Pasadena Museum of History

Route 66 & Old Pasadena’s Car Scene - Walking Tour this Saturday, June 6, 10 am to 12 noon

PMH curator Julia Long leads us around present-day Old Pasadena, exploring a section of famed Route 66 in this first of a two-part series. Learn about Old Pasadena’s car scene that featured one of the original “Automobile Rows,” and buildings that once housed gas stations, car mechanics, and even an electric car dealership from the early 20th century.

The Route 66 series will continue through the Playhouse Village in Part 2 on July 11.

Tickets are sold separately for the two tours; advance reservations necessary ($25 General; $20 PMH Members). Visit the Museum's Events Calendar for the ticketing link.

Pasadena Palette: David Sikes, “Autumn Pasadena Parrots,” 2014; oil on canvas; Gift of Gallerie Gabrie, San Marino Gallery, Segil Fine Art Sources, Silvana Gallery, & Tirage Fine Art Gallery, 2014

We continue a series spotlighting the 40 art treasures currently on display in “Pasadena Palette: Selections from the Museum’s Collections.” The exhibition is open Thursdays through Sundays from 12-5 pm.

May 31 is World Parrot Day, dedicated to raising awareness of the beauty, intelligence and conservation of parrots. Fortunately, we just happen to have the perfect painting on view in our exhibition. Southern California artist David Sikes captured a scene familiar to many of us – blue skies, palm trees, and parrots. “Autumn Pasadena Parrots” was first displayed at PMH in the 2014 exhibition, “Contemporary Masters: Artistic Eden IV” and donated at that time to PMH as the “purchase prize” by the consortium of art galleries represented in the exhibition.
According to Aaron Rickell Jones of LA Field Guide, “Pasadena is home to a population of more than 2,000 parrots—and growing. One of the more unique and bizarre wildlife phenomena in Southern California, they’ve been spotted as far north as Bakersfield and south into Orange County and San Diego, but the epicenter of their population is here in Pasadena. For 50 years, morning and evening, vast flocks of red-crowned parrots, red-masked parakeets, and yellow-headed amazons squelch, crawl, and screech their way into roost trees throughout the San Gabriel Valley.”

For more on the stories behind Pasadena’s iconic parrot population, visit our blog on the PMH website.

This Sunday, 12-4 pm - Free Admission to 5 local museums for MOTA Day!

MOTA Day offers FREE admission and activities at five museums located along the celebrated Arroyo Seco. In addition to PMH, visit the Gamble House, Heritage Square Museum, Los Angeles Police Museum, and Lummis Home & Garden.

At PMH, view Pasadena Palette an exhibition which brings approximately 50 paintings hidden in our collection into the spotlight. Visitors are welcomed inside the Fényes Mansion and Finnish Folk Art Museum for Mini Self-Guided Tours. Kids of all ages can join Art 2 Go’s craft workshop to create a wooden medallion with nature designs.

This is a once-a-year opportunity - don't miss it!

Visit Five Museums for FREE this Sunday on Museums of the Arroyo Day! May 31, 2026. Noon - 4pm.
Explore great art, architecture, and history. Self-guided tours, family friendly activities, plenty of photo opps!
AND ALL FREE!
The Gamble House
Heritage Square Museum
Los Angeles Police Museum
Pasadena Museum of History and
Lummis Home.

Details here on parking and more. www.museumsofthearroyo.com

Note: No shuttles for MOTA Day 2026.

Enjoy this terrific article about some of Pasadena's architectural eye candy:

A Pasadena Bestiary - Local News Pasadena The former Hotel Constance is awash in faux-medieval splendor. The former Hotel Constance awash in faux-medieval splendor

Tickets now available - final exhibition tour with curator Cha-Rie Tang - this Saturday, May 16, 11:00 am at Pasadena Museum of History!

Multi-disciplinary artist Cha-Rie Tang has been creating acclaimed and innovative works for nearly half a century. A sampling of her exquisite ceramics, fused glass, designs and sketches is now on view at PMH in the exhibition "Cha-Rie Tang: 48 Years of Artistic Innovation in Pasadena." This is your last chance to tour the exhibition in the company of the artist before the it closes on Sunday, May 24.

For more information and a ticketing link, please visit the Museum's website.
-RieTang

Celebrating National Postcard Week, May 7-13, 2026:
This restored 1930s-era service station in Galena, Kansas, is one of the most recognizable stops along the short stretch of Route 66 in the state. Originally built as a Kan-O-Tex gas station, it served travelers during the height of mid-century American automobile tourism.

Around 2007, the building was restored by four female partners who renamed it Four Women on the Route. During this period, the site gained wider attention after being visited by director John Lasseter and Pixar’s John Ranfit while traveling Route 66 for the film ‘Cars.”

Today, the site is known as Cars on the Route, reflecting its connection to the animated film "Cars." The station blends Route 66 history with modern pop culture, illustrating how the legacy of the Mother Road continues to evolve for new generations of travelers.

Celebrating National Postcard Week, May 7-13, 2026:
The Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma, was built in the early 1970s by local zoologist Hugh S. Davis as a surprise anniversary gift for his wife, Zelta Davis. The structure is about 80 feet long and 20 feet tall, built from steel and concrete, with hand-mixed cement applied over a welded frame. The family opened the site, and it was enjoyed by locals and visitors until its closure in 1988. In the early 2000s, it reopened after local volunteers and Route 66 preservation groups helped restore the structure. Today, Blue Whale Park is a favorite stop for Route 66 travelers.

Celebrating National Postcard Week, May 7-13, 2026:
Located just west of Amarillo, Texas, Cadillac Ranch features ten Cadillacs buried nose-first in a wheat field, all angled toward the west. Each Cadillac represents the evolution of the “tail fin” design from 1949 to 1963. This early postcard shows the cars in their original rusty state. Over time, the Cadillacs became an evolving canvas for visitor graffiti, with travelers encouraged to leave their mark using spray paint. Periodically, the installation is repainted in a single solid color, so the next round of artists has a clean “canvas” to decorate.

Celebrating National Postcard Week, May 7-13, 2026:
Earl’s Family Restaurant in Gallup, New Mexico, is both a longtime local gathering place and a well-known stop for travelers along Historic Route 66. Founded in the late 1940s as a small roadside hamburger stand, it gradually expanded into a large, bustling restaurant while keeping its casual, family-style atmosphere. Today, it serves as a dependable place for hearty fare, including regional New Mexican dishes featuring green chiles and traditional fry bread.