Visitor’s Guide

Pasadena is a fun place to visit – for an afternoon, a day, a weekend, or longer – we have something to fit every taste, budget and interest Visitor’s Guide

DINING, MUSIC, ART, CULTURE, FUN – ALL IN A SAFE, CLEAN SMALL CITY

Pasadena is a comfortable, safe, engaging and active small city. Vibrant shopping and entertainment districts, world-class performing arts venues and museums, rollicking music clubs and a full range of eclectic, cutting edge and traditional restaurants make Pasadena a unique destination for visitors and locals alike. ACCOMMODATIONS Pasadena is a destination location. Accommodations range from simple to upscale. Clean, friendly and affordable motels stretch along Colorado Boulevard in East Pasadena. Luxury accommodations, hotels and extended stay options are available downtown. SHOPPING + DINING Visitors can also enjoy the restored downtown dining, shopping and entertainment areas of Old Pasadena and the Playhouse District. In addition to a wide variety of shopping and dining opportunities, South Lake Avenue boasts some of our more unique shopping and dining experiences. The Paseo is one of the first open air mall shopping experiences in the country, while East Pasadena hosts a variety of modern shopping and dining destinations. ARCHITECTURE In an afternoon, you can enjoy Pasadena’s civic architecture during a leisurely stroll through the Pasadena Civic Center to see our City Hall, Civic Auditorium and Library. A short stroll through the Plaza las Fuentes is USC/Pacific Asia Museum where you can enjoy the art and culture of Asia and the Pacific in the unique Grace Nicholson Chinese Treasure House. A walk through the beautiful Caltech campus reveals a gem of gardens, historic and cutting edge architecture. ENTERTAINMENT The Ice House Comedy Club on Mentor Avenue has hosted Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Robin Williams and almost every comedy star of the last 50 years. The Rose Bowl stadium regularly host concerts by entertainers such as U2, JayZ, Beyonce, Green Day, and the Rolling Stones.

Experience Pasadena

Caltech offers a series of free lectures that are open to the public as well as performances in Beckman Auditorium. You can take in a movie at one of our local theaters or enjoy a game of bowling. USC/Pacific Asia Museum, The Pasadena Playhouse State Theater of California, The Pasadena Symphony and POPS, Boston Court Performing Arts Center and A Noise Within each offer exquisite and unique cultural and artistic experiences. The Pasadena Civic Auditorium hosts speakers, international cultural performances, classical, jazz and contemporary music and theatrical productions in a grand, historic hall. HISTORICAL PLACES If Southern California and Pasadena history is of interest, visit the Pasadena Museum of History where you can also tour the beautifully restored Fenyes Mansion. Across Orange Grove Boulevard is the famed Greene and Greene Gamble House. Pasadena Heritage organizes walking tours of historic areas of Pasadena, including downtown. PASADENA IS A MOVIE SET Pasadena routinely shows up as the location for everything from movies and television to commercials and print advertisements. Pasadena City Hall has doubled for foreign capitals, statehouses, schools and courthouses, recently as Pawnee City Hall in Parks and Recreation. In The Martian, JPL engineers solved the problem of how to get Matt Damon

back to earth, while La La Land’s lovers strolled our Colorado Street Bridge. It is not uncommon to glimpse television, movie and music personalities shopping, dining or just strolling around Pasadena. FOR THE KIDS In December, Kidspace Children’s Museum kicks and kicks off the New Year with the Winter Wonderland and Noon Year’s Eve events.

NATURE More outdoor oriented? Hike up Eaton Canyon to the base of the falls. The leisurely walk will take a couple of hours and affords a close-up view of the beauty and power of the San Gabriel Mountains. You can also amble along the Arroyo Seco and experience nature’s beauty as you walk under the historic Colorado Street Bridge toward the Rose Bowl. SPORTS If it is fall and UCLA is playing at home, you can head for the Rose Bowl. For the price of the tickets, you can enjoy college football in the game’s most historic venue. If it’s not football season, you can still visit the Rose Bowl Stadium and take your picture in front of college football’s most iconic stadium and then take the behind the scenes tour. Pasadena regularly hosts professional bicycle races and an annual half marathon. The Rose Bowl also hosts international soccer games. Catch breakfast at Brookside Golf Club then play 18 holes on one of two historic courses in the beautiful Arroyo Seco. If it’s racing season, you may want to head out to Santa Anita Park for the thoroughbred racing at one of the finest venues in the world. Get there a little early to walk around the track, take in the mountain views and see the Seabiscuit statue. ANNUAL EVENTS Millions of people around the world know Pasadena as the home of the Tournament of Roses® parade. The Granddaddy of Them All®, the Rose Bowl® game has been a New Year’s tradition for more than a century. Sharp Seating can help with all your New Year ticket needs.