Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids

Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in Pasadena

Old Pasadena

Old Pasadena

Historic shopping & entertainment area. Downtown historic district, now a popular destination for shopping, dining & entertainment.

Central Park

Central Park

Park with a playground & lawn bowling. Park with a playground, a picnic area, lawn bowling, croquet, a walkway & restrooms.

Southern California Children's Museum

Southern California Children's Museum

Kids' play space with hands-on exhibits. Indoor play area with interactive activities for toddlers, such as a kitchen, teepees & costumes.

Wrigley Mansion

Wrigley Mansion

1906 Renaissance mansion & gardens. A 1906 Renaissance design mansion with 4.5 acre flower gardens & HQ for new year Rose Parade.

The Pirate Park

The Pirate Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Kidspace Children's Museum

Kidspace Children's Museum

Interactive indoor & outdoor exhibits. This museum with an expansive outdoor play area features hands-on arts & science exhibits.

Magical Playground

Magical Playground

Indoor jungle gym, jumper & arcade games. Indoor children's playground with a jumper, arcade games, a jungle gym & air hockey.

Lacy Park

Lacy Park

Open green space, tennis & walking loops. Dog-friendly public expanse featuring 2 walking loops, 6 tennis courts & a decades-old rose arbor.

South Pasadena Nature Park

South Pasadena Nature Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Eaton Canyon Falls

Eaton Canyon Falls

Scenic waterfall & hiking area. Hiking trail leading to a picturesque 44-ft. tall waterfall & shallow wading pool.

Hawk On Hand Falconry

Hawk On Hand Falconry

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Almansor Park

Almansor Park

City park with jogging trail & gymnasium. Family-friendly park with a gym, a jogging trail, picnic tables, a playground & tennis courts.

Descanso Gardens

Descanso Gardens

Botanic gardens & forests with a cafe. Picturesque botanic gardens & oak forests showcasing native plants, water features & a casual cafe.

Meyberg Waterfall

Meyberg Waterfall

Visit this great place for kids and families!

World's Largest Blossoming Plant

World's Largest Blossoming Plant

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Ascot Hills Park

Ascot Hills Park

Rolling hills, trails & skyline views. Urban retreat featuring rolling hills, views of downtown, hiking trails & a small amphitheater.

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden

Lush landscape full of plants & peacocks. Sprawling manicured grounds filled with plants & featuring roaming peacocks & a Queen Anne cottage.

FUNBOX LOS ANGELES - ARCADIA

FUNBOX LOS ANGELES - ARCADIA

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Los Angeles State Historic Park

Los Angeles State Historic Park

Public green space with Downtown views. 32 acres of open space with walkways & architectural features, plus Downtown views.

Griffith Park & Southern Railroad

Griffith Park & Southern Railroad

Park featuring rides on mini trains. Center for train rides on reproductions of classic American locomotives, with a mile-long track.

Los Angeles Zoo

Los Angeles Zoo

Lush zoo with more than 270 species. Zoo & botanical gardens open since 1966 containing more than 270 animal species & 800 plant species.

America Tropical Interpretive Center

America Tropical Interpretive Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Old Los Angeles Zoo

Old Los Angeles Zoo

Abandoned zoo with ruins & hiking trails. Founded in 1912, this now-abandoned zoo offers past enclosure ruins, picnic space & hiking trails.

Big Santa Anita Canyon

Big Santa Anita Canyon

Scenic hiking area with multiple trails. Natural area & popular hiking spot with over 40 miles of trails, plus waterfalls & wildlife.

Griffith Park

Griffith Park

Hiking trails, city views & L.A. Zoo. Urban oasis featuring hiking & equestrian trails, plus city views, the Greek Theatre & the L.A. Zoo.

Hermit Falls

Hermit Falls

Cascade plunging into a rock pool. Waterfall with a swimming hole popular for cliff jumping, accessed via a verdant canyon trail.

Whittier Narrows Park

Whittier Narrows Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Vista Hermosa Natural Park, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority

Vista Hermosa Natural Park, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority

Green spaces, a playground & city views. Trails lead to picnic areas, grassy fields, a pond/waterfall, city view overlooks & a playground.

Blue Ribbon Garden

Blue Ribbon Garden

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Kyoto Garden

Kyoto Garden

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Library Park

Library Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Tony Arceo Memorial Park

Tony Arceo Memorial Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

DTLA Arts District

DTLA Arts District

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Biddy Mason Memorial Park

Biddy Mason Memorial Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Griffith Observatory

Griffith Observatory

Planetarium, telescopes & city views. This art deco landmark from 1935 features a high-tech planetarium, public telescopes & city views.

Public Art "Aquarius"

Public Art "Aquarius"

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Magic of The Jack o lanterns

Magic of The Jack o lanterns

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Whittier Narrows Recreation Area

Whittier Narrows Recreation Area

Various sports, trails, 3 lakes & museum. Diverse sports, 3 lakes, a military museum, shooting ranges, horse center, disc golf & urban farm.

Fern Dell Nature Preserve

Fern Dell Nature Preserve

Outdoor space with lush foliage & trails. Serene enclave at Griffith Park featuring walking paths amid tropical foliage & a man-made brook.

Grand Hope Park

Grand Hope Park

Playground, lawns & iconic clock tower. 2.5-acre urban park featuring a playground & grass lawns amid an iconic mosaic-adorned clock tower.

Bronson Caves

Bronson Caves

Man-made caves featured in iconic films. Seen in many iconic films, these man-made caves provide trails & scenic views of the Hollywood Sign.

Kid Mamba Mural

Kid Mamba Mural

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Monrovia Canyon Park

Monrovia Canyon Park

Camping, hiking & a 30-foot waterfall. City park on 80 acres with trails, camping & a waterfall, plus a nature center & cabin for events.

Whittier Narrows Natural Area

Whittier Narrows Natural Area

Wildlife views, trails & nature center. 419-acre sanctuary featuring a wide range of endangered wildlife, hiking trails & a nature center.

K1 Speed - Indoor Go Karts, Corporate Event Venue, Team Building Activities

K1 Speed - Indoor Go Karts, Corporate Event Venue, Team Building Activities

Indoor go-kart racing. Chain of indoor racing centers featuring electric go-karting for all skill levels, plus food.

Stough Canyon Nature Center

Stough Canyon Nature Center

Educational exhibits & activities. Modern nature center offering interpretive displays, a library, amphitheater & nature hikes.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Robert Burns Park

Robert Burns Park

Play structure & covered picnic tables. Shady neighborhood park featuring a playground for children & a small pavilion with picnic tables.

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Star-studded Hollywood sidewalk. Famous Hollywood sidewalk area emblazoned with stars & celebrity names since 1960.

World of Illusions Los Angeles

World of Illusions Los Angeles

Interactive experiences in trendy museum. 3D illusions & an Upside-Down House exhibit, plus other interactive experiences in a popular museum.

Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Museum for unusual & bizarre artifacts. Museum with kitschy oddities on display, including shrunken human heads & rare animal skeletons.

Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area

Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area

Park with 70-acre lake & swimming beach. Vast park boasting a 70-acre lake for fishing & boating, plus a summer swim beach & water play area.

Verdugo Mountain Park

Verdugo Mountain Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Exposition Park Rose Garden

Exposition Park Rose Garden

Charming park devoted to roses. Cheerful formal park featuring a collection of roses & a gazebo.

Space Shuttle Endeavour

Space Shuttle Endeavour

Visit this great place for kids and families!

California Science Center

California Science Center

Hands-on exhibits, IMAX & the Endeavor. Admission's free to permanent exhibits at this kid-friendly spot, also boasting IMAX & the Endeavor.

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Dinosaur skeletons & rotating exhibits. From T. rex skeletons to an insect zoo, popular attraction holds more than 35-million artifacts.

Exposition Park

Exposition Park

Public green space with museums & arenas. Urban space comprising 160 acres with arenas & museums, plus some green areas with trees & gardens.

Santa Fe Dam Nature Center

Santa Fe Dam Nature Center

Educational center & display garden. Nature center & natural area featuring trail walks, garden of native plants & educational programs.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation

Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Augustus F. Hawkins Nature Park

Augustus F. Hawkins Nature Park

Tranquil green space with nature center. Calm, 8.5-acre retreat featuring native flora & wetlands, plus a small museum with nature exhibits.

South Park Recreation Center

South Park Recreation Center

An outdoor pool, tennis courts & more. Green space with an outdoor pool, tennis & basketball courts, a baseball field & a kids' playground.

Treasure Island Park

Treasure Island Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

La Brea Tar Pits and Museum

La Brea Tar Pits and Museum

Prehistoric-fossil excavation site. Ice Age–fossil excavation site with an adjacent museum, plus a re-created prehistoric garden.

Whittier Museum

Whittier Museum

Educational displays of city history. Historical artifacts & exhibits related to the city of Whittier; open to the public weekends only.

Central Park

Central Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Dennis the Menace Park

Dennis the Menace Park

Grassy local park with a playground. This neighborhood park is a family destination with a big grassy lawn, a playground & picnic tables.

Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum

Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum

Historical landmark open to the public. This Los Angeles historical landmark features a country home from 1870 & hosts a variety of events.

Tujunga Ponds Wildlife Sanctuary

Tujunga Ponds Wildlife Sanctuary

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Cameron Park Community Center

Cameron Park Community Center

Multiuse community center for all ages. Community center for all ages featuring a basketball gym, game room & outdoor green space.

Michigan Park

Michigan Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Wilderness Park

Wilderness Park

Compact park with a duck pond. Small public park featuring a duck pond, walk/jog paths & grassy areas popular for picnicking.

Azusa Wilderness Park

Azusa Wilderness Park

Hilly canyon preserve with trails. Covering 60+ acres of canyon terrain, this wilderness areas has trails for hiking & biking.

Explore More Activities

Discover more events and activities happening in Pasadena.