23 essential things to do in Pasadena

Also known as Old Town, this classic downtown district is among Southern California’s most walkable. Stroll along Colorado Boulevard—historic Route 66 and home of the Rose Parade—where you’ll find shops and eateries housed in turn-of-the-century brick buildings. Duck into Miller Alley to explore the lovely courtyard at One Colorado and pop into Indiana Colony for a treat from Wanderlust. Some of the area’s best restaurants and bars reside a block north on Union Street (Perle, Union, Pez Coastal Kitchen) and south on Green Street (Agnes, Entre Nous). You can take Metro’s A Line to either the Memorial Park or Del Mar Stations, or get two hours of parking for only a dollar in a trio of garages.

This graceful house originally built for one of the heirs of the Procter & Gamble fortune remains one of the best examples of both the Arts and Crafts movement and Charles and Henry Greene’s masterful handiwork. Programming at the Gamble House is exceptional; there are tours (starting around $15) that focus broadly on the house and its gardens or specifically on its details and joinery. It also sits just up the street from the Pasadena Museum of History and its adjoining Finnish Folk Art Museum.

This 90,000-seat stadium has been used for college football playoffs, the World Cup final, Olympic cycling, Jay-Z and Beyoncé tours, and a yearly fireworks show every Fourth of July. It is also, of course, home to the UCLA Bruins football team and the annual New Year’s Day Rose Bowl Game. On the second Sunday of each month, the bowl hosts a stadium-sized flea market with a staggering selection of vintage clothing, antique furniture and bespoke wares of all sorts. (If the dates don’t quite work out for you, Pasadena City College also hosts a great—and free—flea market on the first Sunday of the month.)

The bequest of entrepreneur Henry E. Huntington is easily one of the most impressive attractions in the Los Angeles region. Though technically it’s just across the border in San Marino, we think of the Huntington as a Pasadena must-do. It’s also a destination that demands an entire day for a first visit: Between the art, the library holdings, the themed outdoor spaces and the restored tea room, there’s plenty to see, and most of it is best enjoyed at lingering leisure rather than as part of a mad day-long dash. From a Gutenberg Bible to The Blue Boy to exquisitely designed Japanese and Chinese gardens, nearly every inch of the estate’s grounds and collection is essential (and worth the $29 price of admission).

The massive circular tower at the front of Pasadena City Hall sets the tone for what to expect from the rest of the city: wealth, beauty and an atypically (for SoCal, at least) well-preserved architectural history. You can spot its 206-foot-tall centerpiece, a free-to-visit series of arches and domes, from all over town but it’s best appreciated up close. Walk through the rose-filled courtyard (where you’ll surely come across a wedding photo shoot) to admire the Renaissance-inspired details on John Bakewell and Arthur Brown’s 1927 construction. Most importantly: The building doubled as Pawnee City Hall in Parks and Recreation.

The Pasadena-area nature park is one of the most accessible (particularly on weekdays, when you can park right next to a shortcut of sorts) and easygoing trails where you’ll truly feel like you’ve slipped into the wilderness. This waterfall hike isn’t without its faults: crushing weekend crowds, defaced rocks, occasional litter. That said, it’s one of the few spots in L.A. where you can follow the sound of running water through a forest.

The Norton Simon’s Frank Gehry-helmed makeover in the late 1990s raised the museum’s profile, but it also helped to expand the range of the museum’s collection, giving it more space and creating a calm, simple environment. The museum ($20) is still best known for its impressive collection of Old Masters, notably pieces by 17th-century Dutch painters such as Rembrandt, Brueghel and Frans Hals. The French impressionists are represented by, among others, Monet, Manet and Renoir. After you’ve checked out the temporary shows, head into the excellent sculpture garden.

Robots in space—that’s enough to sell us on this hillside NASA facility. It’s the home of the Voyager probes and Mars rovers, and you can catch scientists remotely steering the latest-generation rover during the free, high-in-demand public tours. You’ll also have a chance to see Voyager Space Flight Operations Facility and the Spacecraft Assembly Facility. If you can’t find a tour reservation, be on the lookout for JPL’s annual open house.

Built in the ’20s and revived in the ’80s, this gracious 672-seat venue anchors the Playhouse District. The main space offers an increasingly esteemed lineup of mostly new plays and musicals, while a smaller black box theater upstairs presents occasional improv and experimental shows. Its Spanish Colonial courtyard has been known to host all sorts of neighborhood events (and it houses the entrance to buzzy bistro Bar Chelou).

The largest independent bookshop in Southern California was founded over a century ago and continues to be a worthwhile destination for its helpful staff, design-minded objects and excellent stock of books (we particularly love its collection of all things California). Keep an eye out for the regular readings and the book signings, or stay a while with a few sips at the 1894, the on-site wine bar.