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Photo: Ultimate Bride Guide, CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
Near the Gamble House is the Pasadena Museum of History with The Finnish Folk Art Museum, History Center Galleries, and the 18-room Fenyes Mansion. Built in 1905, the mansion contains its original furnishings.
Pasadena Museum of History is a private, nonprofit museum and research library located in Pasadena, California. It is the only institution dedicated to the history, art and culture of historic Pasadena and the west San Gabriel Valley. Headquartered on the grounds of a century-old Pasadena estate, facilities include the Pasadena Museum History Center, the Fenyes Estate and gardens, a research library and archives, the Curtin House, and the Finnish Folk Art Museum. With public exhibits, tours, lectures, seminars, and workshops, the Pasadena Museum of History promotes an appreciation of history, culture, arts and sciences relevant to Pasadena and adjoining communities.
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Built in 1908 by Charles and Henry Greene for David Gamble of Procter and Gamble, this National Historical Landmark is an architectural masterpiece of the American Arts and Crafts Movement. The house was also the exterior of Doc Brown's house in 1955, in Back to the Future I & II. Filming of the front door and the interior took place at another location.
Features seven centuries of European art ranging from the Gothic period to the 21st century, including masterpieces by Van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrandt, Fragonard, Goya, Poussin, Claude Lorrain, Cranach the Elder, Botticelli and many more. The museum also features an extensive collection of South and some Southeast Asian sculpture and a sculpture garden including works of Rodin. You are likely to be amazed by the greatness of the collection of both European and ancient South Asian work, and also by the number of extremely famous and commonly reproduced paintings on view. If you are generally an art lover, you will probably want to allow at least 2½ to 3 hours so as to see most of the collections without feeling rushed.
The center is a year-round facility with competitive teams in swimming, diving and water polo. Housing two 50-meter pools, it's open to the public and offers water aerobics, swimming, diving lessons, and therapy pools. Right behind the aquatics center is a pirate-themed playground with wheelchair ramps, swings, sand, and water features.
Kidspace offers more than 25 indoor hands-on exhibits, in addition to outdoor spaces, programs and activities, which are designed to encourage a child's growth and development through exploration of the environment, investigation in science, and artistic expression.
A 22-block historical area filled with 200 one-of-a-kind boutiques, national retailers, galleries, restaurants, and clubs. Old Pasadena is one of Southern California's hottest shopping/entertainment areas and gets very crowded on weekends. The area is very hip and young people love the great vibe! Old Pasadena is located between Arroyo Parkway on the east and Pasadena Avenue on the west, with Colorado Boulevard being the main thoroughfare. Get off the A Line at Memorial Park and walk south to Colorado. If you expect every building in the area to be old, you'll be disappointed, but fans of architecture from the Art Deco period back to the 19th century have quite a few beautiful buildings to appreciate. You can see many of them from a moving car, but to truly notice and enjoy the decorative details, you will need to park and walk. The Playhouse District and the Civic Center, a few blocks to the east of the district specifically named "Old Pasadena", also have beautiful historic buildings, including the lovely Municipal Building (city hall), built in 1927 and the Pasadena Civic Auditorium (carved on the exterior with the words "THE AUDITORIUM OF THE CITY OF PASADENA" in all caps), built in 1932.
The Rose Bowl Flea Market, one of the most famous in the world, boasts 2,500 vendors and 20,000 buyers. Nicknamed "America's Marketplace of Unusual Items," the market offers vintage jewelry, handmade quilts, antiques, clothes, plants, and collectibles. Held the second Sunday of every month, rain or shine.