Things to Do in Pasadena CA
Pasadena is home to the Fremont Centre Theatre, an intimate professional theatre, housed in a lovely historical 1920s building. The Fremont Centre Theatre not only offers an array of plays and musical performances throughout the year, but is home to The Pasadena Shakespeare Company.
Within a few minutes drive there are dozens of entertainment venues operating virtually non-stop, on an around-the-clock basis. Headliners, from rock stars to opera stars, appear nearby at the Music Center, Hollywood Bowl and the Staples Center in Los Angeles and the famed Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Pasadena, like many small hometowns, finds its residents eagerly awaiting opening night at the local school play or the library’s Restoration Concerts.
Top Ten Things to Do in Pasadena CA
- Old Pasadena
https://www.oldpasadena.org - Eaton Canyon Nature Center
https://www.ecnca.org - Kidspace Children’s Museum
https://www.kidspacemuseum.org - USC Pacific Asia Museum
https://pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu - Rose Bowl Stadium
https://www.rosebowlstadium.com - Pasadena Museum of History
https://pasadenahistory.org - The Gamble House
https://gamblehouse.org - Carnegie Observatories
https://obs.carnegiescience.edu - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov - Huntington Library and Gardens
https://www.huntington.org
Arts and Culture in Pasadena
Arts & Culture thrive in Pasadena’s environment of creativity and individ-ualism. Artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers and craftsmen find their “groove” in Pasadena.
Pasadena is home to the California Playhouse, which is the artistic producer for the Fremont Centre Theatre, a small professional theater under Equity’s 99-seat plan.
The Pasadena Public Library, founded in 1907, has been a wealth of information and programs. The Friends of the Library present Restoration Concerts featuring well-known musicians in the Library Community Room, which is the remaining section of the Neo-classic building endowed by the Carnegie Foundation. The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce hosts a Celebration of the Arts in the fall featuring local artists and sculptors.
The City of Pasadena offers free summer Concerts in the Park featuring everything from Pasadena’s own big band sounds of Murray Middleman and the Park Avenue Orchestra, to jazz…rock’n roll.
Pasadena’s Meridian Iron Works Museum was built in 1887, one year before Pasadena became the sixth incorporated municipality in Los Angeles County. Prior to becoming a museum, it was originally a grocery store and hotel and later served as an iron works and blacksmith shop. The museum houses artifacts that tell of the earliest history of what is the now San Gabriel Valley and Pasadena. The museum adds to their collection by displaying private collections.
Outdoor Recreation in Pasadena
Pasadenans live very active lifestyles and realize the importance of taking time to enjoy the outdoors. Visitors and residents take advantage of the great year-round climate in Southern California.
Within a single day, it is possible to enjoy the cool, pine-scented forests of the surrounding San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains and the salt-scented breezes of the Pacific Ocean. The San Gabriel Mountains include Mount Wilson and its famous observatory.
Spending time with family and friends is a tradition in Pasadena, and the beautiful park system offers places for old-fashioned picnics and impromptu softball games. There are miles of nature trails along the Arroyo Seco leading you to our stables, golf course, tennis and racquetball courts and fields for baseball and soccer.
Early on Saturday mornings you’ll find hundreds of cyclists travelling through Pasadena while residents and visitors watch from outdoor coffee houses while planning their day.
Day tripping has become a part of everyone’s life, and due to its proximity, Pasadena becomes the ideal place. For those who like thrill rides and adventures, you can reach Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios, and Magic Mountain in less than an hour.