14 Best Sights in The Inland Empire, California

Exhibits here explain the area's flora and fauna, and staffers provide maps and camping and hiking information. You can sign up for canoe and kayak tours of Big Bear Lake or naturalist-led tours of the Baldwin Lake Ecological Reserve in spring and summer or snowshoe excursions in winter. The center is also the starting point for Cougar Crest Trail and the paved Alpine Pedal Path Trail. 

Founded in 1927 by Susanna Bixby Bryant, a wealthy landowner and conservationist, the garden is dedicated to the preservation of native California plant species. You can meander here for hours enjoying the shade of an oak tree canopy or take a guided tour of the grounds, whose 86 acres of ponds and greenery shelter California wild lilacs, big berry manzanitas, four-needled piñons, and other specimens. Countless bird species also live here.  Guided tram tours are offered the third Sunday of the month (reserve by the 15th of the preceding month).

The crown jewel of Riverside is the Mission Inn, a Spanish-Revival hotel whose elaborate turrets, clock tower, mission bells, and flying buttresses rise above downtown. Taking his cues from the Spanish missions in San Gabriel and Carmel, architect Arthur B. Benton designed the initial wing, which opened in 1903. Locals G. Stanley Wilson and Peter Weber are credited with the grand fourth section, the Rotunda Wing, completed in 1931.

You can climb to the top of its five-story spiral stairway, or linger in the Courtyard of the Birds, where a tinkling fountain and shady trees invite meditation. If a wedding isn't taking place, you can also peek inside the St. Francis Chapel, where celebrities such as Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, and Richard and Pat Nixon tied the knot before the Mexican cedar altar. Ten U.S. presidents have patronized the Presidential Lounge, a bright, wood-panel bar.

Docents of the Mission Inn Foundation, whose museum contains displays depicting the building's illustrious history, lead guided tours. On occasion, Friends of the Mission Inn ( www.friendsofthemissioninn.com) host silent movie nights with music played by the pipe organ in the Ball Room. 

What started as an apple shed has become a 14-acre fun park and plaza with eateries, a petting zoo, a candy store, a creamery, train rides, shops, trout fishing, gold panning, local artisans, archery, a cider mill, and more. Be sure to grab a fresh-baked apple pie from Apple Annie’s Bakery. Some activities are seasonal.

In summer, beat the heat by slipping down the dual waterslide or breezing down the twisting Olympic-style bobsled course. The facility also has an 18-hole miniature golf course, a mountain coaster, and go-karts. The arcade and snack shack make this the type of place families can spend an entire day.  Winter highlights include inner tubing down the hill, which is lit up at night, and taking the Magic Carpet lift back up.

This rescue and rehabilitation center specializes in animals native to the San Bernardino Mountains. Its residents may include black and (non-native) grizzly bears, bald eagles, coyotes, mountain lions, wolves, snow leopards, and bobcats.

The 25-passenger paddle wheeler Big Bear Cruzer departs from here on 90-minute lake tours ($22). The marina also rents fishing boats, Jet Skis, kayaks, and paddleboards.

At the center you can learn about the area's Native American and natural history. Outside are several miles of hiking trails, plus biking and equestrian trails and picnic areas. The park is pet friendly.

This 909-acre preserve encompasses the Southern California Montane Botanic Garden, the Children’s Outdoor Discovery Center, and the Los Rios Rancho Apple Farm. Three well-marked trails—ranging from 2 to 4.8 miles—wind past ponds, streams, wetlands, oak and pine forests, chaparral, and willow woodland.

The original wooden schoolhouse (circa 1889) was replaced by this two-story stone structure in 1927, and it continued operating as a school until 1965. Today, it's a museum with vintage desks, blackboards, textbooks, a 48-star American flag, and artifacts dating from the 1880s. Outside the museum is a playground and picnic area.

If you have the kids along, check out the fictional 7,500-square-foot workshop of Professor Phineas T. Pennypickle, PhD. This elaborately decorated children's museum is filled with secret passageways, machines, wacky contraptions, and time-travel inventions.

Take one of the two-hour tours offered daily to get the most out of your visit.

Employees dress in period costumes at this interactive, kid-friendly ranch. Riley's hosts school groups from September to June, and individuals can join the groups by reservation for tours on the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Gold Rush, homesteading, and colonial farm life. You can hop on a hayride, take part in a barn dance, pick your own apples, press some cider, or throw a tomahawk while enjoying living-history performances. The farm is also home to Colonial Chesterfield, a replica New England–style estate where costumed 18th-century reenactors offer lessons in cider pressing, candle dipping, colonial games, and etiquette. 

Opened as a produce stand along I–15 in 1974, Tom's Farms has grown to include a locally popular hamburger stand, a furniture showroom, a sweets shop, and a popcorn shop with fudge and candy apples. You can still buy produce here, but the big draws are various weekend attractions for children: tractor driving, Tom's mining company, a petting zoo, a children's train, a pony ride, free magic shows, a pirate ship, a Ferris wheel, a bounce house, and an old-style carousel. Most cost a modest fee. Of interest for adults is the wine-and-cheese shop, which has more than 300 varieties of wine.

With its vintage signs, antique lampposts, and relaxing 1920s-style Town Square—complete with old-fashioned trolley—this family-oriented shopping, dining, and entertainment complex feels a lot like Disneyland. Amid 12 blocks you'll find Macy's, A&F, Williams-Sonoma, an AMC movie multiplex, and a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop. Restaurants include The Cheesecake Factory and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Carriage and trolley rides are available on weekends. The Victoria Gardens Cultural Center houses a two-level, 560-seat performing-arts center.