Location: Pasadena
Top Things to do in Pasadena
The 9 Best Things to do Good for Big Groups in Pasadena, California (CA)
Most famous for hosting the annual New Year's Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl, Pasadena is more than just a football town. Its extravagant City Hall boasts a beautiful Baroque dome, a courtyard garden and relaxing fountain. On South Orange Boulevard, known as Millionaires' Row, there are landmarked mansions to rival the most opulent homes of Beverly Hills. That chattering in the air is probably the local population of naturalized Red-crowned Amazon parrots.
Restaurants in Pasadena
1. Norton Simon Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,239 reviews
The Norton Simon Museum is known around the world as one of the most remarkable private art collections ever assembled. Over a 30-year period, industrialist Norton Simon (1907–1993) amassed an astonishing collection of European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century and a stellar collection of South and Southeast Asian art spanning 2,000 years. Modern and Contemporary Art from Europe and the United States, acquired by the former Pasadena Art Museum, also occupies an important place in the Museum’s collections.
Reviewed By JEDeboni - Santo Andre, Brazil
I a pleasant location this museum offers a great collection, with a special attention to the Rembrandts and the garden of sculptures. A must see.
2. Rose Parade
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 198 reviews
Reviewed By Jenlynnjack - Euless, United States
I have just returned from an amazing trip to LA with Al Brooks Rose Parade Tours. The tour company, tour guide, and bus driver were all exceptional. Our tour was called the Pacific Rose and included a 4 night stay at the Hyatt Long Beach. Each day we were treated to wonderful sights and tours including Warner Brother’s Studio, the Queen Mary, Huntington Library, and a Long Beach Harbor cruise. The cherry on top was a visit to a float construction barn and the excellent grandstand seats at the Rose Bowl Parade. Our tour also included transportation to these fabulous places, breakfast and lunch each day. I would recommend Al Brooks Rose Parade tour company to anyone looking to sit back, relax, and enjoy the historical parade and beautiful Southern California.
3. Stark Spirits Distillery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 55 reviews
Up the street and around the corner from the famous Pasadena Rose Bowl, is Stark Spirits Distillery. The owners will give you a personalized educational tour, explaining the production of their hand-crafted spirits. A tasting of the awarding winning traditional whiskeys, rums, gin, aquavit and unique Sunshine Orange Brandy follows. Tours are $10 and scheduled through the website.
4. Colorado Boulevard
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 251 reviews
The site of the Rose Parade in Pasadena.
Reviewed By terrihK9755MZ - Phoenix, United States
We walked up and down Colorado Ave shopping and exploring. It was a beautiful day. The streets are clean, great stores and restaurants too. We had a lovely day taking in Pasadena.
5. The Gamble House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 589 reviews
The Gamble House in Pasadena, California, is an outstanding example of American Arts and Crafts style architecture. The house and furnishings were designed by architects Charles and Henry Greene in 1908 for David and Mary Gamble of the Procter & Gamble Company.
Reviewed By rolfa832 - Chicago, United States
This house is superbly maintained inside and out. Take the full tour and explore every carpet, piece of carved wood, and see how Tiffany lamps fit into the Californian Craftsman style.
6. Kidspace Children's Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 153 reviews
One of Southern California's premier family destinations, Kidspace Children's Museum is located on over 3.5 acres in Pasadena, CA, with more than 40 hands-on exhibits, as well as daily interactive activities and programs. The mission of Kidspace is to nurture the potential of all children through kid-driven experiences, inspiring them to become joyful, active learners. Admission is $14.95 for adults and children, infants under 1 are free.
Reviewed By snootchiebootchies
We've visited many children's museum and this is definitely one of the better ones. Our favorite by a fairly large margin is still the one in Indianapolis but our children certainly loved this one as well. We made our visit to Kidspace in February on a Friday. It was a nice day, which was fortunate as most of the best stuff was outdoors (the physics park, Arroyo Adventure area). Our kids are 7 and 6 and I thought they were the perfect age for this museum. We spent about 5 hours there and they could have kept going. Only drawback was that the adults have to pay the same admission price as the kids. I know adults have to pay at the Indianapolis museum but I would argue there is more for adults to do at the Indianapolis museum besides just supervising their children. Kidspace does allow folks to bring in their own food and snacks, which helps those on a budget.
7. Pasadena Convention Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 110 reviews
When planning your next group event, look no further than dynamic Pasadena - an alluring Southern California city just 11 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The Pasadena Convention Center - with its state-of-the-art design and plenty of flexible space - makes our city more attractive than ever. With LEED(R) Gold Certification, you can take comfort in knowing you are meeting at one of the greenest convention centers in North America. The state-of-the-art Pasadena Convention Center offers a 55,000-square-foot Exhibit Hall, 25,000-square-foot Ballroom and 29 Meeting Rooms. An ideal spot for meetings, events and weddings.
Reviewed By waynefromcali - Yucaipa, United States
The Pasadena Civic Auditorium is a beautiful architectural landmark that has been one if the jewels of Old Town Pasadena for over 100 years. Tonite they are having the gala pre-opening of the movie "Frozen ll". A Walt Disney Studios production and is the the 58th film produced by the studio, it is the sequel to the 2013 film Frozen and features the return of directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, producer Peter Del Vecho, songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and composer Christophe Beck. . . . . . . #frozenll,#frozentwo,#frozen2,#waltdisneystudios,#chrisbuck,#peterdelvecho,#kristenandersonlopez,#frozen,#pasadenaauditorium,#pasadena,#californiadreaming, #californiadreamin, #waltdisney,#
8. A Noise Within Theatre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 28 reviews
Reviewed By GregS61 - Beverly Hills, United States
Wonderful theatre, comfy, professional productions ( I saw A CHRISTMAS CAROL). I would definitely go back and we another show
9. City of Pasadena City Hall
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 260 reviews
Reviewed By andrew-s-wood - Santa Monica, United States
This is the kind of grand "palace" that would be the centerpiece of a charming European city... it's that beautiful. Quite amazing that it's an actually functional city hall. Looks great in photos, which is why so many people getting married have their pics taken here. It got to the point it was kind of annoying how many bridal gown trains you'd have to trip over to check out and appreciate the stunning architecture and scale of this place. They now make you get a permit to take photos, which has helped winnow down the crowds. Definitely worth a visit if you're in Pasadena.
