Pasadena Museums Take Part in Free Museum Day This Sunday

At least three Pasadena museums are taking part in the 13th Annual Museums Free-for-All on Sunday, January 28, along with dozens of Southern California museums opening their doors and presenting art, cultural heritage, natural history and science to visitors free of charge. The annual event is an initiative of SoCal Museums, a group of marketing and communications professionals from museums all over Southern California.

In Pasadena, Kidspace Children’s Museum, the Pasadena Museum of California Art and the USC Pacific Asia Museum are part of the Museums Free-for-All on Sunday.

Adult admission at Kidspace, at 480 N. Arroyo Blvd., is normally between $3 and $14, and $5 to $7 at the Pasadena Museum of California Art, located at 490 E. Union Street. Admission is usually free at USC Pacific Asia Museum, at 46 N. Los Robles Avenue.

Jennifer Caballero, Marketing Director at Skirball Cultural Center and Socal Museums president, said the event has grown to be tremendously popular, with thousands of people turning up every year to explore the museums in the region. “We hope that visitors take advantage of this day by going to a museum they have always wanted to see or by revisiting an old favorite – and we hope they go Metro and take the train, bus, or bike share there,” Caballero said.

SoCal Museums Free-for-All is partnering with Metro, encouraging visitors to go Metro to explore participating museums, many of which are a short walk from Metro bus or rail stops. Museum-goers can plan ahead by checking www.metro.net for schedules.

Event organizers also hope to inform people about free visitor days available year-round at most of the museums across Southern California, including those in Pasadena. Norton Simon Museum, at 411 West Colorado Blvd., usually schedules a free day once a week, and the Armory Center for the Arts, at 145 N. Raymond Avenue, has at least two days per week of free admission at certain hours of the day.

SoCal Museums has an online calendar of free days at www.socalmuseums.org/free.

For more information, visit www.socalmuseums.org.