We went searching for the best places for families in our area and here are your favorites:
Play
Best Park For Special Needs: Reese's Retreat (360 North Arroyo Blvd, Pasadena) Nicknamed by many as pirate park,
Park with the most shade: Grant Park (1200 Cordova Street, Pasadena)
This family favorite features a tennis court, half court basketball, baseball fields, fairly new playground equipment and of course shade. With 2.7 acres there is plenty of space for little ones of all ages to play. No hassle parking is an added bonus for a free afternoon.
Best Martial Arts: Kidpower in Pasadena (19 Backus Avenue, Pasadena)
http://www.kidpowermartialarts.com/
The staff here loves kids and it shows! Many parents are excited to see the transformation in their kids after starting this program. Children develop humility and respect in a fun learning environment. The studio also reinforces important values like honesty and integrity, and focuses on athletics like coordination, balance, agility, and endurance. Many young, confident Pasadena athletes will result from this local favorite.
Best Indoor Play Space: Magical Playground (1778 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena)
http://www.magicalplayground.com
Children will bounce in the Magical Castle Bouncer, explore and slide down the Magical Playground Jungle Gym, play air hockey, arcade games, and more! The facility is equipped to accommodate children of various ages. For the younger ones, they offer a separate soft Baby Development Center, a toddler bouncer, a toddler slide, and fun yet educational play equipment! Stay as long as you like and even pack your own lunch. Great monthly deals are offered and Magical Playground can be found on Groupon now and again offering 10 open play visits for $35.
Food
Best Place to Grab a Bite: Bella's Gourmet Pizza www.bellasgourmet.com
Families love Bella's in Old Town Pasadena. The food is incredible and very reasonably priced (pastas start at $7, pizzas at $9). Kids are given their own pizza dough to play and create with while they wait. The kids love playing with it and making things out of it much like play-doh. We’ve even seen kids toss it like a real pizza cook. A great way to enjoy a meal.
Best Place for a Runway Lunch: Annia’s Kitchen (4223 Santa Anita Ave., El Monte) http://www.anniaskitchen.com/
What kid doesn't marvel at airplanes? Annia’s at the El Monte Airport offers awesome clear views of aircraft departing and arriving on the airport runway. It's a very small airport, mostly private planes, etc. Everyone is very nice and the prices are amazing. Annia's Kitchen is a family owned and operated business that has been serving delicious, homemade Mexican and American food since 2005.
Best Place to get a Toddler Plate: La Grande Orange Café (260 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena) http://www.lgostationcafe.com/
Housed in the Del Mar train station La Grande Orange Cafe offers something for the whole family. One favorite is something you don’t see to often - a toddler plate. Made for tiny tummies the meal is around $5 and it comes in a sectioned plate. There are many choices, including mac-n-cheese. Following your meal you can let the kids burn off some energy watching the trains. A double treat!
Health
Best Place for a Healthy Family: Diet for Health, La Canada (1047 Foothill Blvd., La Canada) http://www.dietforhealth.com
Learning how to eat right is easy…doing it is the hard part. That’s where Diet for Health has helped our readers and their families. They even helped one reader loose her baby fat (after six years of trying) and learn how to feed her whole family. The magic of this amazing group of women is that they teach from their hearts and from their expertise. More than that, they relentlessly cheer you on along the way, caring about the entire family's health and wellbeing, and somehow fit their guidance and care into your crazy schedule! The "diet" is sound, logical, and easy to adapt to; most of all, it can easily fit into your family's lifestyle....even those packed lunches!
Best Potentially Life Saving Activity: Head Above Water Swim School http://www.headabovewater.net/
Head Above Water provides swim lessons for children age 6 months through adult in your private home or in one of their heated pools in Monrovia, Temple City, or Pasadena. Head Above Water has been in business over 10 years and has taught thousands of children to swim. Their swim instructors are American Red Cross certified and have extensive training and experience teaching children. Each lesson is tailored to your child.
Shopping
Best Place to Shop with Kids: Little Junebugs http://littlejunebugs.com/
Just walking in this store makes you feel like a kid again! The owners and store manager are a combination of friendly, creative and helpful and most of all they know kids. Many of the items in the store can be purchased and then created in their amazing craft studio. They have a selection of unique books and smart toys and gifts (check out the wrapping!!) They also offer several special events and can be booked for parties. Little Junebugs also supports a non-profit that collects books and donates to less fortunate children— a gentle lesson to our children that giving to others feels good and makes the world better for us all.
Best Store for Breastfeeding Mama’s: Bellies, Babies and Bosoms (2430 Honolulu Avenue, Glendale) www.bellies.biz
Bellies staff is a team of women that are here to support and empower all mothers in their pregnancy and breastfeeding journey. The store offers a free pre-natal breastfeeding support session to offer valuable information to build confidence with breastfeeding your baby. They also offer an amazing selection of nursing bra sizes - something that’s hard to come by!
Entertainment
Best Place To Enjoy The Show: The Glendale Centre Theatre (324 N. Orange Street, Glendale) http://www.glendalecentretheatre.com
The Glendale Centre Theatre has a legendary heritage as the longest continuously running, privately owned and operated theatre company in America. Since 1947, when it first opened its doors, not one week has gone by when there has not been a performance on its stage. The Glendale Centre Theatre has been dedicated to providing patrons with the finest theatrical experience possible in an atmosphere as intimate and friendly as their own homes. Many local families have made seeing A Christmas Carol at this local theater part of their holiday traditions.
Best Way To Meet New Friends: Mom’s Let’s Get Real powered by Stroller Strides on meetup.com
Meetup.com offers a group for just about everything and this group of local moms makes playdates out of several of our Macaroni Kid Pasadena calendar favorites. This is a diverse group for Real Moms with real life ups & downs. This Mom-friendly and child-friendly group can provide support and friendship whether you're a New Mom, Soon to be Mom, "Working" Mom, Single Mom or a "Stay-at-Home" Mom or all of the above! They keep a busy calendar so there is hopefully something for everyone as well as posted events to keep you in the know of whats happening out there! They hope to keep inspiring each other and most of all - keep it real!!!
Best Birthday Party Destination: Caterpillar (965 Foothill Blvd., La Canada Flintridge) http://caterpillarkidsplace.com
With pre-designed party packages Caterpillar takes care of everything but the invitation list. This eco-friendly indoor play place has a big, clean separate room for parties. Their staff takes care of all the planning, preparation and clean up so parents can sit back and enjoy. Huge windows allow lots of natural sunlight to pour into the play area and employees participate with the kids in the fun.
