Pasadena Museum of History is the right stop when the mansions, gardens, and parade traditions of the city start to blur together. Its galleries use photographs, decorative arts, family papers, and changing exhibitions to explain how Pasadena grew from a winter resort for wealthy easterners into a city with its own architectural and civic personality.
The museum sits near the Fenyes Mansion, so it pairs neatly with a walk along Orange Grove Boulevard or a visit to Tournament House. It is not a blockbuster museum, but it gives useful context for why Pasadena looks so different from much of greater Los Angeles.