Riverside: Recreation

Sightseeing

One of Riverside's most attractive sites, Victoria Avenue, was constructed in 1891-92. The 8.3 miles of divided street are planted with hedgerow roses, eucalyptus, palm, and crepe myrtle trees with a multipurpose trail. Thirty-nine acres of hilly tree-lined paths with more than three thousand blooming plant species from around the world are on view at the Botanical Gardens of the University of California, Riverside. The Gardens are also a wildlife sanctuary with almost two hundred bird species officially observed. The Mission Inn, a completely renovated National Historic Landmark hotel, is a unique blend of architectural styles and houses priceless pieces of art. The Teen Challenge Program is headquartered in the Spanish-style Benedict Castle, which was built in 1931. Overlooking the city of Riverside is the 1,337-foot Mt. Rubidoux, which is the site of the World Peace Tower and a large cross dedicated to Father Junipero Serra.

Heritage House, a restored two-story Victorian home completed in 1892 in the Queen Anne style, is open for tours. Visitors are also welcome at the Jensen-Alvarado Ranch, a historic ranch completely restored to portray rural life. The ranch features a variety of live animals, a duck pond, and citrus groves and fruit orchards.

Castle Park, a 25-acre family recreation park, features miniature golf, arcades, amusement rides, and a restored 1909 carousel. A model railroad at Hunter Park offers train rides when operating. Cuttings from the Parent Navel Orange Tree, planted in 1875, started the entire billion-dollar citrus industry in the United States. The tree, which can be seen at the Magnolia and Arlington area, still bears fruit.

Arts and Culture

Riverside is home to a variety of performing arts, theater, dance, and music organizations. The Children's Performing Art Center of California offers puppetry, mime, story spinning, and family entertainment every weekend through KIDSTUFF. The KIDSTUFF children's theater is housed in Riverside's Life Arts Building. The Performing Arts Program of the University of California, Riverside offers quality plays, musicals, and other acts through its University Theatre and other campus venues. The historic Riverside Municipal Auditorium—located in downtown Riverside—showcases live performances that range from popular music acts to comedy to dance throughout the year. The historic Fox Theater that is located downtown is currently undergoing restoration to become another multiuse venue in Riverside.

The Riverside Community Players, founded in 1926, is one of the oldest continuously active community theater groups in the United States and holds workshops in acting and staging techniques in addition to performing six productions annually. The Riverside Youth Theatre provides training for much younger thesbians and showcases their talents with a few reasonably priced performances per year.

The Riverside Chorale holds several concerts during the year featuring significant works of music. The Riverside Civic Light Opera, the oldest opera-in-English group in the nation, presents four or five shows per season. The Riverside County Philharmonic performs four subscription concerts each year October through May. The free public concerts of the Riverside Concert Band, Inc. provide an opportunity for young musicians to perform with more experienced players at official functions in the city. Riverside Community College's Civic Light Opera offers its Performance/Riverside season at the college's Landis Auditorium.

Dance enthusiasts will enjoy traditional Mexican dances performed by The Ballet Folklorico De Arlanza, whose members range in age from 5 to 23 years old. Annual

The Mission Inn, registered as a National Historic Landmark, was built in stages between 1902 and 1931.
The Mission Inn, registered as a National Historic Landmark, was built in stages between 1902 and 1931.
professional productions of the Nutcracker plus a spring performance are offered by the Riverside Ballet Theatre, founded in 1969.

The Riverside Ballet Theater calls the historic Aurea Vista Hotel its home. It is only one of the many art groups found in the building. Another historic structure that serves as a art center in Riverside is the Life Arts Building, home to KIDSTUFF. Built as a YMCA in 1909, the Life Arts Building is home to more than 30 artists' studios and includes art galleries for the Riverside Community Arts Association and Media Sound Productions, a high-tech recording studio.

The Riverside Arts Council, a nonprofit organization staffed by volunteers, presents classes, demonstrations, shows, and sales of artworks. Members promote the cultural life of Riverside through leadership in educational, financial, and technical assistance to artists, art organizations, and community groups.

Riverside has an interesting variety of museums to be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. The March Air Force Museum displays more than 60 aircraft and missiles, both inside and outside, on a 35-acre site adjacent to March Field. The Riverside Municipal Museum tells the story of the city's history, depicts the development of the citrus and other local manufacturing industries, and features touring exhibits. One of the largest collections of cameras and photos in the world is on display at the University of California, Riverside California Museum of Photography. Rare Indian artifacts, basketry, pottery, and handicrafts are on view at the Sherman Indian Museum. The Mission Inn Museum, located at the historic Mission Inn, presents an eclectic display of historic artifacts, paintings of the California Missions painted in the 1800s, oriental objects d'art, arts and crafts furniture, marble sculptures, and many photographs. The Riverside Arts Museum, which offers 20 major exhibits a year, also is located downtown near the Mission Inn Museum.

Festivals and Holidays

February brings the annual Dickens Festival, a literary festival honoring the writer Charles Dickens that encourages reading and enjoyment of the dramatic and cultural arts by the general public. Riverside also hosts the Black History Parade on the third Saturday in February. And the Riverside Ballet Theatre hosts its Sweetheart Dance in February, which is open to the public.

In March the Riverside Arts Council presents Evening for the Arts to benefit the local arts community. April brings the annual Riverside Airshow at the Riverside Municipal Airport and the annual Orange Blossom Festival. The Orange Blossom Festival is two days of entertainment, vendors, a parade, turn-of-the-century costumes and events that celebrate Riverside's citrus heritage. May's Cinco De Mayo is a celebration with music, entertainment, and food. The Vintage Home Tour and Restoration Faire featuring historically significant homes takes place in June. June also marks the beginning of Riverside Wednesday Night in downtown Riverside; the program lasts until September and offers a certified Farmer's Market, arts and crafts, food, live entertainment, petting zoo, pony rides, and kiddie rides. In the summer months Fairmount Park offers a wide range of family programs and a peaceful setting. Independence Day features fireworks atop Mt. Rubidoux and two other city sites, which can be viewed from Riverside's Wheelock Field.

Fall ushers in a new lineup of programming in Riverside. September is the month of the Annual Mayor's Ball for the Arts, with an evening of banquets, costumes, prizes, and awards. Riverside Jazz Fest goes on for a weekend in September at Fairmount Park. October features Fiesta de la Familia in celebration of Hispanic Heritage month. Halloween weekend brings spooky tales of ghouls with Ghostwalk Riverside.

November brings the Mission Inn 5K/10K Run through notable areas of downtown. But it also kicks off the holiday season with the Christmas Tree Lighting and Mission Inn Festival of Lights. December's Christmas Open House brightens spirits with music and entertainment at the Riverside Municipal Museum, and the Riverside Ballet Theatre Company performs the annual Nutcracker ballet.

Sports for the Participant

Riverside has more than 45 neighborhood and community parks and 2 state parks available to sports enthusiasts. Six neighborhood parks have tennis courts and swimming pools. The city parks also have a combined total of 15 soccer fields and more than 40 ballfields—which includes the lighted baseball stadium at Riverside Sports Complex that seats 3,500.

County parks offer natural environments for hiking, horseback riding, cycling, fishing, and camping. The 180-plus acre Fairmount Park offers fishing and sailing on Lake Evans, paddleboats, wildlife and bird watching, lawn bowling, golfing, playgrounds, and evening concerts. An outdoor recreational facility on 350 acres, Rancho Jurupa Park (a county park) has 10 miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, stocked lakes, campsites with utility hookups, and the Louis Rubidoux Nature Center.

The California Citrus State Historic Park is currently being expanded for visitors. Lake Perris State Recreation Area has 8,800 lakeside acres waiting for water-skiing, boating, sailing, and windsurfing. Skiing in the nearby Big Bear area and hot air ballooning near the Temecula wineries are two popular winter activities.

Golfers can choose from 6 public and 3 private courses. Miniature golf enthusiasts can find four different 18-hole miniature courses at the Castle Amusement Park. Bicyclists can find out about a wealth of trails and events through the Riverside Bicycle Club. Even bowlers and skaters have numerous options within Riverside's city limits.

Shopping and Dining

The Inland Empire's shopping outlet is Ontario Mills, home to more than 200 specialty stores and 24 anchor stores. Riverside itself has two other major shopping malls: the 1.1-million square foot Galleria at Tyler and the recently transformed Riverside Plaza. The Riverside Plaza, housed within Riverside's Magnolia Center and historic craftsman-era "Wood Street" neighborhood, now sports a "Main Street" look and feel to its stores and shops. Downtown Riverside also offers a wide arrange of specialty stores. The Canyon Springs shopping center located on the eastern edge of Riverside has national retail stores, while Canyon Crest Towne Center has specialty shops in a residential area five minutes from downtown.

From coffeehouse fare to Cantonese favorites, Riverside has restaurants for every taste. Sandwich shops and casual eateries abound along with purveyors of ethnic delights including Mexican, French, Italian, Greek, Japanese, Thai, and British fish 'n' chips.

Visitor Information: Visitor Center, 3660 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501; telephone (909)684-4636