"Entrance at 3545 Pasadena Av, Los Angeles 90031. There is NO entrance at the Homer Street address."
That line is on the ticket page for Boo-ze, Bites & Frights, the adults-only Halloween event at Heritage Square Museum on October 16, 17, 23 and 24. It also names general-admission parking for the event as the Heritage Square Metro station, and the station uses the same street address. On those four nights, the museum's front door sits right next to the train.
This spring, the City Council voted to start planning a permanent Pasadena Avenue entrance along that same short stretch.
The everyday route goes the long way
Ask the museum how to walk from the station and it says about 25 minutes. Its visit page sends you along Carlota Boulevard, Avenue 43 and Homer Street, and it warns that parts of the Carlota sidewalk are unpaved. The usual entrance is at 3800 Homer Street, where the free parking lot sits at the end of the cul-de-sac.
The Eastsider described the trip as hiking up Carlota to cross the Arroyo Seco Parkway and the river, then "looping almost all the way back on Homer Street." The station is named after a collection of eight Victorian-era buildings, and you can't walk straight into it from the platform.
Four nights a year, the short way opens
Boo-ze, Bites & Frights reverses that layout. Guests enter from Pasadena Avenue. VIP parking is at that gate, general admission parks at the station or on nearby streets, and the organizers ask visitors to "respect neighbors." Parking is limited, and the ticket page recommends rideshare.
Inside, the event fills the village. There's a haunted walkway, trick-or-treating for grown-ups, three bars, a makers' market, a costume contest, and guided tours of the Victorian homes after dark. The historic church becomes a bar called the "Shriekeasy." The food truck lineup lists Angelenos Wood Fired Pizza, Quesadilla Mia, Boujie Dogz, Heritage Kitchen LA, Beachy's Food Truck, The Musubi Box, The Habibi Shack, Rice Balls of Fire, Craveyard Treats, Black Magic Cakery and Coffinated Coffee, though the page says trucks may change.
Each night ends with an outdoor double feature, with chairs provided. October 16 pairs Obsession and Companion, with the first screening at 7 p.m. The Eastsider's 2026 Halloween and Día de los Muertos guide lists October 17 as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven's New Nightmare, with a 5:30 p.m. start. Tickets are $45 in advance and $50 at the door, and a $65 pass covers both October 23 and 24. The event is 21 and over.
That gate is the same gate the city wants to study.
The motion that wants to keep the gate open
The Pasadena Avenue entrance would turn the 25-minute walk into "more like a five-minute stroll," The Eastsider reported. The idea comes from a motion by District 1 City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez. The motion calls it a master plan, but a spokesperson told the outlet it focuses on getting into and around the museum.
The City Clerk's file and The Eastsider's reporting show where it stands.
- Introduced: March 13, 2026, sent straight to the full Council instead of a committee, per City Clerk file 26-0377.
- Adopted: March 24, 2026, on a 14–0–1 vote, with final Council action listed April 6.
- Money: $50,000 directed from Heritage Square for the plan.
- Next milestone: The Bureau of Engineering is expected to finish conceptual engineering by the end of 2027.
The Eastsider also explained why it hasn't happened yet. The museum first had to put its money into preserving the historic homes and other urgent needs on site. The proposed entrance is unpaved, and getting to it means crossing Pasadena Avenue where there's no traffic signal. Event-night guests already make that crossing. Watch for it on foot after a double feature, because it's still an unsignalized street.
Which door each fall event uses
Not every event this season uses the Pasadena Avenue side. Here's what each one has published about getting in. Where the listing says nothing, the table says so.
| Event | Date | Time | Price | Access, as published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boo-ze, Bites & Frights | Oct 16, 17, 23, 24 | Evenings | $45 advance, $50 door, $65 weekend pass | 3545 Pasadena Ave only; GA parking at Metro station |
| Spook-A-Nanny, Bob Baker Marionette Theater | Sun, Oct 18 | 6:30–8 p.m. | $23 | Not specified in listing |
| A Hallowe'en Faire | Sat, Oct 31 | 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m. | Sold out | Free parking listed |
| Día de los Muertos with Avenue 50 Studio | Sun, Nov 1 | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | Not listed | Limited free parking; transit access noted |
Spook-A-Nanny is an annual screening of vintage Halloween video clips under the moonlight, presented at the museum by the Bob Baker Marionette Theater. A Hallowe'en Faire is a daytime historical Halloween at 3800 Homer Street, and its Eventbrite page already shows it sold out. Avenue 50 Studio's Día de los Muertos celebration comes the next day, and The Eastsider lists face painting, mariachi and Aztec dancers. If you're driving to a daytime event, the museum's standard directions use the Avenue 43 exit off the 110 and head to Homer Street.
If the door matters to you, check the listing for your event the week of. Boo-ze is the only one this season that clearly sends everyone through Pasadena Avenue.
Up the hill, the other anchor is replanning its paths
Heritage Square isn't the only Montecito Heights institution rethinking how people get in. On the other side of the neighborhood, the city has started a master-planning process for Ernest E. Debs Regional Park. The Eastsider reported that community suggestions so far include clearer trail types, stairs, trail stabilization, solar lighting, shade, restrooms and habitat restoration. A May 7, 2026 Recreation and Parks board report asks for $1.5 million for the work and says grant awards were expected by late fall 2026. So as of that report, the money wasn't guaranteed.
In the meantime, the Audubon Center at Debs Park at 4700 North Griffin Avenue has a busy fall. It's open Thursday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Its two on-site trails, the Butterfly Loop and the Children's Woodland, are open only when the center is.
- Oct 13 and Oct 27: Community Habitat Restoration, 8:30–11:30 a.m.
- Oct 17: Odeya Nini's Call of the Starlings, a Living Earth performance that's all-ages and donation-based. The Audubon calendar and the Living Earth page list different start times, so check before you go. Organizers ask that dogs stay home because of the restoration work.
- Oct 17 and Oct 24: Free Art in Nature classes with Janne Larsen.
- Oct 24 and Nov 28: Old Time String Jam Band. The November date runs noon to 3 p.m.
- Nov 6: Test Plot habitat restoration and Sunbeams Baby Bilingual Storytime. The restoration sign-up through L.A. Works already showed all 10 spots filled, with a waitlist.
With the Audubon center's Saturday hours, a full Saturday works. Spend the morning on the Butterfly Loop on October 17 or 24, then head down to the Pasadena Avenue gate that evening for Boo-ze. Boo-ze tickets are $45 in advance, and general-admission parking is at the Heritage Square Metro station.
If you've been keeping track of how the Arroyo Seco shapes which part of Montecito Heights is a short walk and which is a long loop, the Lexi Newman Team pays attention to the same thing, block by block. Connect with your real estate best friend. We're always glad to talk about the streets you already walk.
