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Riverside
Entrepreneurs planted the first Washington navel orange trees here in
1875, and Riverside basked in agricultural prosperity for the next 80
years. But smog, sprawling housing, and commercial land development after
World War II whittled Riverside's appeal to a nubbin of its former grandeur,
and by the '60s and '70s even its crowning glory, the Mission Inn, had
fallen into disrepair. Today both the town and the inn are showing signs
of a full recovery.
A guided tour of the MISSION INN (3696 Main Street; 909/781- 8241 or 909/784-0300,
ext. 5035) is essential to the Riverside experience. Tours last almost
1*/2 hours and ramble through most of the public areas and up to the topmost
parapets. Before you sign up, be sure to task whether you'll be able to
see the inside of the chapel. It's often closed on weekends because of
weddings, and you'll be disappointed at missing the gilded Mexican altar
and the Tiffany stained-glass windows and mosaic work—high points
of the tour.
To get the best feel for what life was like here during the glory days,
walk to the top of boulder-studded MOUNT RUBIDOUX (1,339 feet) via a pedestrians-only
road-and-trails system that begins at 9th Street and Mount Rubidoux Drive.
On the way up you'll pass a romantic stone
watchtower financed by Mission Inn developer Frank Miller. Standing beneath
the Father Serra Cross at the summit, you look almost straight down at
the Santa Ana River to the west side, and downtown to the east. LITTLE
RUBIDOUX, the hill opposite Mount Rubidoux just to the north
side of Buena Vista Drive, is a fascinating neighborhood of Craftsman
houses; follow the stone wall around it via Indian Hill Road to view several
classic mansions.Downtown Riverside surrounding the Mission Inn has been
revamped with a pedestrian-only mall along Main Street. One of the best
photography museums in the country, UCR/CALIFORNIA MUSEUM OF
PHOTOGRAPHY (3824 Main Street; 909/784-3686), houses contemporary photography
exhibits as well as a permanent collection of equipment and prints that
will delight any photo buff. Further down Main Street, don't miss the
RIVERSIDE COUNTY COURT HOUSE (4050 Main Street; 909/955-5536), a beautifully
restored temple of justice with a vaulted main hall that copied the Petit
Palais of the 1900 Paris Exposition; this is one of the finest Beaux Arts
buildings in America. For more information, visit the Riverside Visitor's
Center (3660 Mission Inn Avenue;
909J684-4636). Not far from downtown, CALIFORNIA CITRUS STATE HISTORIC
PARK (Van Buren Boulevard at Dufferin Avenue; 909/780- 6222) preserves
some old navel orange groves and a historic irrigation canal, recalling
Riverside's early days, when even Queen Victoria was known to have peeled
its famous fruit.
RIVERSIDE WINERIES
FILIPPI WINERY: Visit on a winter day when the snowcapped San
Bernardinos loom as a backdrop, and you'll see how this historic
winery recalls a day when vineyards covered thousands of acres
of Southern California. Don't expect anything too scenic nowadays,
however; the tasting room is set in the middle of a business/railroad/agricultural
district. The modem world has pretty much surrounded the dream
of Italian wine maker Giovanni Rlippi, who planted his first:
vineyard in (922. (The femiiy also purchased Thomas Winery in
Rancho Cucamonga, California's oldest winery, back in the '60s.)
Today's wines are pressed from grape? all-over the state, as well
as the local valley. Award-winning wines indudezinfandets, grenaches,
cabemets, and Chiantis. The winery is located at 12467 Baseline
Road, Rancho Cucamonga; 909/899-5755. Another tasting room is
a 15-minute drive west in Ontario-Guasfi. To get there, exit Baseline
Road, turn right (west) and go about mile tothe winery (2803 E
Guasti Road- 909/390-6998).
GALLEANO WINERY: Many ofthe vines here are 90-plus years o!d,
so if you have a taste for "old grape" wines, Gatieano
is worth a pilgrimage. Traditional European wine making techniques
prevail here, including head pruning, and'no herbicides or pesticides
are used. Grapes are dry farmed (not irrigated), yielding intensefruity
flavor. The winery is open for touring, and a tasting room occupies
an old house. Bring a picnic and enjoy some wine in their picnic
area near a small menagerie of ducfes, pheasants, pigs, goats,
and donkeys that will keep the kids interested. Galteano is in
Mira Loma, which is approximately I mile southeast of the Interstate
15 and Highway 60 junction. From Highway 60, take Etiwanda Road
south to Riverside Drive, go west to Wtneville Road, and turn
south to the winery (4231 Wineville Road; 909/685-5376).
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