What to Know36th Museums of the Arroyo DaySunday, May 31Noon to 4 p.m.The Gamble House, Heritage Square Museum, Los Angeles Police Museum, the Lummis Home, and Pasadena Museum of History will be openFree admissionThere will be no shuttles connecting the museums in 2026Organizers suggest picking two museums to focus on or even three, rather than trying to visit all fiveCrafts, activities, and other diversions will pop up at the museums
Museums of the Arroyo Day, that pay-nothing, visit-a-bevy-of-historic-spots celebration that has long flowered in May, marked a milestone in 2025.
It was the event’s 35th anniversary, and while 35 years seems quite short when compared with some of the locations in the event’s spotlight, that is still a notable stretch of time.
Things have changed a little over the decades, but not too much. Sometimes a museum joins the line-up, or drops off for various reasons, and the weather can run the gamut from a murky May Gray to summer-style warmth.
And on Sunday, May 31, when the next (and 36th) Museums of the Arroyo, which honors some of the landmarks along or near the Arroyo Seco, returns? Well, the informative experience is still totally free, but there is one twist: No shuttles will run.
That means you’ll need to find your way from the two Pasadena destinations to the Los Angeles Police Museum in Highland Park, and down to the Lummis Home and Heritage Square Museum, a few miles south.
The distance between the Gamble House and the Pasadena Museum of History, by the by, is a short stroll, maybe five minutes or three if you’re moving at a good clip.
Organizers suggest picking two or three museums to visit, with the knowledge that activities, demos, and other diversions will pop up at each location.
Blacksmithing is on the Heritage Square roster while a scavenger hunt is on the Lummis Home’s schedule.
It all begins at noon, and the fun wraps at 4 o’clock, so begin dreaming of your arroyo-adjacent adventuring now.
Pictured: Heritage Square Museum and the Los Angeles Police Museum