Pasadena Museum of History

The museum is pretty boring, not much to see. But the garden in the back was surprisingly beautiful. Might be better going on a day with a docent and some event, because I just walked in and there were just some pictures. Nothing special. The exterior is very aesthetic and was the only thing that made the trip worth it.

Lovely museum! I had never been and decided to do the Fenyes mansion tour. I did not know the history of Eva Fenyes, or how much she contributed to the arts in Pasadena. She also painted - lovely work. There are many plein air/California Impressionist works in the mansion. It's all preserved quite well. The tour price also included museum admission, and they currently have a very fun exhibit about film history and it's connections to Pasadena. Thank you to Pam, who was a great tour guide.

Very small museum. Visited the exhibit for free during the Pasadena Art Night. Need to come back to visit the Fenyes Mansion.

This place was WAYYY overpriced for what you get. Yeah, I get that it's a way of supporting the organization and whatnot, but they should warn you ahead of time that this museum is super small and you will be done with it in about 10 minutes. The grounds are nice, but not that big and you can't go into the mansion at all. The Finnish Folk art wasn't open, and it didn't like it is, isn't that often. I would not recommend, unless you have a very special interest in an exhibit they put on. The museum should have a suggested donation amount and just let people see it for whatever price they feel is appropriate. The current pricing is just way too high.

Went here for the mansion tour. The museum itself has 2 rooms where exhibits are shown. Now there is an exhibit on Pasadena in the movies. It was quite nice. Parking is free and they have bathrooms. Definitely, schedule a house tour and you can see the museum while you wait for your tour to start.

This review might be a bit "harsh" and not fully informed, but I'll share my experience. At the time of visiting, granted, the museum was "between exhibitions," but even if there was an exhibition, you had to pay an extra $17 for a tour of the Hayes mansion? Seems pretty steep to pay an additional fee for something that is a part of the facility. Needless to say, we didn't see paying upwards of $35 for 2 people to take the tour as being worthwhile. We did walk around the grounds for 10 - 15 minutes to get a feel for the space, but a lot of the gardens seemed run-down and not very well kept. Additionally, there is a "Finnish" folk house which is closed. Overall, it seems like with a little TLC and some effort and a reasonable price, say $10 - $15 for everything included and some enthusiastic docents or volunteers on hand it would have a lot of potential. Otherwise, if you're in the area, especially for only a short period of time, your time is much better spent at the Gamble House or Norton Simon museum.

Small operation and nice staff. We were hoping to learn about Pasadena's history but instead saw an uninteresting temporary exhibit devoted to movies connected to the area. There is an adjacent mansion available for scheduled tours 2 days a week. There is also an archive on site, which we didn't visit; this is probably where the real history can be found.

We visited on Saturday, December 23rd, but didn't see any staff members. There were people taking wedding photos. Before leaving, I checked the website, and it didn't indicate that it was closed. It would be best to update any changes in opening hours or closures on both the website and Google Maps to avoid any inconvenience for visitors.

The museum is pretty boring, not much to see. But the garden in the back was surprisingly beautiful. Might be better going on a day with a docent and some event, because I just walked in and there were just some pictures. Nothing special. The exterior is very aesthetic and was the only thing that made the trip worth it.

Lovely museum! I had never been and decided to do the Fenyes mansion tour. I did not know the history of Eva Fenyes, or how much she contributed to the arts in Pasadena. She also painted - lovely work. There are many plein air/California Impressionist works in the mansion. It's all preserved quite well. The tour price also included museum admission, and they currently have a very fun exhibit about film history and it's connections to Pasadena. Thank you to Pam, who was a great tour guide.

Very small museum. Visited the exhibit for free during the Pasadena Art Night. Need to come back to visit the Fenyes Mansion.

This place was WAYYY overpriced for what you get. Yeah, I get that it's a way of supporting the organization and whatnot, but they should warn you ahead of time that this museum is super small and you will be done with it in about 10 minutes. The grounds are nice, but not that big and you can't go into the mansion at all. The Finnish Folk art wasn't open, and it didn't like it is, isn't that often. I would not recommend, unless you have a very special interest in an exhibit they put on. The museum should have a suggested donation amount and just let people see it for whatever price they feel is appropriate. The current pricing is just way too high.

Went here for the mansion tour. The museum itself has 2 rooms where exhibits are shown. Now there is an exhibit on Pasadena in the movies. It was quite nice. Parking is free and they have bathrooms. Definitely, schedule a house tour and you can see the museum while you wait for your tour to start.

This review might be a bit "harsh" and not fully informed, but I'll share my experience. At the time of visiting, granted, the museum was "between exhibitions," but even if there was an exhibition, you had to pay an extra $17 for a tour of the Hayes mansion? Seems pretty steep to pay an additional fee for something that is a part of the facility. Needless to say, we didn't see paying upwards of $35 for 2 people to take the tour as being worthwhile. We did walk around the grounds for 10 - 15 minutes to get a feel for the space, but a lot of the gardens seemed run-down and not very well kept. Additionally, there is a "Finnish" folk house which is closed. Overall, it seems like with a little TLC and some effort and a reasonable price, say $10 - $15 for everything included and some enthusiastic docents or volunteers on hand it would have a lot of potential. Otherwise, if you're in the area, especially for only a short period of time, your time is much better spent at the Gamble House or Norton Simon museum.

Small operation and nice staff. We were hoping to learn about Pasadena's history but instead saw an uninteresting temporary exhibit devoted to movies connected to the area. There is an adjacent mansion available for scheduled tours 2 days a week. There is also an archive on site, which we didn't visit; this is probably where the real history can be found.

We visited on Saturday, December 23rd, but didn't see any staff members. There were people taking wedding photos. Before leaving, I checked the website, and it didn't indicate that it was closed. It would be best to update any changes in opening hours or closures on both the website and Google Maps to avoid any inconvenience for visitors.

An opulent, historic mansion on Millionaire's Row, the hoverboard from Back to the Future II, and the first Finnish consulate in SoCal - these are just some of the things we saw at the Pasadena Museum of History! It was really fun playing tourist so close to home - a true hidden gem, I never knew this museum was here even having lived here all these years lol! We did the Fényes Mansion tour which includes admission to the main museum and is the best way to experience the museum imo. The main museum is currently running an exhibit featuring films made around Pasadena and it was so fun to explore and see things like the BTTF hoverboard and Eddie Murphy's outfit in Beverly Hills Cop, and so many more interesting items and info tidbits. But it's small so it's best to pair it with the mansion tour - which is a fascinating glimpse into the area's past and the prominent family that owned the mansion. It even holds the original office of the first Finnish consul, Y.A. Paloheimo, still intact as it was all those years ago, complete with the consul emblem and his photo with Eleanor Roosevelt. The mansion is one of two remaining fully intact mansions on what used to be "Millionaire's Row" - the other is the Gamble House which is a craftsman - but Fényes Mansion is over the top grandeur! There used to be 52 mansions and these are all that's left :-o And here's a fun little fact we learned - did you know Tiffany & Co made elaborately carved wooden chairs?? You can see them in the dining room of the mansion and they're absolutely beautiful! We learned SO many interesting bits of history about Pasadena and the surrounding area - I won't share it all here - you gotta take the tour - it's totally worth it! But I will leave you with one other fun fact I learned that answered a burning question I had every time I would drive the 210 - this is for the locals - do you know how Michillinda Ave got its name? It came from some of the earlier settlers of the area in the 1870s: Michigan + Illinois + Indiana = Michillinda!! The tour is a great experience for local history and I highly recommend it - they're infrequent so if you can get in on a tour, DO IT!! They're around $20 and you can get them in advance via Eventbrite which I recommend bc they sell out (especially on weekends). You can also buy them onsite but the tours are likely to be full. The museum admission is included and they have bathrooms and a small private parking lot available. Shout out to our awesome tour guides Andrea & Paul - tysm for a great afternoon!!

Our friends did their wedding photos here and the location is beautiful! Compared to other venues in the area, the price was more reasonable. The location has a good variety of natural shots, windows, and old wood/moody vibes. Overall just a beautiful place if you are considering wedding photos! They have a room inside for some cool AC in between photos too

This is a SUPER small museum which you can go through in like 5 minutes. It consists of two rooms which a few cool movie references of actors that grew up in Pasadena or movie sets being in Pasadena. Paid $9 per person for the gallery and although there were cool stuff, it's definitely not worth it. For the size of the museum, admission should be like $5 max.

Today, I took a Fenyes Mansion tour. I personally love educational tours. For this tour you need an advance reservation and ticket purchase required. The tour is roughly 2 hours; we have two tour guides: Andrea and Paul (ucla law professor). Both were knowledgeable, amiable, fun, and professional. The tour group was composed of SoCal local residents and visitor from Ireland-that Irish gal was cute tho. I learned a lot about the history of the beautiful Fenye Mansion as well as the family who lived there for four generations. The tour includes only the first floor of the mansion and its backyard. The mansion has 10,162 sq ft, 18 rooms, 6 br, 5 1/2 ba, conservatory and studio. Majority of the furnitures and decor were largely preserved and unchanged. Docent tours (one tour per day) of the ground floor of the Fenyes Mansion are offered on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 12:15 pm. Overall, it's a great tour and I highly recommend you book it.

I just had the worst experience here. I walked into this Museum and some old women with red hair working the front desk. Didn't greet me, say hello or tell me anything about the exhibitions. Instead she just glared at me like she had a problem with me.... 20 min later a old white couple come in, I'm 34 and Mexican.... And she rolls out the red carpet for these people... "hello, how is your day? Make sure to start to your right....the bathrooms are over here"..... The hell?! I don't deserve a greeting? I guess when you have brown skin they assume you should be pushing a mop and not looking at art. I confronted the women and asked her, "why didn't you tell me about which way I was supposed to go" .... She had no answer... she just glared at me. Racist!

This is a small, limited museum, but we enjoyed it immensely. We visited the museum through one of the "free" nights and breezed through the museum in about 20 minutes. In light of that, I'd suggest visiting during a reduced fee admission night, such as the city-wide free visit evening offered each year through the City of Pasadena. The museum provided a nice snapshot of the history of Old Pasadena.

Disappointed to make a trip all the way out here to find out they are closed despite the sign on the door saying they are open on Wednesday at noon. In addition their website indicated they would be open at the time/day as well.

Pasadena Museum of History was a revelation for me, didn't know anything about it. I discovered it yesterday during MOTA, it was free to visit for the day, near the Gamble House and I wanted to check it out. It's a small museum, very well put together. There are more parts to it: the small museum building, the Fenyes Mansion which is beautiful (we also got to check it out on a short tour), on of the last houses standing of the "Millionaire's Row" in Pasadena and has a nice history behind and Finnish Folk Art Museum, a cute building worth checking out. They charge $17 for tours of the house and the Finnish Museum. It's a big property fun to explore, with various parts to it, lush vegetation, beautiful flowers, areas where you can rest and enjoy a snack. We enjoyed the temporary exhibit "Dreaming the Universe" (till Sept. 2) dedicated to SF world- books, comics, movies, full of cool props, posters, costumes from major movies and cult ones, TV shows and so on "Star Trek", "Planet of the Apes", "2001", etc. It's a wonderful exhibit, great put together with unique items on display that you might never get the chance to see. Lots of fun for film lovers and SF geeks! Worth the $9 regular admission ($8 for students and seniors), free for kids under 12. They also had events, people wearing cool SF character costumes for the MOTA event (very recognizable) and cool cars in the lot. Small parking lot, there is street parking in the nice neighborhood around, friendly staff, clean restrooms, water fountain, everything you need for a nice outing. Pasadena History Museum is a wonderful place, that offers various experiences under "one roof", from an elegant mansion, to a Finnish Village rustic world to a cool, one of a kind SF exhibit. Nice discovery!

I've been writing a lot about various venues in the Passport 2 History program that we've been visiting the last few months. "PMH" is a newer member of that group. I'd been trying to get our schedule together to get to this site for the last few weekends. They offer only one tour a day on the days they're open. Gift shop opens at Noon. The tour steps off at 12:15 PM and lasts for about an hour and 15 minutes. It's wise to reserve your space online in advance. The day we went, we were lucky to walk into the gift shop when it opened and secure walk-on tickets. A few minutes later, guests were having to wait and see if all the reserved ticket holders showed up. We ended up with 13 on the tour, when 10 is usually the max. It meant for some challenges keeping the group together. I felt that we got to see everything adequately, though. I didn't read a lot of Yelp reviews before going. Reading them now, after the fact, I can see why people report mixed experiences. Hopefully, I can clear up some misconceptions. The Visitor Center comprises a well-stocked and displayed gift shop. Lots of Tournament of Roses merchandise takes up one side of the good-sized room. Various books on area history are prominent, plus some gourmet food items, jewelry, silk scarves, and many decor objects. Adjacent to the gift shop is their exhibit space. Dedicated to rotating exhibitions, when we visited the two galleries were offering a SciFi lover's dream collection. With JPL nearby, and ties of Ray Bradbury and others to Southern California, this display is a good tie-in to local culture. Lots of movie memorabilia and costumes join paintings, drawings, models, comic books, and many more intriguing items. You can visit the galleries on their own, for an admission of $7 (as best I recall). Suggest reading up on the exhibition ahead of time and decide that it's what you want to see and be prepared to view each placard to get your money's worth. The real highlight of the PMH is the tour of the Feynes Mansion, plus the Finnish Folk Art House / Museum. The $17 admission includes the 75 minute tour, plus admission to the rotating exhibits. If you just go for the galleries, you might feel disappointed, as they aren't that large. Honestly, Dear Hubby and I discussed it afterward - $17 per person for the tour was steep, compared to many other venues we've visited lately. The Beaux-Arts style of the mansion is impressive from the outside, while also stark. It's all white, surrounded by gardens mostly in green tones right now. There weren't many late-Spring / early-Summer flowers to speak of, so I wasn't overwhelmed with the gardens, as I'd expected to be. Near the Finnish house there was more of a forested feel; appropriate for the home. A landscaped area to its right came down the hill from the mansion. There are water courses laid out, but the pumps weren't running, so no water streams / fountains / waterfalls. That was, frankly, disappointing. When you pay $17 to see an estate, you expect to be transported to the grandeur of said estate. Without the water features, the experience felt rather lifeless. The opposite feeling of a sense of delight. Our docent was gracious and tried hard to provide a sense of the life and times of the Feynes family. She was too soft-spoken, though, and often hard to hear. Also, she didn't seem comfortable enough with the material she was sharing to interject much humor. She also didn't know much about designation of persons from Finland as Finns or Finnish. It became grating to hear her keep saying "people from Finland" because she didn't know the other terms. It's a small, picky point, but it illustrated that she still had a lot to learn about the environment she's presenting. I'm not certain, but I believe she was mis-pronouncing the name of the family that built the mansion, also. Little nuances like that detracted from the overall experience. Compared with the excellent tours we've received for free or for maybe $5 at other museums, this wasn't up to those standards and cost far more. While many of the furnishings in the mansion were original to the family, some were "filled in" by the PMH staff. Our guide wasn't clear on which were which. The upstairs "studio" is quite magnificent, where Mrs. Feynes would invite guests to witness private plays or musical entertainment. Downstairs, the ornately delicate chandeliers and large drawing room were especially impressive. The Finnish house contains a homey folksiness that showcases a simpler culture and lifestyle. Once located elsewhere, it was re-located to the museum grounds to be part of their overall complex. You can only see it by purchasing a ticket for the mansion. After the inside tour, we strolled around the gardens, such as they were. Not very impressive, given the grandeur of the mansion. Worth a visit, but don't set a lot of expectations ahead of time.

Nice medium sized museum of local colour & interest with mostly temporary travelling thematic exhibits so that depending on the nature of the exhibit, the rating for this museum will vary due to the interests of the museum goer. We lucked out & were able to see the artistic & sculptural carousel animal exhibition which was quite extensive. You could ride on one of the animals for a "hands on" feel. There is the Fenyes Mansion tour which showcases how the rich in Pasadena lived at the turn of the 20th century, & the Finnish Folk Art Museum in a fairytale, Pagan style wooden cabin. Both are associated with the PMH which we didn't have the time to visit. Worthwhile museum to visit, but consult their website beforehand to determine if the main travelling exhibit du jour is to your liking. Otherwise you may find it utterly boring. Of course, you can still take the tour of the Fenyes Mansion & Finnish Folk Art Museum and skip the museum. "Tickets: $17 (PMH Members receive free admission for 2). Ticket price includes the Fenyes Mansion, viewing the Finnish Folk Art Museum, and the current exhibition at the museum. Docent led tour starts 12:15pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday and lasts about 75 minutes. Advance purchase is highly recommended as space is limited per tour. For more information, call 626.577.1660, ext. 10." For advance tickets https://m.bpt.me/event/3098615

When the local news highlighted Pasadena Museum of History's current exhibition: Flying Horses & Mythical Beasts: The Magical World of Carousel Animals, what I now know is only a small but breathtaking representation from Lourinda Bray's (conservator and collector) my jaw dropped! I'm not sure how many times I gasped but I knew I had to visit! I'm not a well versed, serious collector or admirer by any stretch of the imagination but I adore vintage carousels, their restoration and riding them and have for as long as I can remember. Perhaps, my Mom having one at my first birthday party just set the tone for life. I've always said if I ever have any real amount of money I'd purchase one. Well, back to the newscast - they highlighted this exhibit and also mentioned 8/28 would be a Family Free Day :) Ummm, seriously can it get any better?!? We made plans to go when they opened at 1P. I usually have a tough time managing my expectations but for some reason I was convinced we would tour one small room with maybe 10 carousel animals and that would be that. When we walked in, I was in complete shock and left in a state of awww for hours after we left. It was like a dream, up close and personal with 65 of these gorgeous creations. The collection spans the history of carousels, from the mid-19th century to modern day, with many examples from the Golden Age of Carousels, 1861-1920. Menagerie carvings, from Europe, England, the United States and Mexico, of brilliantly painted and gilded horses, lions, elephants, giraffes, sea serpents and more. My favorites were the camel, zebra, peacock, and one that dare I say resembled my little pony, with such fun metallic colors. They were all a sight to see. I emailed Lourinda personally to thank her for allowing such a gorgeous collection to be seen by the public, it was surely a treat. I'm also going to meet her to view the remainder of her collection, which is a privilege I am so grateful to have. Thanks so much Pasadena Museum of History for the free admission on Family Day and for welcoming us. Had a fantastic visit and although I've run by the museum before when out on local jogs, I've never taken the time to visit. I'll surely keep them on my radar now. Small private parking lot, and plenty of street parking on Walnut.

Another free day at this museum. LOVE IT!! They were open on Monday for an exhibit on the carousel. Glad we came early, because after an hour, it started to get really busy. There are basically two rooms which showed different horses which were repainted. There were some pieces from another country. You were allowed to touch the horses, but there was only one which was a lion that you could sit on. So interesting to see different types of characters. There was an Indian, a peacock, an elephant, a deer, and even witches. Again they had free snacks in the third room which is always a nice treat. Afterwards, you can walk around to look at the mansion. That unfortunately was closed. Free parking. Small lot though.

This is more of a review for the Fenyes Estate right next to the museum. I recently had my wedding here and it was BEAUTIFUL. I worked with Tim who is incredibly friendly and so helpful. He helped coordinate for items we needed that day and also was on site. He answered all my questions (and there was a lot of them) very promptly and was just so easy and nice to work with. The site is absolutely beautiful. Great and affordable if you want an outdoor wedding. And we practically had the place all day ( from 9am-6pm) Just FYI, they do not provide ceremony chairs or decor ( you'll have to rent) but they do have a bridal suite which is so beautiful and large and the site alone is just gorgeous, you wouldn't even need a lot of decor. Fun fact - the fenyes estate is famously in a lot of Hollywood productions, including Beyonce's Formation music video. All in all, beautiful site, lovely staff, would definitely recommend!

I love going to any museum and learning about the past. This was a lovely well maintained home in the city of Pasadena. The only part I was bummed about was that we couldn't go upstairs. I would have loved to see the master bedroom. Our tour guide was very lovely and informative. She has been doing it for thirty years and I'm sad I forgot her name. Thank you!

I took my family here and my kid was so happy. I love that they took a photo of us at the entrance with dinosaure background. I actually thought it was going to be offered but it was not. you have to pay for it. thus the 4 star. other than that, it was fun

I had never heard of this museum before two weeks ago despite having lived in Pasadena for many years. We found out about this place through the website that lists fun things to do in LA. It happened to be the opening day of their "Dreaming of the Universe..." exhibit. Even though the museum is small it was a wonderful exhibit, especially if you like things like Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, or even Battlestar Galactica. Lots of wonderful memorabilia to see. After looking at the exhibit, we walked around the property. Unfortunately the mansion and the Finnish Museum were closed as they are only open Fri-Sun at 12:15 pm. If you like science fiction stuff definitely check out the current exhibit as it is only until Sept 2, 2018.

Came here this past Sunday for MOTA (http://www.museumsofthearroyo.com/) where admission was free. I am pretty glad my husband and I did not pay to come here because we were rather disappointed. The exhibit that was featured at the museum was "I Do, I Do, Pasadena Ties The Knot" where wedding dresses between 1850- 1950 were on display. As a newly wed, I found this exhibit to be interesting and the information provided interesting as well. As you go through the exhibit and see the different styles of dresses progressing, it really made me feel happy that my wedding dress was not of the same style, lol. But of course I still appreciate the fashion and history. But anyways, when we first came into this exhibit, a docent told me right away that I am not allowed to touch the dresses and take photos. She made me feel like I was a little kid as she seemed to have already pre- scold me before entering the exhibit. I know not to touch the dresses so I just thought that was kind of annoying that she had to repeat it to me twice... (and this was right before I step foot into the exhibit) and yet she did not tell the elderly people behind us about not touching the dresses... But I still enjoyed looking at the dresses anyway. Now there is the Fenyes Mansion that is here as well and that was a major disappointment. When we first walked to the museum, we entered through the gates and over to the mansion. We donned on our blue little scrub booties (to protect the floors) and walked inside. Inside the mansion, we were only allowed to see 3 or 4 rooms total, which was well, pretty boring. There were only a few docents around and so very little history was shared with visitors. As I left the mansion, I overheard a docent that they were not having a formal tour because of the large number of people coming for the MOTA day. So I am assuming that perhaps there are more areas in the mansion to venture to on any other normal day, but just not for the MOTA. But I doubt I'd ever come back (even on a free day). By the way, there is street parking in the residential area or you can try to park in the small lot they have (which was packed for the MOTA day, but doubtful it would be on any other day).

I love to explore places and it's always fun to do such things. Museums, for example, are great places to go for leaning interesting things. So we decided to try out this one in Pasadena. BUT, after our visit, we felt completed disappointed by the fact that there were only train illustrations and chalk festival photos in the entire museum for exhibition. Nothing about the real history of Pasadena. We were completely blown away by the fact that nothing regarding history was on display. That was disappointing. Also, the staff working there were not helpful nor were they friendly to the customers who paid for the tickets either. We felt very unwelcome in there. We have been to so many museums and this is by far the worst experience. What's more, when we asked one of the staff about the history and old newspapers to look at, she acted super reluctant to get those for us and told us that we could google things online. If that's the case, why would anyone bother to come to visit this museum? After our persistent asking, they finally suggested that we went downstairs and we went, only to find that people were working there as well( like an office place). They were just doing their own things instead of actively helping people. Nothing felt right visiting this museum and I really would like to have a refund. It's a total waste of time and money.

Who would've thought a museum can turn into wedding. Absolutely gorgeous outdoor wedding. I felt like i was at a winery wedding. The decor was beautiful. If you plan to have a small wedding this venue would work for you. Nothing more than 200 guests I think.

Very sad as the Museum looked beautiful but I wouldn't know the inside as my first stop was the gift shop (by the museum parking lot) to find out about the tour and where to get tickets. Date was December 30th at 12pm the store clerk was rude and had no business representing the museum. We asked if we could purchase tickets and she rudely said "NO" it's at capacity and we missed it. I said can we walk the grounds and go into the building she proceeded to say "NO".yet again. Being in the hospitality industry myself I was applaud by her lack of hospitality. So my recommendation to the lovely museum is make sure you put a pleasant and happy person in your gift shop . We then turned around and went to another museum in the City of Old Orange and hospitality seemed to be there focus. FYI the city itself was lovely and getting ready for the Rose Bowl Parade.

I was here to DJ a wedding. Actually, handled the PA system for the ceremony portion. Not much space for the reception. It is a beautiful garden and location for ceremony. Just hard to see the actual ceremony of bride and groom decide to have it at the top of the stairs.

This review is not for the museum but for the archives. The facility in itself is very nice. there is a lot of parking outside. I entered through the gift shop, which was fairly well kept. The staff working here was pretty nice and guided me to the archives. Oh yah, before my visit, I contacted the archivists who was super helpful. She went above and beyond and looked into the collection to skim and see if there were any interesting and relevant primary source material. On the day of working here, the archivist was also very helpful and tried to help me as much as possible. He looked in books and binders to see if there was more useful information to my research. Finally, different from all the other archives that I've been to, they aren't anal about constantly monitoring their guests while handling the materials. At some archives, I feel I'm constantly being monitored while looking at historic material. However, the archivist was really laid back and made me feel trusted. This made me want to take care of their materials even more.

Pasadena Museum of History was on our route during the MOTA 2013 day. The thing to keep in mind is that this museum doesn't really have a permanent collection. Its two main galleries hold different temporary expositions, and those are not always history relates per se. This time it was the collection of wedding gowns from 1850-1950 - a stunning display of elegance over time. Fenyes Mansion, also on the museum premises, is actually a much larger exhibit, showing the visitors a magnificent house of that once belonged to the Fenyes family. The mansion reopened for the public about a year ago after substantial reconstruction. There are tours available every weekend, and they are worth the $15.00. You can also go inside of a Finnish house, which exhibits some elements of country life in Finland about a century ago. It is small and cute, and completely differs from everything else on the premises. The reason for it being there is that the last daughter in the Fenyes family was married to the Finn (and counsel general of Finland in LA). The whole museum ensemble is beautiful. A great place to spend an afternoon!

The Pasadena Museum of History was one of the shuttle stop as part of Art Night Pasadena in early Oct 2017. It is a small museum with a gift shop in a beautiful house. I did not see the garden but other helpers posted beautiful garden photos. The exhibits tonight were Pasadena Rose Parade and Rose Queen artifacts. The entrance hallway is welcoming with a giant crown and large paper roses.x I really enjoyed looking at it. There were many old photographs of the rose queens and their gowns. A few actual gowns were on display. There was also live music entertainment in the back room. This was worth a visit. I did not try the food from the food truck.

I didn't know this museum existed until I saw it listed as one of the free museums on museum day. I really enjoyed learning about the history of the rose parade. The dresses previous Rose queens and princesses wore were absolutely beautiful. Definitely a must see.

As an avid house museum visitor, I was really excited to finally go on the Fenyes Mansion tour today (Sunday @ 12:15pm). TIPS: -FREE parking at their outdoor lot located on Walnut. Put this into GPS: 478 W. Walnut, Pasadena -Docent-led tours are only available once a day on the weekend at 12:15pm. -$17 admission / Tickets are sold at the register in the museum store -Admission includes Fenyes Mansion + Finnish Folk Art Museum + Current exhibit @ Pasadena Museum of History -Tour lasted 1 hour + 15 minutes -You're allowed to take photos inside the house -To protect the hardwood floors, you're given cloth "booties" to wear over your shoes. FENYES MANSION TOUR: -4 stars for the actual Fenyes Mansion and 1 star for the TERRIBLE docent. -Our "docent" was one of the worst tour guides I've ever met on a house museum tour. She had NO knowledge of the Fenyes Mansion, kept getting her design eras mixed up (she couldn't remember if the a siting room was Victorian or "French" designed), didn't offer any facts about furnishings, interiors, and couldn't even answer simple questions about the Fenyes family and when it was used as a consulate. All she did was lead us around to the rooms and let us roam free while she stood at the corner. I had to look things up myself on my phone since she couldn't answer anyone's questions about anything. Every time someone on the tour pointed something out like the intercom system in the kitchen, closet window, or butlers pantry with the family china, she acted surprised and said she had no idea it was even there. Utterly useless, especially when you compare it to the extremely knowledgeable tour guides at the Gamble House at a cheaper admission price of $15. -On the flip side, this mansion tour was great in terms of it being fully furnished (many pieces are not original to the house) and we were able to walk freely and touch anything we liked. The docent clearly had no problems with us touching things and opening doors since she said it was fine (was it really OK?) -Fun fact: Beyonce shot parts of her "Formation" music video here at the book-lined hallway and formal living room. FINNISH FOLK ART MUSEUM: -The last 20 minutes of the tour is spent on the Finnish Folk Art Museum outside the Feynes mansion -Really interesting replica of a 19th century Finnish farmhouse & sauna with complete set of furnishings. Overall, a great house museum but ruined by a terrible docent with an extremely limited knowledge of the house & it's former residents.

Went on a field trip with my class and we were led by Junior docents who led three groups around the mansion. My students loved it and so did I. The house is beautifully maintained and is literally like you stepped into the early 1900's. One of our favorite artifacts in the home was the monkey cage. It is so tiny ! All in all, the trip went really well and I'm glad we had the chance to go.

A major part of the Pasadena Museum of History is the Feynes Mansion. Available only by guided tour, access to the Feynes Mansion was limited to the main floor. The upstairs bedrooms and downstairs (not sure what's down there - boo!) are not part of the tour. The Beaux Arts house had a simple floor plan, arched windows, high ceilings, small kitchen, very few bathrooms, a cohesive interior design, and preserved or restored to evoke living in that era. Although the house is completely furnished with original or representative period pieces, it is not artistically loaded with museum-quality decorative arts. The expansion which added a conservatory is one of the best features. It would be great if they could re-fill it with plants (might even help with attracting more customers to rent the event space). The Feynes Mansion Tour was scheduled for 75 minutes but took 95 minutes which also included walking through the Finnish Folk Art Museum - a woodsy garage converted into living space. The Finnish museum was folksy, but not artsy.

Brought the kids and they enjoyed the carousel horses. It's small and quick. We were out in less than an hour. Staff was so sweet and offered kids free ice cream outside. There's outdoor parking in front and a pretty garden right outside.

This small museum just west of the center of town is currently showing an exhibit of paintings and prints by local female artists While gender politics aren't really the focus of the exhibit, it seems that many female artists have been under-appreciated. A fun way to spend an afternoon.

One star for a museum apparently devoted to the history of the city for which it is named. We found the two smallish exhibition rooms - housing temporary exhibits--to be lacking in authentic historical artifacts-relying rather on mostly reprinted photography, letters and maps. Upon finishing our pass through of the two rooms we were very surprised to learn that that was it. There is no permanent galleries dedicated to Pasadena's very rich history. What a terrible shame. Look around where ever you are in Pasadena and you feel like the place has great history. And as a resident of Pasadena - I'm very disappointed that the Pasadena Museum of History doesn't offer much in the way of a historical narrative of Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley.

My wedding! I was having a really tough time finding a venue for my ceremony and reception, but got lucky. I mean, REAL lucky to have found this place with the help of my event coordinator. We went through 1800Registery.com, but you can go directly to the museum's website to find more info on holding events. Tim Macdonaugh was very helpful through the whole process. Make sure you go over the rental agreement with a fine tooth comb! The grounds are beautiful. You don't really need a lot to spruce it up because of the ample amounts of foliage. Weddings are held outdoors at the Fenyes Estate Garden. You can hold a reception for around 215 max. Honestly, it's better to keep your party to 15 tables as to give your guests plenty of space to walk around. *Quick notes: -You must provide everything for your event meaning: catering, tables/chairs, decorations/table settings, lights, heat lamps, tents (in case of rain), beverages (must have a special permit to serve liquor in Pasadena), etc.... -The event needs to end by 10:00 PM because the museum is located in a residential area and the city has a noise ordinance. -Parking lot only holds around 30 cars. Street parking available along Orange Grove -Bridal room is large and very spacious! -A security guard & site manager is required and included within the contract for an extra fee. This is non-negotiable.

A great museum in Pasadena with a little-known great perk: The perk is that they will help you research the provenance of your house. Learn who lived there, and when, what they did, what your house has looked like when it was built, and what has transpired to the present day. All of this is available in the research area in the basement - what a generous service! They request a $5 donation and it is more than worth it. Membership is very reasonable - less than $100/yr. Anyone who can ... should have a membership in your local history museum. Pasadena has a rich and interesting history. This museum allows us all to understand why Pasadena is such a special place to live. Several historic buildings on the property, including the Fenyes' Mansion (reopening to the public in 2012). http://www.pasadenahistory.org/

To my great surprise, this place has the charm, magic and inspiration of decades of old LA artistic tradition, and decades of high quality artistic history of Southern California. I love the practical aspects of art that can beautify our daily life in the form of gorgeous tiles and ceramics.

Though I volunteered as a docent at the Fenyes Mansion for 2 years in middle school, I only set foot in the museum a handful of times. I do recall that it was a warm, inviting place, with lots of friendly, helpful people. If you do take a trip to the museum, make it a point to have a tour of the Fenyes Mansion as well -- it's a stunning example of what early Pasadena life was like; yes, the Fenyeses were rather high-class, Mr. Fenyes being an ambassador & all, but the people who came to settle the area tended to be either rich & wanted the luxury, or were poor & were seeking the luxury. If you get a good enough docent, they may joke about the ghosts in the house, too. Even now, 8 years later, I could probably lead a decent enough tour of the place.

Please keep in mind that this review is only for their service in dealing with wedding ceremonies. I'd give no stars if I could. My fiance and I were both looking forward to having this venue for our ceremony. My first call to them was in late September 2010 to inquire about my October 2011 wedding. I spoke with a person name Emily who informed me that they currently were not taking any bookings for the venue due to the construction. When asked she told me the earliest they can start booking again would be in March 2011. So she was nice enough to tell me that she would hold the date tentatively under my name since I was the first to inquire about this date and would call me the second they can start taking bookings. My fiance and I were both excited about this venue and we still didnt have an exact price since Emily had told us their prices were due to increase this year. Despite knowing they were under construction we still went to visit to venue to make sure we loved it as much as the photos we saw. We did! So I waited patiently for a call.. Fast forward to today, I called them (well before March) to see if they will start taking wedding bookings soon. The lady I spoke with told me they were and asked for my date. She comes back and tells me my date has been booked. I tell her that's impossible, the date was being held for me. She puts me on hold to double check, but its still the same answer. So then I find out this other wedding has been booked since November 2010. Why was I not notified? Anyone that has planned a wedding knows how stressful and time consuming it can be. Its perfectly fine when things don't go your way and people are supposed to have a plan B or plan C as necessary. I never expected that this place was mine until I signed the contract so thank goodness I have continuously searched for ceremony sites. Never the less, their work ethics are very unprofessional and showed a lack of communication at the cost of possible clients. They have left me without a venue and my search continues.

Purchased an online voucher for this place and visited with my husband recently. My review is not for the "tour" but rather their two exhibitions in the museum rooms. I see that they've taken the initiative to wow us with some information but I found that it was not as impressive as I'd thought. The topics we read through was kind of a bore. Many would say, yeah - well you are going to a history museum.. but I did not expect this history (about Pasadena- one of my favorite cities in the world), museum to be so ...... flat. I guess that's the word. My husband didn't enjoy it that much either. I don't think I'd pay to visit again and probably not for the tour either. However, I appreciate their efforts, hence my three stars. The service inside (the docent) had an OK personality, a little snobby and stuffy but that's just my opinion. Just not my cup of tea overall but I appreciate their efforts (as mentioned).

NOTE: This is not a museum of history, per se. Rather, it is a (fantastic) Museum of Historical Art that have origins in or near the City of Pasadena. There *are* historical archives available to research, but not on display. There is no history of Pasadena to be learned here, other than through works of art and/or crafts.

In my review of MOTA (Museums of the Arroyo) Day, I said that this place was a bit of a misnomer. We came here during MOTA day after the Gamble House and I have been wanting to go here for a while. It was nothing like I expected since it seemed more of a small art gallery consisting of two rooms. However, upon reading other reviews of this "Museum of History" it seems that the historical part is in the basement of the building. Wish that had been more obvious. After visiting the two rooms of art, we peeked around the corner of the building to find a magnificent mansion. It was quite the surprise. However, it was closed due to renovation. Hopefully, next time I go I'll get to see all the fun, historical things this place holds of my beloved hometown.

I had a wonderful experience here checking out the aerodynamics exhibit. I went there since they had a free kite-making session. Had it not been for that, I'm not sure if I can say that this is the best museum experience. I like that it is free, and also it is quaint. It's definitely small. The garden area is beautiful.

The employees in the book shop were amazing. Since I am not a native to Pasadena (I'm from Detroit), I asked them about places to see and events. They were so helpful, I think I talked with them for an hour or so. And the current exhibit on the Pacific Electric Railway is fascinating. There are pictures of what the area looked like when the trains were in operation and what they look like now. I also liked the exhibit on the Doo Dah Parade. I didn't even know about the parade but after seeing the exhibit, I definitely want to check it out the next one. I definitely plan on going back--I wound up getting a membership.

The tour of the mansion and the smaller house were really interesting and its a great venue for an outdoor wedding. However, the museum itself was very small, only two rooms. I'm really glad we went on the tour first, because that is whats worth it. You have to reserve a tour first but its worth it if you are interested in the history of Pasadena.

Small museum with only one exhibit at a time. Great gift shop.

Not much for Pasadena history. Very very small when we went. Three rooms, one showing paintings of trains...the other showing paintings of street chalk art....the biggest room was the gift shop. Ironically, most of the historical learning was done there via books for sale. I would o my go again for the free gift shop to browse

Every nown and then, you find a museum or other historical site that is off the beaten track as far as tourists go. The Pasadena Museum of History is no different - their constantly changing exhibits reflect the rich culture of the area, while the Fanyes Mansion and gardens give you a glimpse into Pasadena's past. Definitely recommended!!!

The Pasadena Museum of History is a hidden gem in the city. We went for the "Purse and the Person" exhibit two years ago and really enjoyed it. We brought our two-year old and there was also a themed table with activities that she could participate in. They have such unique and thoughtful exhibits that really reflect the rich culture of Pasadena. The gift shop also has some cute items and I enjoy browsing there. This place is good for children too - the grounds are beautiful and my daughter had fun running around and seeing Sultan, a friendly black and white cat that comes to visit the museum every day. My children now can learn a little bit about where they live!

This museum has a neat mansion - all decorated like the early 1900's. Also, call to see what exhibit it has up - now its African American Quilts, which is neat if you're into it. The gardens are beautiful - good place to walk around (or get married in if you are so inclined). Educational events are nice - you can meet neat people....

I was expecting to see something about the history of Pasadena or the surrounding area - at least a small permanent gallery devoted to the subject. They had two good sized galleries devoted to a single subject - Carousel animals... Which was ok - but nothing related to the history of Pasadena. The gift shop was loaded with books and gifts related to the history of the area - but nothing in the museum itself.

Had a poor experience here. I drove over an hour to visit this museum to see a clothing exhibit. There was nothing in the promotional materials listing a minimum age to view the exhibit. I brought a child in a stroller and a 5 year old. When we entered the museum a docent told me children were not allowed. I asked her to check and she came back and said we could enter, then proceeded to follow us through the entire exhibit talking at us with a pained look on her face, instead of allowing us to view the exhibit at our own pace. Then she told me I should come back another day without my children. At no time did my children misbehave in anyway and on a weekday afternoon we were the only people in the place, so there was no one we could have possibly disturbed. I have visited many art and history museums with my children and never encountered a problem before or after. If you and you children enjoy history, this is NOT the place for you; you will have a very uncomfortable visit.