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We recently visited Pasadena California with the little one. I visited Los Angeles many times, but never actually drove into Pasadena until last week. Here are some of the best things we discovered.
Best Morning Activity: Eaton Canyon Trails and Nature Center
We loved our early morning walk through Eaton Canyon in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. It was beautiful, peaceful and perfect for little feet–except watch out for poison oak and rattlesnakes! Yikes. We didn’t see any snakes, but we did see some poison oak. So only go if your little ones are old enough to stay away from it or you can carry them.
We never actually made it to the nature center, just the nature trails, which are exactly what we wanted. They have family nature walks every Saturday morning from 9am to 11am. We did our best to stay on east coast time, so we were up pretty early and saw only a few people there. Keep this in mind if you go, apparently it gets pretty crowded, we read somewhere that it is “LA’s most popular hike”.
Best Attraction in Pasadena: The Huntington Library
The Huntington Library is free on Thursdays if you get your tickets way in advance, but it is worth the $25 per adult if you get there early enough in the day. The gardens are truly incredible. There are 12 gardens and the conservatory, and the whole thing covers over 120 acres. We never made it to the actual library or any of the galleries because the gardens were so fantastic and the day was beautiful. As a Brooklyn Botanical Garden lover, I was almost disappointed that this garden was even better.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.0.72″ src=”https://www.achildgrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG_20180503_164020.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” always_center_on_mobile=”on” border_style=”solid” force_fullwidth=”off” alt=”Huntington Library Chinese Gardens in Pasadena” /][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.0.72″ src=”https://www.achildgrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG_20180503_160646.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” always_center_on_mobile=”on” border_style=”solid” force_fullwidth=”off” alt=”Huntington Library in Pasadena” /][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.0.72″ src=”https://www.achildgrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG_20180503_160627.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” always_center_on_mobile=”on” border_style=”solid” force_fullwidth=”off” alt=”Huntington Library Pasadena Rose Gardens” /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.72″ background_repeat_1=”no-repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.72″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid”]
A Good Place for a Snack: Urth Caffe Pasadena
The Urth Caffe is one of five California locations for organic coffee and tea, but the building is the main attraction. It is beautiful and with lots of outdoor seating. Despite being near the Colorado Boulevard, the courtyard feels more secluded. It may be one of the only spots worth visiting in Old Town Pasadena that has been overwhelmed by chain stores. There are a few standout little places though, a really fun pawn shop and some delicious Swedish ice cream.
We also stopped by Central Park, which has a nice small playground and lots of great California grass. Several moms I talked to at the playground recommended going to the park that surrounds the Rose Bowl, but we ran out of time.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.0.72″ src=”https://www.achildgrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG_20180503_135431.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” always_center_on_mobile=”on” border_style=”solid” force_fullwidth=”off” alt=”Langham Huntington Hotel Pasadena” title_text=”Langham Huntington Hotel Pasadena” /][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.0.72″ src=”https://www.achildgrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG_20180503_094157.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” always_center_on_mobile=”on” border_style=”solid” force_fullwidth=”off” alt=”Caffe in Pasadena” /][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.0.72″ src=”https://www.achildgrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG_20180503_093446.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” always_center_on_mobile=”on” border_style=”solid” force_fullwidth=”off” alt=”Urth Caffe in Pasadena” /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.72″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid”]
Related Post:
https://www.achildgrows.com/2017/09/13/weekend-away-48-hours-raleigh-kids/
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