Things to do in Pasadena
Huntington Library Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
The Huntington is a research and educational center set amidst 120 acres of breathtaking gardens. Three art galleries and a library showcase magnificent collections of paintings, sculptures, rare books, manuscripts, and decorative arts. The botanical collection features over 14,000 different species of plants. Call 626-405-2100 for more information.
Mount Wilson Observatory
Founded in December 1904 by George Ellery Hale as one of the original scientific enterprises of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Mt. Wilson Observatory is completing its first century as one of the world's premier astronomical observatories. During the first half of the twentieth century Mt. Wilson was successively home to the world's two largest telescopes as well as the most powerful facilities in existence for studying the sun. The 60-inch and 100-inch night-time telescopes and the 60-ft and 150-ft solar tower telescopes in the hands of the brilliant scientists who used them revolutionized astronomy through such discoveries as: Call 616-793-3100 for more information.
Norton Simon Museum of Art
The Norton Simon Museum of Art holds one of the world's finest and most prestigious collections. Search its collection online, featuring detailed information and color images of nearly 1,000 works of European, American and South Asian art. Call 626-449-6840 for more information.
411 W Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105
Pacific Asia Museum
The permanent collect contains over 14,ooo rare and representative examples of art and artifacts from Asia and the Pacific Islands, covering a five thousand year period. Call 626-449-2742 for more information.
46 N Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
Pio Pico State Historic Park
Pío Pico, the last governor of Mexican California before the American takeover in 1846, built an adobe home on what is now a state park. Pico was one of California’s most remarkable historical figures. He witnessed and helped shape nearly a century of California history. His ancestry includes a mixture of ethnicities, including Spanish, African, Indian, and Italian. The park site was once the headquarters of Pico’s ranch. Call 562-695-1217 for more information.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour & Museum
This two-hour tour is one of the best studio tours in Hollywood. The groups are small (12 people at a time), and you are taken past working sets. Visitors ride through the backlots on a small tram-like vehicle. You are allowed to get off and peek at the sets. You are also taken to the 'front lot' where current TV shows such as 'Gilmore Girls' and 'Joey' are filmed. If you are lucky, you will see some actors rehearsing their lines. At the end, visitors get to see the Warner Bros. Museum, which houses memorabilia from the studio's 70 year history. Call 818-972-8687 for more information.
3400 Riverside Drive, Pasadena, CA 91505