SoCal’s most overlooked weekend escape is a place you’ve probably driven past

Standing at the corner of Mission Inn Avenue and Market Street in downtown Riverside on a sunny afternoon, the realization was so abrupt that I couldn’t help asking the question out loud: “Wait ... is my hometown low-key charming?”

Growing up, I’d always resented Riverside — often for qualities that might appeal to prospective residents. The community is tight-knit. My maternal grandparents and many of their siblings moved there from Mississippi in the 1950s and ’60s, which means that to this day I can hardly go anywhere without running into a relative or someone I went to high school with. (Once, I forgot my wallet in the Galleria at Tyler mall and by the time I got home, it was found by one of my grandmother’s friends who recognized my school picture tucked inside it.) Riverside is also quiet — I’ve commiserated more than once with UCR alumni about the city’s perceived lack of after-dark options. One of my main gripes there was, as I’d often bemoan to my mother, there’s nothing to do.

Still, it’s hard not to look back at those memories through rose-colored glasses and appreciate how, even when I wasn’t paying attention, Riverside always had my back. In grade school, I’d run through my neighbors’ yards with as much abandon as my own, tumbling through sprinklers and swaying on the tire swings they’d hung years ago for their children, who’d since grown. I think back to dusky evenings when we’d walk our dog through orange groves. Somehow, the picture doesn’t feel so distant from the way East Coast friends describe their own idyllic woodsy childhoods.

Founded by New York abolitionist John W. North in the early 1870s, Riverside was progressive from the start. In 1873, it birthed the California citrus industry when it became home to the first navel orange tree planted in the United States. Designated a California Historic Landmark in 1932, the tree still stands today.

By the turn of the 20th century, Riverside had emerged as a luxury winter destination, thanks in large part to the historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, the largest Mission Revival-style building in the country. Son of the hotel’s original owner and chief developer Frank Miller spent decades traveling the world collecting treasures to display around the property, including more than 800 bells, a symbol that has come to represent the city.

In its heyday, the hotel was a popular stop for politicians and celebrities, including President Ronald Reagan, who honeymooned there, and actor Bette Davis, who married her third husband, William Grant Sherry, at the inn. Now in its 31st year, the hotel’s annual festival of lights attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each holiday season.

Today, to my surprise, Riverside — the largest city in the Inland Empire, with over 320,000 residents — proves more alluring than ever. The revived downtown area hums with new nightlife and dining destinations, and monthly art walks demonstrate a thriving scene. Restaurant options are as plentiful and exciting as in Los Angeles or San Diego — often with a reduced price tag. I try to visit at least one weekend each month and every time, I know that at least one dinner will be dedicated to Tony’s, a fast-casual Mexican spot housed in a Chicago Avenue strip mall, and that I’ll be stopping by Baker’s Drive-Thru on my way in or out of the city for a bean and cheese burrito and “frynormous” bag of fries. During the winter, the downtown farmers market is a gold mine for stocking up on rare citrus varieties.

Time and time again, the city has proved its worthiness as an intentional pit stop, flaunting landmarks such as a Chicano-centered art collection from comedian Cheech Marin, a long-standing LGBTQ+ bar and a state park brimming with citrus trees. This hometown of mine is charming — and it’s heartening to see more people discovering its delights.

Looking to explore Riverside? Here’s everything you need to eat, drink, see and do during an extended stay.