Melting Pot Food Tours has added Route 66 history to its Old Pasadena Food Tasting Walking Tour for 2026, according to the tour’s online listing, marking the centennial of the highway that runs through the city as Colorado Boulevard, with weekend dates of Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28.
The move folds a national anniversary into a recurring local outing. Route 66 was established in 1926, making 2026 its 100th year, and Colorado Boulevard — the road the route follows through Pasadena — marks 150 years in the same period, according to Visit Pasadena and the Pasadena Museum of History. The walk now uses that stretch as part of what it covers.
The tour runs on Saturdays and Sundays, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., starting at 155 S. Raymond Ave. in Old Pasadena. The company says the exact meeting point is sent to ticket holders after purchase. The event listing bills it as a three-hour walking tour with merchant-hosted tastings, and the company describes the route as about 1.25 miles with 10 stops, with food samples filling enough that lunch afterward is usually unnecessary.
Stops described by the company include independently owned eateries, an olive oil shop, an artisan chocolate maker, a bakery and a handmade-soap shop. Whenever possible, the tastings are hosted by the participating merchants.
Admission is $119 for adults and $65 for children 13 and under, according to the event listing. The company’s own website lists a lower child price, and a Visit Pasadena event page lists higher prices for both — a reminder to confirm the current rate at the time of booking.
Melting Pot Food Tours was founded in 2008 by sisters Lisa and Diane Scalia and has been owned since early 2021 by Jody Flowers, who holds degrees from Purdue University and Johnson & Wales University, according to the company and its 2021 ownership announcement.
Route 66 ran 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica and was decommissioned in 1985. Colorado Boulevard remains part of its historic corridor through Pasadena — the same stretch that carries the Tournament of Roses Parade each New Year’s Day.
Tickets and the full schedule are available through Melting Pot Food Tours at meltingpottours.com or (323) 664-4472. Parking at the starting point is not included; the company lists rates of 90 minutes free, $2 for each additional hour and a $6 daily maximum.
The weekend schedule holds through 2026, keeping the Route 66 segment available across the centennial year.
Old Pasadena Food Tasting Walking Tour | Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28, 2026, 10:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. | Meeting point: 155 S. Raymond Ave. | Adult $119; child 13-under $65. | 🔗 https://www.visitpasadena.com/events/old-pasadena-food-tasting-walking-tour/
