Fun things to do and eat around Ontario, CA
 

I am visiting there in a few days and am looking for some fun things a couple can do together, and some eats in the moderate to low range. Already going to the Mission Inn to propose to my girlfriend, beyond that I have no plans. Would prefer to not travel farther than 30 mins, so most of the western LA area is off limits. If anyone has any ideas I would greatly appreciate it.

Unfortunately most of the restaurants in the immediate Ontario area are chain types. There are a lot of chain types to choose from around the Ontario Mills mall. And you won't have any trouble finding movie theaters in the area - there are 52 theaters at the Mills.<BR><BR>Claremont is a college town which has a cute downtown village. The shops all close down pretty much at 5 pm, but there are a number of independently owned restaurants - most of them are very good. Any particular type of food that you prefer?<BR><BR>If you want to catch a baseball game, there's a minor league team - the Quakes - located in neighboring Rancho Cucamonga. If you'd prefer major league, the Angels play in Anaheim, which is only around 30 miles away.<BR><BR>Disneyland and California Adventure are only around 30 miles away. Downtown Disney has a lot of restaurants and bars to choose from in the same location.<BR><BR>Pasadena is around 35 miles from Ontario - just don't go during heavy traffic hours. Old Town Pasadena is a fun area to roam around and there are a lot of great restaurants in all price ranges. There are also top notch gardens and museums in this area.<BR><BR>If you enjoy hiking, there are a variety of trails north of Ontario.<BR><BR>If you prefer not to drive, you could also hop on the metrolink and head into Union Station and go across the street to Olivera Street. Or from Union Station you could take the subway to Universal Studios or Hollywood.<BR><BR>If your girlfriend lives in Ontario, maybe she has some favorite places that she'll want to share with you on your visit. Congratulations! Good luck with the proposal - the Mission Inn is a perfect spot!<BR><BR>

You MUST have an ice cream at Bert & Rocky's! Get the sampler cup, you can choose FOUR flavors!!!!<BR><BR>There's a location in Upland and one in Claremont, just ask the locals for directions. <BR><BR>About 30 minutes south of Ontario in Temecula (a nice drive) they just opened a huge Vegas-style casino that would be fun to see if you've never been to a major casino. The restaurants inside are reportedly very good, even the buffet.

Old Town Pasadena is great to wander in and the Huntington Library and Gardens are very romantic in nearby San Marino.

I forgot to mention that there's a new Improv Comedy Club at the Ontario Mills. <BR><BR>Temecula actually is closer to a 50 mile drive from Ontario, but there are also a lot of nice wineries in that area that you might enjoy visiting. <BR><BR>I'm not sure of your age or interests, but if you get too hot in the Inland Empire heat, you could also check out the Raging Waters water park in nearby San Dimas. And in case either of you enjoy antiquing, there are a number of stores in the downtown Pomona area. <BR><BR>

The improv sounds like a lot of fun. I am 22, girlfriend is under drinking age. I was looking for some live performing arts in the area, was unable to find some. Getting close now, kinda getting nervous. Thanks for the help so far, I really appreciate it.

For live performing arts, LA really is your best choice. Like I mentioned before, you could always hop on the metrolink into LA. The red line takes you right to teh Pantages Theater where Lion King is playing. You could also take the metrolink to Union Station and then hop on the Dash shuttle bus to downtown LA for more choices. There is the Ahmanson Theater in downtown LA. I also just went to see a live performance the other night at the California Plaza & I know there are some free daytime music performances at Pershing Square.<BR><BR>Pasadena Performing Arts Center is nice and there's a performing arts center in Riverside as well. There's also Bridges Auditoriam in Claremont. <BR><BR>There's also a free summer series of performances at the Redlands Bowl (around 30 minutes east of Ontario). This coming week is their big summer musical. People bring picnic dinners and blankets - fun outdoor setting on a warm summer night. Here's a website for their season:<BR>http://www.redlandsbowl.org/season_schedule.htm <BR><BR>You might also want to check out the following website for more performing arts ideas in Southern California:<BR>http://www.at-la.com/scripts/wwcgi.dll?genpage