Page 114 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

ONTARIO
SoCal hub offers its own myriad attractions
»SHOP, DINE,
SEE A
PERFORMANCE
Greater Ontario Visitor
Information
GOcvb.org
ONTARIO CONVENTION CENTER, above;
shopping in Rancho Cucamonga, below.
FOR EASY, AFFORDABLE access to
Southern California’s storied beaches,
shopping, theme parks and nightlife
without the gridlock and exorbitant prices,
start by flying into stress-free Ontario Inter-
national Airport—but don’t rush off. While
an ideal hub for all the region’s attractions,
Ontario is also the gateway to mountain
and desert escapes, and the largest botanic
garden dedicated to California native
plants, Rancho Santa Ana, is in its back
yard. Best of all, this unheralded city of
176,000 is, in its own right, a trove of his-
toric spots, shopping and entertainment.
The Sunkist water tower south of down-
town recalls Ontario’s origin in 1882, when
the Chaffey brothers founded a model
township named for their home province
in Canada. That era lives on in Ontario’s
Museum of History and Art and at the
family-owned Graber Olive House, which
has used the same recipe since 1894. More
recent history endures at quaint Logan’s
Candies, which has made candy canes the
same way since 1933. For more glimpses of
the past, download self-guided historic
walking tour maps at ontarioca.gov (select
the Visitors section and search for
“Ontario’s history”).
112 2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
B Y C H R I S T I N E D E L S O L
Neighboring Rancho Cucamonga, where
the San Gabriel Mission’s cattle once grazed,
is part of Greater Ontario. Here, the home of
renowned postwar furniture designer Sam
Maloof offers guided tours showcasing his
exquisite craftsmanship. The Cucamonga
service station is one of the last original
structures on the legendary Route 66, which
runs through town. The annual event, Route
66 Cruisin’ Reunion, fills Ontario’s 22-block
historic downtown with classics from 1914
Buicks to 1980s muscle cars.
Movie buffs can choose from dozens of
theaters, while Rancho Cucamonga’s Lewis
Family Playhouse offers community the-
ater and Broadway shows. Citizens
Business Bank Arena, fresh from a conces-
sion-stand makeover and a new outdoor
patio, supplements its many sports events
with major concert performers and such
acts as the Harlem Globetrotters, Trans-
Siberian Orchestra and Cirque du Soleil.
Shopping options range from shops
around Ontario Town Square to the mega
outlet center Ontario Mills to Rancho Cuca-
monga’s Victoria Gardens, whose anchor
stores are surrounded by small shops
arranged as city blocks served by a cultural
center that includes a theater and library.
ONTARIO CONVENTION CENTER; MONKEY BUSINESS IMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK