Riverside

Behind a fenced-in tree on a street corner lies a piece of agricultural history: one of the two parent trees of the California navel orange has grown here since the 1870s. A trip to Riverside in the Inland Empire, east of Los Angeles, leads to a fairy-tale hotel, citrus groves, mountains, and one of the state's major universities.

The City of Oranges

Riverside was founded in 1870. A few years later, Eliza Tibbets planted two navel orange trees from Brazil that had reached California via the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The sweet, seedless fruit set off a veritable citrus boom and at times made Riverside one of the wealthiest cities in the United States per capita. The Citrus Experiment Station, from which the University of California, Riverside emerged, still researches citrus fruits today. In the Arlington neighborhood, street names and old packing houses recall this era.

Sights in Riverside

The Mission Inn in downtown Riverside is a sprawling hotel in the Spanish Mission style, with chapels, bells, cloisters, and art treasures; presidents from Roosevelt to Nixon stayed here, and Ronald and Nancy Reagan spent their honeymoon here. In winter, the Festival of Lights turns the hotel and its surroundings into a sea of lights. The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, housed in a former library building, showcases Chicano art. The California Citrus State Historic Park preserves orange groves and a small museum. A walking trail leads up Mount Rubidoux to a cross and a sweeping view over the valley; an Easter sunrise service has been held here for over a hundred years.

Eating and Going Out in Riverside

The Main Street Mall in downtown, a pedestrian zone surrounding the Mission Inn, is the center of evening life with its cafés, restaurants, and bars. Mexican cuisine shapes the city, with taquerias, birria stands, and family restaurants; it is especially authentic in the Eastside neighborhood. Around the university, in the University neighborhood and Canyon Crest, you'll find Asian and student-oriented eateries. Citrus fruit is best bought directly at farm stands in the area, and in spring the whole region smells of orange blossoms.

Neighborhoods and Culture in Riverside

Downtown Riverside, with the Mission Inn, the Fox Performing Arts Center from 1929, and the Riverside Art Museum in a building by architect Julia Morgan, is the cultural center. Along Victoria Avenue, a boulevard lined with palms and citrus groves in the south of the city, you can still sense the splendor of the orange era. Near the University of California, Riverside, the university's botanic gardens, with desert and citrus plants, are worth a visit. Neighborhoods such as Magnolia Center, Canyon Crest, and La Sierra show a quieter, suburban side of Riverside.

Getting Around Riverside and the Best Time to Visit

The nearest major airport is Ontario International, about a 30-minute drive to the west; Los Angeles International is one to two hours away, depending on traffic. Metrolink commuter trains connect Riverside with Los Angeles and Orange County, and city buses round out the network. The best times to visit are spring and fall—summers inland are hot, and dry Santa Ana winds can blow in the fall. Day trips lead to Palm Springs, the San Bernardino Mountains with Big Bear Lake, or the Temecula wine region.