Where the Navel Orange Began: Historic Sites and Markets
Stand at the corner of Magnolia and Arlington Avenues, and you're looking at the Original Navel Orange Tree—still growing on a traffic island after more than a century. This is the parent stock from which every navel orange in the world descends. Pick a ripe one if you can find it, but leave some for the next visitor. A bench and marker sit nearby, and the moment costs nothing.
To understand what Riverside was before sprawl, visit The California Citrus State Historic Park. A working citrus orchard surrounds a small museum that tells the story of orange groves that once blanketed the valley. Fresh oranges—still among the best grown anywhere—sell for $4–5 a sack. This is where Orange County got its name.
Museums and the Arts Along Mission Inn Avenue
Two blocks east of the downtown bus terminal, a row of cultural institutions lines Mission Inn Avenue. Start at The Riverside Metropolitan Museum (3580 Mission Inn Ave), which rotates exhibits on local history, geography and culture alongside standing displays. A half-hour walk-through costs a suggested donation of $2. Next door, The Riverside Art Museum (3425 Mission Inn Ave) showcases work by local artists and projects from the University of California, Riverside, with rotating shows. Admission is $5 ($2 for seniors and students).
The Mission Inn Museum itself occupies the ground floor of the historic Mission Inn building. Its exhibits trace the hotel's past, including a chair crafted for President Taft. Suggested donation is $2. Nearby on Main Street, the UCR Culver Center for the Arts houses two institutions under one roof: the Sweeney Gallery, showing rotating work by various artists, and the UCR-California Museum of Photography, which explores artistic and historical uses of the photograph. Admission covers both; it's $3 (free for students and seniors).
Views, Trails, and Open Air
Mount Rubidoux City Park offers a steady, mostly sandy incline lined with prickly pear cactus and large rocks. The climb takes about an hour round trip and ends with a panoramic view—on clear days you can see into Corona to the west and Moreno Valley to the east. Sunsets are particularly fine. Bring water; there are no fountains on the mountain. The park entrance sits at the west end of 9th Street, marked by a large iron gate. Parking is scarce in the surrounding neighbourhoods, but entry is free.
For more expansive hiking and biking, the Box Springs Mountain Preserve stretches north of the city with trailheads accessible from Big Springs Street, Blaine Street (a short walk from the #10 bus terminus), Central Avenue, and Chicago Avenue (served by #20 and #22 buses). Parking is free. A well-known local goal is hiking to the large concrete "C" painted on the mountainside.
Fairmount Park, designed by Frederick Olmsted (architect of New York's Central Park), is Riverside's premier green space. It features a carousel-themed playground fully accessible to wheelchairs, with sand, water, and sensory play areas. In summer, a splash pad operates (bring a change of clothes), and pedal boats rent by the half-hour. Skate parks, pools, and sports facilities dot the city as well.
Air and Aerospace: Military History in the Desert
March Field Air Museum, adjacent to March Air Reserve Base, displays some 70 vintage military aircraft—both inside hangars and in the open—including the B-52 and SR-71. Adults pay $12 admission; children under 12 pay $6. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9AM–5PM. In April, the Southern California Air Show (formerly The Riverside Airshow) takes to the skies at the same base.
Performances, Films, and Evening Diversion
The Fox Performing Arts Center, housed in the historic Fox Theater downtown, hosts plays, concerts, and musicals year-round. For cinema, Van Buren Cinema 3 (just off the 91 freeway in the south) runs double features for $6 adults (children 9 and under free). The Rubidoux Drive-In, just outside the city off the 60 at Valley Way, also shows double features nightly at $7 for adults ($1 for children 9 and under) and hosts swap meets every weekend.
If you're looking for family entertainment, Castle Park, just off the 91 freeway at La Sierra, offers a small roller coaster, carnival rides, a log flume, arcade, and miniature golf. Unlimited ride wristbands cost about $20 for adults and $14 for children (pricing varies by height).
Riverside's story—from agricultural powerhouse to modern city—runs through its museums, parks, and that one still-bearing tree on a traffic island. Plan a day or two to explore the citrus legacy and the cultural life that thrives along its downtown streets.