Pasadena Convention Center – Things To Do With Your Team

Pasadena is nationally known for two major events: the Rose Bowl college football game and the Tournament of Roses parade. Believe it or not, these two events occur on the same day, New Year’s Day. The spectacle that is the Tournament of Roses parade is like no parade you’ve seen before. The previous one consisted of 44 floats, 19 equestrian units with approximately 400 horses, and 22 marching bands. The city of Pasadena revolves around this epic day, but that doesn’t mean your team won’t have a memorable time if they’re visiting any other time of the year. The Pasadena Convention Center is as impressive as the city itself with 55,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 29,000 square feet ballroom, and 29 meeting rooms. You can count on an amazing trip with your team in Pasadena.

Things to Do

Neon Retro Arcade

One of the most magical, kid-friendly places is the arcade. Being surrounded by countless video games of old and new excites not only kids, but adults too. Spend some time at Neon Retro Arcade once you wrap up for the day at the Pasadena Convention Center. Unlike most arcades, Neon Retro doesn’t charge you per game. You won’t have to worry about shelling out dollar after dollar to play all of the games you want. Instead, you will be charged by the hour. This is a much better system for you and your team. Purchase an hour or two and bounce from machine to machine as you compete with your team, as well as the game itself.

Neon Retro’s variety of arcade games is diverse enough to excite even the most casual gamer. There are numerous pinball machines, Pacman, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, NFL Blitz, Super Mario Brothers, and much more. You’ll even find some next gen consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. For a full list of all the arcade games, check here. Keep in mind that the arcade rotates their games regularly, so there’s always something new to play. Try and fight your way to the top of the leaderboard at Neon Arcade and let the good times roll. 28 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105

Wrigley Mansion

January 1^st is easily the most important day of the year for the city of Pasadena. Both the Rose Bowl and Tournament of Roses parade take place on that day. While these events only happen the one day every year, the planning for them is a year round job. Take your team four a tour of the headquarters of the Tournament of Roses Association at Wrigley Mansion just short drive from the Pasadena Convention Center. Explore the Italian style mansion that  was built in 1906. Included in the tour is some insight and sneak peeks into the planning process for the Tournament of Roses parade and the Rose Bowl.

Not only will your team gain access to Wrigley Mansion, the tour shows groups the wonderful Wrigley Gardens too. Observe over 1,500 types of roses, camellias, and annuals throughout four and a half acres of lush, colorful garden. You do not need to make reservations for a tour of Wrigley Mansion and Gardens if you have less than 10 people, but it is recommended that you arrive at least 10 minutes before the tour is scheduled to begin. If you do have 10 or more people in your group, please call 626-449-4100. One more awesome thing about touring Wrigley Mansion and Gardens, it’s entirely free. 391 S Orange Grove Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91184

USC Pacific Asia Museum

Take an expedition to the other side of the world while only having to walk a few minutes from the Pasadena Convention Center at the USC Pacific Asia Museum. Affiliated with the University of Southern California, the USC Pacific Asia Museum is devoted to celebrating the history of Asian heritage through art and artifacts. Browse the galleries of Japanese paintings and drawings as you gain insight into the culture and history of these proud people. Moving west across the Sea of Japan, you find yourself perusing exhibits from China. Creations like woodblock prints and over 1,000 ceramics from the Neolithic time through multiple dynasties are on display.

Another mesmerizing gallery that is a must see is the museum’s jade collection. With more than 150 pieces of jewelry, sculptures, and more, made out of jade, this exhibit is sure to wow your team. There’s plenty more to see at the USC Pacific Asia Museum. Make sure to check out the captivating temporary exhibits along with the permanent collection. 46 N Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101

Southern California Children’s Museum

Anyone visiting Pasadena with a team of younger kids is going to want to take a trip to the Southern California Children’s Museum. Don’t let the word museum fool you, this place is anything but. Your team will have a blast playing in all of the rooms and with all of the toys available. Set out on a voyage to catch some fish on a fishing boat. Sit around a campfire and tell ghost stories. Climb on and slide down all of the climbable structures. Dress in costumes and use your imagination to have endless amounts of fun. The Southern California Children’s Museum is held in high regard in the Pasadena area. You can always count on the facility being clean and the staff being friendly and willing to help. Any groups of 10 or more will qualify for group discounts at the museum. 459 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101

The Bunker Experience

Test the team’s critical thinking and deduction skills at The Bunker Experience. This high intensity escape room is located very close to the Pasadena Convention Center and offers two mind stumping choices for your team to decide from. The first room is known as The Bunker. This room is unlike any escape room you may have experienced in the past. Seeking shelter, you and your team find yourselves in the bunker, but you realize that you’re being tracked by vandals. You must find the United Human Compound before you get caught. You’ll have 50 minutes to navigate through the maze, solve clues and puzzles, and will deal with live actors. There is a bit of a fright factor involved, but the difficulty level for this room isn’t too high.

The other room, The Hive, is structured differently. There is no maze, live actors, or scariness, but the difficulty level is raised a bit. This room continues the story from the first one. Still in search of the United Human Compound, your group stumbles upon a vandal outpost. To survive outside, you need to search for materials and supplies at the outpost. The only problem is you don’t want to get caught while you’re looking. Both of The Bunker Experience’s rooms are sure to entertain your team for the full 50 minutes, unless you escape earlier of course. 20 N Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103

Pasadena Museum of History

Focused on educating residents and visitors alike, the Pasadena Museum of History has amassed a diverse collection of artifacts and provides its guests with unique exhibits to enjoy. The museum continually rotates exhibits in an effort to further the exploration into history for both itself and visitors. Some popular past galleries included a large collection of Civil War memorabilia, an exhibit on kites, wings, and other things that fly, and a display about the Pasadena royalty: the Rose Queens and Royal Court. Visit their website to find out what exhibits are currently being shown before your visit. Also offered in the Pasadena Museum of History package is a tour of Fenyes Mansion. This Pasadena cultural heritage landmark gives guests a sneak peek into life on Pasadena’s Millionaire’s Row and how those people once lived. 470 W Walnut St, Pasadena, CA 91103

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Places to Eat

The Luggage Room

Voted the best local pizza by Pasadena Weekly, The Luggage Room is a hotspot for avid pizza lovers. Your team is lucky that it’s so close to the Pasadena Convention Center. Cooking up their delicious pizzas in an Italian wood burning oven, The Luggage Room chefs are experts on how to make tasty, cheesy pizza. Choose from 10 specialty pizzas or create your own by utilizing the expansive list of toppings offered. No matter what you top your pizza with; you will be raving about how great it is. 260 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105

King Taco

From its humble beginnings of serving food in an ice cream truck to multiple full-fledged restaurants, King Taco credits its success to fresh ingredients and consistent quality. Your team will be ecstatic to eat a meal at King Taco. They serve all of the Mexican dishes that you have grown to love. Tacos, burritos, nachos, sopes, quesadillas, and much more are sure to satisfy any hungry stomachs. 45 N Arroyo Pkwy, Pasadena, CA 91103

Lunasia Dim Sum House

Inspired by the Cantonese style Dim Sum, or “small bites,” Lunasia Dim Sum House  proudly serves high quality Chinese food that raises the bar for Chinese restaurants everywhere. Fans of dumplings will feel like they’re in a paradise with all of the dumpling options available. You’ll also find fried rice, noodles, shrimp, vegetable, beef, chicken, and even spare rib dishes. There are no wrong choices when it comes to Lunasia Dim Sum House. 239 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101

Slater’s 50/50

You might be wondering what the significance of the name Slater’s 50/50 comes from. The answer lies in its homemade one-of-a-kind hamburgers. Instead of grilling up 100% ground beef patties, Slater’s uses, you guessed it, a 50/50 combination of ground beef and ground bacon. Nowhere else will you find a burger like this. Not only can you select one of their specialty burgers, you can design your own and customize it with numerous toppings to make the perfect burger for you. Besides burgers, Slater’s 50/50 serves mac and cheese, pulled pork sliders, chili wings, and you can wash them all down with a cold, frothy milkshake. 61 N Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103

Your visit to The City of Roses will be nothing short of extraordinary. There are simply so many awesome attractions and restaurants to check out. Not only will your team encounter multiple amusing activities, they’ll also learn about a lot of fascinating history. Once you leave the Pasadena Convention Center, the opportunities of what to do are endless.