By Trang Vu
When we moved to Pasadena, my son was only 5 months old. I needed something to do what was suitable for him, but also fun for me. So I went exploring in & around Pasadena. Maybe there’s something fun for you, too! I will try to cover the places we liked and went to in a three part series: in Pasadena, in LA, and around LA.
We tried out a lot of playgrounds. Our favorite parks right now are Garfield and Tournament Park because they have sand instead of wood chips. Tournament Park especially is perfect during summer, as the trees give lots of shade. Lamanda Park is best for infants or crawling toddlers.
Garfield Park
Garfield Park is busy on weekends with families and birthday parties and you usually get to chat with new parents. The playground is big and has multiple play areas suitable for 1 year olds to preschool. I first went there, when my son Charlie was about 9 months old.
Tournament Park
Tournament Park is a nice green park right near Caltech (Cahill Center). You might recognize it from a few Caltech events you might have attended out there. We love to go there, because there are big trees that give lots of shade. The park also has a playground suitable for toddlers – it is fenced-in and they can play in the sand or crawl over the grass. It also has BBQ areas which you could use for birthday parties.
Ms. Alex at Tournament Park
Ms. Alex is a former preschool teacher who offers play & sing-a-long activities at the Tournament Park. She used to offer them weekly, but now does it on occasions like for Valentine’s day, Halloween, etc. The costs are $15 per kid which is ok because she brings a lot of instruments, sensory play and more. The class is quite fun and also suitable for babies. They just listen to the singing and observe rather than really interact. It’s also really good to get to know other parents or kids. Usually there are a lot of toddlers joining, mostly in between the age around 9 months to 2 years, when I was there. Ms. Alex is super enthusiastic and is wonderful in remembering all the kids’ names. Her instagram profile: @msalexinthepark
Lamanda Park
Lamanda Park is a nice playground suitable for infants. It has a soft ground made of rubber material which is fantastic because you don’t have to worry about your baby putting sand or wood chips in their mouth. Also the playground has much smaller play areas which are doable with crawling or pulling up. It also has a sunroof and is right at Lamanda Library, where they offer free storytime on certain days.
Story time at Lamanda Park Library
I only went there once, because my son is not paying much attention to the stories. It’s nice to get to know other parents and do something in the morning. They also have story time for preschool kids and at different branches in Pasadena (https://www.cityofpasadena.net/library/kids/storytime/) and other activities like crafts or workshops (https://pasadena.evanced.info/msignup/events?lib=1004&et=20). They are all free.
Allendale Park
The park is next to the Allendale Library and a pickle ball court. The library also offers story time once a week. We go to Allendale mostly because we live close by. It’s a nice big playground with several features more suitable for walking toddlers.
Huntington Botanical Gardens
The entry is quite pricey with $25. However I think it’s worth the money. The Garden is huge and very well maintained. They have different themes of gardens which are all stunning; they have a rose garden, a bonsai garden, desert fauna and tropical forests, there is hardly enough time to see all in one day! There are also themed art galleries and other collections. A few of them change every few months or so. The garden opens at 8 am and closes at 5 pm, so it matches a lot of the toddlers time schedule 😀
One of the coolest part of the garden is the children’s garden with splash pads and tactile elements and other fun activities! It’s located near the entrance, so you don’t have to walk far with your kid and can enjoy even hot summer days outdoors. I usually try to get there in the morning, let my son play in the children’s garden or play on the grass in the rose garden. You are allowed to bring a diaper bag with food for the baby, but I also bring lunch for myself. There is also the Café 1919 with great food, also with a fine selection suitable for kids. You can lunch there and then walk around the garden some more until your child naps. It is so peaceful to sit there or read a book in between flowers and plants. If I can, we go here once a week. We got the annual membership, because its so good! They offer free admission on the first Thursday of every month. The free tickets go on sale at 9 am one week in advance – i.e., the last Thursday of the preceding month. But you have to be super quick, because tickets sell out very fast.
I hope you check out some of these places with your little one and enjoy as much as I have!
Via Pasadena 