Page 113 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

VISIT TEMECULA VALLEY. OPPOSITE: JACK YONN/ONTARIO CVB. PREVIOUS PAGE: VISIT TEMECULA VALLEY
INSIDER’S
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TIP
Settled in the 1840s, Louis
Robidoux’s Jurupa Rancho
property eventually became a
city park, the MT. RUBIDOUX
TRAIL AND MEMORIAL PARK.
West of downtown Riverside,
this local favorite has a 2.7-mile
paved trail ascending the 1,399-
foot-high mountain amid
historical plaques. The climb,
lined with spring wildflowers or
views of the snow-dusted San
Bernardino Mountains in winter,
rewards hikers with expansive
Riverside valley views.
mt-rubidoux.org
City & Town
Foodies and oenophiles should explore Old
Town Temecula’s historic district of 1880s
buildings for wine tasting and sampling
local fare in a friendly, Old West ambience.
Or visit Redlands, the “City of Beautiful
Homes,” and its opulent Victorians and Arts
and Crafts style homes of yesteryear.
North of Temecula, play in the mud or
soak in the soothing mineral waters of the
157-year-old Glen Ivy Hot Springs, dating
from early stagecoach days. Get in on the
action at the gaming tables at the Pechanga
Casino. Or soar in a hot air balloon over
Temecula Valley’s 35,000-acre wine
country, dotted with B&Bs and luxury
resorts amid vines and citrus groves. After-
wards, relax with a glass of local wine on a
winery portico or play golf in this quiet
oasis of the California good life.
Heritage & Culture
Riverside harbors a wealth of California his-
tory. On Magnolia Avenue, the state’s first
and oldest navel orange tree, planted in 1873,
stands on the spot where California’s multi-
million-dollar citrus industry began. Since
1880, the iconic Mission Inn has hosted U.S.
presidents and delighted travelers with a
Hearst Castle-like eclectic mix of Spanish
and Moorish architecture, adorned with
priceless Italian and Spanish treasures, as a
church bell tolls on the hour.
The San Bernardino Museum explores
local history by exhibiting a covered
wagon that crossed the Mojave Desert
from Salt Lake City and a Wells Fargo
stagecoach. The Hall of Anthropology
showcases local native cultures, the
Mojave, Serrano and Gabrielino. Within
the citrus groves surrounding the
museum, the Zimmerman Citrus Kiosk
explores the area’s citrus heritage.
Family Fun
The fun begins with rides on the locomo-
tives and trolleys of the Orange Empire
Railway Museum in Perris. At Tom’s Farms
in Corona, kids can mine for emeralds and
rubies, ride a pony, board the 1800s steam
train or drive a tractor. In the summertime
heat, take cool water rides on the Alpine
Slide’s twisting curves at the Magic Moun-
tain Recreation Area at Big Bear Lake.
DRIVE
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TOUR
RIM OF THE WORLD SCENIC
BYWAY: This 107-mile scenic
drive begins on State Highway
138 just west of I-15 at the
MORMON ROCK FIRE
STATION. Travel east on 138 to
the CAJON PASS OVERLOOK
for breathtaking views, then
east to SILVERWOOD LAKE
and the Mojave River basin. 138 merges with 18 along the rim of the San
Bernardino forest and provides sweeping vistas of San Bernardino,
Redlands and the Los Angeles Basin. At BIG BEAR LAKE DAM, follow the
road around Big Bear Lake to MILL CREEK RANGER STATION. This tour
can be done in four hours.
2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 111