How to Spend a Full Day in South Pasadena

South Pasadena has been its own town since 1888 thanks to the ostrich farm (you heard me) that wanted to control its own territory. While the ostrich farm is long gone, the city maintains its somewhat quirky small town charm. See for yourself with this all-day walking itinerary.

Getting To South Pasadena

• Metro: Take the A (blue) line to South Pasadena
• Driving: Park at the Mission-Meridian garage for free all day on weekends until 2am

Spending the Morning in South Pasadena

• 8:00am: Start early for this one before the day gets too hot. Grab a coffee and pastry to go from the quirky cafe, Jones Coffee Roasters.
• 8:15am: Walk West on Mission St then straight into the park for about 20 minutes. Hang a left at Lohman Ln and look for the bike path to follow down to Arroyo Seco Golf Course. Take on the 9-hole mini golf course ($13) at your leisure.
• 10:00am: Hop back onto the bike path and follow it down to the South Pasadena Nature Park to enjoy the landscape.
• 10:30am: Cross Pasadena Ave and head East 1 block to Bullseye Glass, where you can drop in to create your own silverleaf design on a glass dish ($22+). 
• 11:15am: Head North along Pasadena Ave or Arroyo S then turn right onto Mission St to peruse the shops. Keeping to the South side of the street, be sure to stop in at TarotArts and Hotbox Vintage.

Spending the Afternoon in South Pasadena

• 12:30pm: By the time you reach Fair Oaks Ave, after 30 minutes of walking, you ought to be parched! Grab a pre-lunch egg cream or float from historic Fair Oaks Pharmacy.
• 1:00pm: Cross the Ave for lunch at Gus’s BBQ, and whatever you do, DON'T skip the corn bread.  
• 2:00pm: Head back West along the other side of Mission St and check out a few more shops like Clover, MARZ gifts, Mission Wines, and The Hive. Stop in at Burden of Proof for a free non-alcoholic beverage tasting and be sure to grab a bottle from Mission or Burden of Proof for later.
• 3:00pm: Time to get creative and messy with a splatter art session ($62) at SPLAT Action Art Studio.
• 4:00pm: Luckily, you’re right around the corner from your car (if you drove), so you can stash your painting there if you don’t want to show it off to the public for the rest of the day.

Spending the Evening in South Pasadena

• 4:30pm: Make your way over to Sid the Cat Auditorium just a few blocks away. Pass by the library if you have time to admire the beautiful building and garden. At Sid, catch a free DJ performance at 5pm and check out the classroom-turned-bar.
• 6:30pm: Just one block from Sid, enjoy dinner (and a whole host of all things Italian) at Visionarium Live Italian.
• 7:30pm [Summer only]: Afterward, head around the corner to Sugar Mynt Gallery, right next to the home of the infamous Michael Meyers. Grab admission ($15) to enjoy the current horror/cult classic exhibit, then stick around for a free backyard movie. Kick back and enjoy your BYOB selection.
• 10:00pm: If you’re not wiped yet, hop across Mission St to enjoy a pint at Griffins of Kinsale before heading home.

Tips to this day plan

• Total walk time: 1h 34m
• This itinerary can be done on Saturdays only

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