallery visit during 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. hours (Wed–Sat) |
| Arts Center galleries only | Gallery entry is offered during open hours; tour ticket not required | Wednesday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. | Rotating exhibitions curated by the campus; restrooms and information | Enter the Arts Center at 1727 E 107th St; buy a tour later if a time opens |
Two small but meaningful differences shape that choice. First, the tour is the only way past the fence. Second, the tour comes with interpretation tailored to the day, guide, and the questions you and your group bring. If you care how Rodia tied wire or which mosaic bands were finished in the early 1930s, pay for the half hour and step inside.
The Towers didn’t sprout in a museum plaza. They grew behind Rodia’s small house in Watts, in earshot of passing trains. That house is long gone, but the campus next door picked up the torch in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the Watts Towers Arts Center and later the Charles Mingus Youth Arts Center began anchoring classes, exhibitions, and concerts on the same block. If you want to see the place when the whole neighborhood turns out, circle the last weekend of September, when the campus stages the Day of the Drum Festival on Saturday and the Simon Rodia Jazz Festival on Sunday. These are long‑running community fixtures; lineups change each year, but the hours usually bracket a full day and tours are typically offered during the weekend programming.
Mondays through Wednesdays are quiet here, since the galleries and ticket desk are shuttered early in the week. From Thursday to Saturday, the staff works a predictable routine, right down to the cash/check only sign at the front desk and the posted tour times. The campus is mindful of weather, which sounds like an odd thing to say in Southern California until you remember rain turns the site’s narrow paths slick. The quick rule is simple: no tours on rainy days; on days when a storm clears early, call to see if later tours will run.
As for logistics, the campus parking lot at 10624 Graham Avenue is a calmer place to queue a rideshare than the 107th Street curb, and it’s where staff often point drivers. On transit, the 103rd Street/Watts Towers Station on the A Line is your target, and there’s also frequent local bus service on Compton and Avalon for folks knitting together a cross‑town day. If you’re juggling kids, the fact that youth 17 and under tour free turns a family visit into a quick, affordable history lesson. For schools, the campus runs a separate visit with artmaking for $3 per student; that’s booked directly with the education coordinator rather than at the ticket desk.
No. The fence separates the sculptures from the street, and the guided tour is the only way to enter. Tickets are sold at the Arts Center front desk at 1727 E 107th St, and tours run Thursday–Saturday at posted times.
No. Tours are first‑come, first‑served. Buy your ticket in person at the desk the day you visit. Large groups can alert staff ahead of time so they can prepare, but that is not a formal reservation and group size is capped at 20 per tour.
Bring cash or a check for tickets and wear comfortable shoes. Tours last about 30 minutes, operate Thursday–Saturday, and do not run on rainy days or on federal holidays. The campus offers free parking at 10624 Graham Ave if you’re driving.
Yes. The Arts Center galleries are open Wednesday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. and your tour ticket includes a gallery stop. If you didn’t grab a tour time yet, the galleries are still worth a look while you decide which tour slot to target.
For a smooth visit, arrive a little early for the midday or mid‑afternoon tours, bring cash for tickets, and keep an eye on the sky if storms are in the forecast. If you want the broadest view, start at the 107th Street sidewalk, then head inside with a guide to understand how Rodia held it all together.
Published: September 8, 2026