Unique & Hidden Gem Activities for Families

Explore the best unique & hidden gem activities for families 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.

Norton Simon Museum

Norton Simon Museum

Noted collection of European & Asian art. Unconventional building housing a noted collection of European & Asian art plus a sculpture garden.

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.

Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden

Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden

Historic, serene space with a teahouse. Two-acre scenic & tranquil Japanese-style garden with path-enclosed ponds, waterfalls & a teahouse.

Dinosaur Farm

Dinosaur Farm

Dinosaur-themed toys & books. Cheery toy & bookshop specializing in dinosaur-related gear & other educational items.

Magical Playground

Magical Playground

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

El Molino Viejo

El Molino Viejo

Visit this great place for kids and families!

South Pasadena Nature Park

South Pasadena Nature Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Michillinda Park

Michillinda Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Descanso Gardens

Descanso Gardens

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

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.

Casa Adobe de San Rafael and Park

Casa Adobe de San Rafael and Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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.

America Tropical Interpretive Center

America Tropical Interpretive Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Avila Adobe

Avila Adobe

Museum in a historic adobe built in 1818. Visitors can tour this preserved 1818 adobe, part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument.

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.

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.

Little Dimples Playground

Little Dimples Playground

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!

James Irvine Japanese Garden at JACCC

James Irvine Japanese Garden at JACCC

Intimate gardens with cascading stream. Japanese-style Zen garden featuring plants, trees & cedar bridges spanning a cascading stream.

Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn

Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn

Walt Disney's workshop & train museum. Old-fashioned model train museum, with memorabilia from originator Walt Disney's life & hobbies.

Griffith Observatory

Griffith Observatory

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

INDIAN ALLEY

INDIAN ALLEY

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Hollyhock House

Hollyhock House

A Frank Lloyd Wright house with gardens. Self-guided tours are available of this Wright-designed home, with roof terraces & gardens.

Travel Town Railroad

Travel Town Railroad

Miniature train offering mile-long rides. Miniature, mile-long train ride that circles the Travel Town Train Museum in Griffith Park.

Kids Empire Monrovia

Kids Empire Monrovia

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.

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!

All Amusement Fun Center

All Amusement Fun Center

Mall arcade with prizes for tickets. Arcade located at the Burbank Town Center with a variety of games plus a ticket redemption center.

African-American Firefighter Museum

African-American Firefighter Museum

Historic site with firefighting relics. Landmark station exhibiting old fire equipment used by L.A.'s first African-American firefighters.

QUEST ROOM - Hollywood Escape Rooms

QUEST ROOM - Hollywood Escape Rooms

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Doheny Mansion

Doheny Mansion

Visit this great place for kids and families!

The Mystic Museum

The Mystic Museum

Oddities museum & eclectic gift shop. Novelty & vintage memorabilia store also featuring a small museum for Ouija boards, oddities & more.

Exposition Park Rose Garden

Exposition Park Rose Garden

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

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.

Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation

Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Jonathan Bailey House

Jonathan Bailey House

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Whittier Museum

Whittier Museum

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

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.

Jump 'n Jammin

Jump 'n Jammin

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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.

One Moody Unicorn Village

One Moody Unicorn Village

Visit this great place for kids and families!

GGs Fun Ranch

GGs Fun Ranch

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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.

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