Parking: very narrow lot entrance in the back…read more You have to enter thru the back where the parking is and not thru the front. There is a small desk with an iPad when you walk in and descend to the lower level. When there is no field trips this place is a great place to bring your kids. It is very quiet and not a lot of high stimulation toys. It is no pretend city but it has some interesting toys such as a beach and surfing installation and a camper van.

Best for toddlers. I brought my kindergarten aged kids and there wasn't a lot to do for them. They…read morestill enjoyed the imaginative play but for the price of the kids plus an adult ticket, it was too pricey for the experience. I wish parents had a lower price than the kids or better yet free especially since there isn't anything for adults. Great place for toddlers and families since it feels safe, has clean facilities, small communal snack break area with a handwashing sink and water fountain nearby.

The Huntington is one of the most beautiful places in Southern California. Every garden is…read moremeticulously maintained, and you can easily spend an entire day exploring the different landscapes. The Chinese Garden & Japanese Garden was especially stunning, with peaceful ponds, traditional architecture, and incredible views around every corner. The Japanese Garden, bonsai collection, and conservatories were equally impressive. The grounds are spotless, the staff is friendly, and there are so many quiet places to slow down and appreciate nature. If you enjoy photography, this place is a dream--there are beautiful photo opportunities everywhere you look. I also enjoyed browsing the gift shop before leaving. Whether you're looking for a relaxing afternoon, inspiration, or just a break from the city, The Huntington is absolutely worth visiting. I'll definitely be back.

Pro tip: Book in advance and try to get the 10am when it just opens…read more You will need the entire day to actually see everything. I unfortunately got in the noon section. Wasn't able to 1/3 despite spending 3 hours there. You will need to bring sunscreen and water especially during the summer. Of all things would recommend going to the Chinese pavilion and European house/ rose garden. Both of them are by far the most spectacular especially the Chinese pavilion. It so zen and rich with beautiful architecture and biome of life and gardening is spectacular. If you become filthy rich this is the garden you would want. Haha The European house and grounds is beautiful and lush. Great place to enjoy the old money vibes and get your pics at the rose garden.

Nice smaller museum with an eclectic mix of modern and older pieces. I loved how they highlighted…read morecontemporary Asian American artists. Lovely courtyard/garden between buildings and a super nice staff. Entry price is a little high at $20, but the museum is unique and a nice way to spend an hour in Old Town Pasadena.

I love that the USC Pacific Asia Museum offers free admission. There is also plenty of free parking…read moreon Union St. Fyi~they are only open Wednesday to Sundays from 11am-5pm. It's pretty tiny, so you'll likely finish browsing within an hour. Unfortunately, only the Crossroads Silk Road and Collection Highlight galleries were open when I visited, but I still enjoyed learning about the pieces. Outside of the galleries was the Garden Waves installation. It felt so peaceful, and I felt like I could sit there the whole day listening to it. I would love to go back one day when the other galleries open back up.

If you like classic video games, this is the place to come and play…read more The name Neon Retro Arcade is well suited! It's a small place, exceptionally clean and family friendly. Staff alike were very friendly and helpful. We came early evening but do not let my pics fool you- this place gets busy and crowded. It's really light on your wallet too; all you can play for a full hour. (Pay per player) Restrooms available. Parking structure directly across the street. Highly recommended!

Neon Retro Arcade is an Old Town/Old Pasadena must…read more It's a kid friendly hub, but just as fun for adults if not more. Open daily from Noon til 10pm, 7 days a week. Everything is set to free play with a paid admission fee. You can do hourly pay or a set price for all day play. There's probably about 60 different arcade style games ranging in many decades including 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s favorites. Pinball, Mario Kart, Mortal Kombat, Marvel Vs Capcom (my jam), Super Smash Bros, Basketball Pro, Pac Man, NFL Blitz, Rampage (arcade game of my youth), Donkey Kong, Tron, The Simpsons and so many others. Soft drinks, great lighting, a spacious layout. Neon Retro offers cool holiday deals and specials, hosts fun events, IG giveaways and keeps the fun going all year long. It's still only $15 for unlimited hourly play or $25 for a day pass. No food is served here other than snacks (think chips and candy), but so many places closeby to eat before or after your Neon Retro Arcade fun!! It's not a barcade like EightyTwo or Player One so it's alcohol free. They're all welcoming and very personable. I do know they have a capacity limit and weekend tend to be the busiest until around 4 or 5 pm. Nights and weekends are definitely lower in foot traffic, but still great energy. I don't make it over too often, but highly recommend experiencing once or thrice. They just had a cool 50% off hourly prices for Bonus Level Loyalty Club members, and yes it's free to be a member :) Local street (meter), paid lot and garage parking available. Gender-neutral restrooms. Great for groups or just you.

I would recommend you verify what the installations are before you go along with doing it on a day…read morewhere you can tour the house so it's worth the fee. $9 per person to just see two small installations is too expensive. I believe if you tour the home it's $20 per person and you get into the museum as well. The stag was lovely and polite as well as the property being beautiful.

An opulent, historic mansion on Millionaire's Row, the hoverboard from Back to the Future II, and…read morethe first Finnish consulate in SoCal - these are just some of the things we saw at the Pasadena Museum of History! It was really fun playing tourist so close to home - a true hidden gem, I never knew this museum was here even having lived here all these years lol! We did the Fényes Mansion tour which includes admission to the main museum and is the best way to experience the museum imo. The main museum is currently running an exhibit featuring films made around Pasadena and it was so fun to explore and see things like the BTTF hoverboard and Eddie Murphy's outfit in Beverly Hills Cop, and so many more interesting items and info tidbits. But it's small so it's best to pair it with the mansion tour - which is a fascinating glimpse into the area's past and the prominent family that owned the mansion. It even holds the original office of the first Finnish consul, Y.A. Paloheimo, still intact as it was all those years ago, complete with the consul emblem and his photo with Eleanor Roosevelt. The mansion is one of two remaining fully intact mansions on what used to be "Millionaire's Row" - the other is the Gamble House which is a craftsman - but Fényes Mansion is over the top grandeur! There used to be 52 mansions and these are all that's left :-o And here's a fun little fact we learned - did you know Tiffany & Co made elaborately carved wooden chairs?? You can see them in the dining room of the mansion and they're absolutely beautiful! We learned SO many interesting bits of history about Pasadena and the surrounding area - I won't share it all here - you gotta take the tour - it's totally worth it! But I will leave you with one other fun fact I learned that answered a burning question I had every time I would drive the 210 - this is for the locals - do you know how Michillinda Ave got its name? It came from some of the earlier settlers of the area in the 1870s: Michigan + Illinois + Indiana = Michillinda!! The tour is a great experience for local history and I highly recommend it - they're infrequent so if you can get in on a tour, DO IT!! They're around $20 and you can get them in advance via Eventbrite which I recommend bc they sell out (especially on weekends). You can also buy them onsite but the tours are likely to be full. The museum admission is included and they have bathrooms and a small private parking lot available. Shout out to our awesome tour guides Andrea & Paul - tysm for a great afternoon!!

This is the most difficult Botanical Garden to get in touch with…read more The hours they have posted on their website are wrong, no one picks up the phone after calling several times and leaving several messages. I went in person last weekend, and it was closed despite their online hours posted. The lack of clarity even upon walking up to the venue is not clear. They have no signs stating they are closed and it's clear they do not care to return voicemails. Please do not waste your time going there.

Background On Visit: Last Sunday (4/12/26), the venue hosted the Pasadena Festival Of Tea. We were…read moreone of the participants for this event. Hours Of Operation: They welcome visitors to the garden on many Friday and Saturday evenings and during the day on Sundays. You can check out their schedule of events and admission cost on their website: https://japanesegardenpasadena.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/japanesegardenpasadena/event.jsp?;=&event=1612& Admission Cost: Mostly, $15 on Friday and Saturday. Sunday, it's $12. For other events, they post the cost on their website. Location/Parking: Located across from the Arlington Gardens (Free). It's kinda hidden, but just use the gps on your phone to guide you. Parking can be found along Arlington. For special events, they encourage you to park at Westridge School (Orange Grove and W. State St.) and walk up to Storrier Stearns. Ambiance/Decor: The Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden is a beautiful and charming retreat with a quiet and tranquil elegance. The place is small which contains many of the much admired design features found in the most lavish of Japanese-style gardens of its era. As Kendall Brown states in his book, California Japanese-style Gardens, "this is the genius of Kinzuchi Fujii: this was once a flat area of two tennis courts; now it is a masterwork. 1) Classic Niko-an Teahouse, the garden landscape offers a variety of other beautiful details. 2) Numerous gathering points, seating areas & vistas 3) Four original bridges plus the original cedar log Japanese Waiting Bench 4) Two large interconnected, irregularly shaped koi ponds 5) The sounds of two waterfalls, one cascading down a 25-foot hill 6) An artful dry riverbed for rain overflow winding through the garden 7) Cooling shade everywhere from spreading sycamores & old oaks 8) Many tons of boulders & stones 9) Granite statuary & stone lanterns Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden For Thought: Wouldn't mind coming back to re-center myself. I did a have nice time.

We spent 2 hours here, but could have spent so much more time if we didn't have a deadline. We went…read moreon the free day (first Friday of the month), but with that free ticket you only get 2 to 3 hours in the afternoon before the place closes, so it's a great taster to make you want to come again! Our kids ages 2 to 7 all had a great time! There was so much to do, from walking through the river and doing water play, to sand play in the pretend lake, to crafts (that we didn't have time for), to climbing equipment, and building/engineering/physics activities. Plenty of things to do both indoor and outdoor. The physics section is great for older kids too, even middle school (but the rest of the museum is definitely geared to elementary).

The Kidspace Museum in Pasadena is one of the better children's interactive museums we've been to…read more It has a huge, shared parking lot near Rose Bowl Stadium. Outside, there are two adjacent outdoor kid's playgrounds. Near the entrance they have juice and fruit vendors and a balloonist. Entry fee is very reasonable at under $50 for family of three with in-and-out privileges. Inside the museum, its like 80% outdoor exhibits and 20% indoor. They have an onsite cafe and food vendors throughout. The outdoor exhibits has a park area dedicated to physics. You'll see fans, pulleys, etc. to help your child appreciate scientific concepts while having fun. They also have tie-dye stations, climbing structures, tricycle race tracks, live music, and my son's favorites - the sandbox and pretend farmer's market and veggie patch. I noted lots of friendly staff dressed as camp rangers working with the kids and maintaining order with a smile, which is huge. Inside the buildings, you'll see traditional kid activities like toy trains, quiet reading areas, legos, and even more climbing structures. Looking forward to coming back next time we're in the area. The in-and-out policy is nice since they have lots of nearby offsite restaurants in nearby Old Pasadena.

The Gamble House sits at the pinnacle of craftsman style architecture and is an absolute must…read morepilgrimage museum for all fans of architecture. It is a beautiful example of the genre and is meticulously maintained by its docents. It also represents the very DNA of Pasadena residential architecture and it's influential style echoes throughout the city. A visit here is fun and you will learn about the history of Pasadena too. The tour takes about an hour and was throughly enjoyable. After your tour you and also spend time in the lovely adjoining gardens. Double highly recommend.

JUST AMAZING tour with docents who not only give details but actually care about the property…read more I was lucky to get a spot the day before. 100 out of 10 Oh and the bookstore shop is a must