Today's episode of visiting art galleries was absolutely amazing. If you're in Southern California…read moreand looking for something fun, cultural, and honestly just good for the soul this summer, I highly recommend checking out the Cheech Marin Cultural Center right in the heart of downtown Riverside. The whole space is vibrant, colorful, and full of life. Every room pulls you in the murals, of the Chicano art, the storytelling, the history and creativity. It's one of those places where you walk in and immediately feel connected to something bigger. Whether you're doing a solo day visit on a date, or just exploring with family, this spot is worth the trip. The energy is warm, the exhibits are thoughtful, and the art is just flat‑out beautiful. Add it to your summer list you won't regret it. Enjoy

We got in for free for being Bank of America members. We love the diverse collection and all that…read moreChicano art. The collections were nice but all in all, there is not a ton of things to see. Once you are done with the downstairs, there's not much on the upstairs except for an art center and a few other minor things from his collections. I wish they would expand it at some point, or if there was some sort of discount or benefit for someone else who doesn't bank with Bank of America. Something that keeps the admission price lower.

I recently visited the Riverside Art Museum and really enjoyed the experience. The museum is on the…read moresmaller side, but the collection felt thoughtfully curated and never overwhelming. What stood out just as much as the artwork was the building itself, which is beautiful and full of character. I especially loved the courtyard, which provided a peaceful space to slow down and take everything in. The gift shop was also excellent, with a great selection of unique items that felt carefully chosen rather than generic museum souvenirs. Between the art, architecture, and atmosphere, it was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon appreciating creativity in a truly beautiful setting.

I've bought the annual pass to the Riverside art museum and The Cheech for the past three years…read more They change calories and exhibits throughout the year and it is always something. I enjoy coming to see. I'm here today because my daughter is doing a summer art program the offer unique activities throughout the year.

Everything is amazing The rooms the museum tour…read more All the art that is inside Front desk gave us an upgrade Coming back soon

The tour was very informative and interesting. Highly recommended that you took the tour if you…read morelike to know history of Mission Inn. I really enjoy seeing underground areas, antique and collectibles which are not available to regular guests. The current price we paid was $45 for adult and $15 for kids. I think it should be complimentary for hotel guests but I guess one time pay is ok ($120 for 4 of us.) The tour was about 45 minutes and it had free champagne and apple cider at the end. The tour guide team was very nice and friendly. They made the tour fun and entertaining :)

Decent art walk. I've deff been to much better ones though…read more It's on the first Thursday of every month. Since I'm new to the area, I decided to check it out to see what Rachetside has to offer. The artist lot is pretty small. The vendors at the lot weren't that interesting when I visited. I do appreciate the opportunity to tour several local museums for free though. I enjoyed the metropolitan museum of art and the RAM. Both are very small but offer a few interesting exhibits. Walking around the life arts center was deff the highlight of the night. It was such a cool historic art space for local artists. They also have live music on the balcony, how nice. Actually there was live music in downtown through out the event and quite a few local businesses including bars and restaurants participate in and offer discounts and specials for the art walk. Overall, it is well organized and got a good vibe. I'd say it's worth doing at least once. It was deff nice to see downtown Rachetside getting artistic and lively for a change!!

If you're in the area or looking for something fun and chill to do on a thursday night, then you…read morehave to come here! Its ONLY on the 1st thursday of each month! There is an outside lot and a building across the street that you can walk around and appreciate and purchase if you're interested. It's almost like a swapmeet but for art. They have a live band playing on the 3rd floor of the building and in the basement theres always some type of performance or show. As you walk through the different booths and rooms, some even let you create art of your own! it's overall a very cool experience to enjoy with family and friends!

The front architecture of this building is quite striking. It's a two-story building that is in…read moredowntown. Check their website for open hours. The second floor houses the artwork of Mine Okubo. Very vibrant and colorful. Take the time to read the text. Learn about the history.

My wife and I stumbled onto the Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties while we were next door…read moreat White Park for the Riverside Tamale Festival. After stuffing ourselves silly, we stopped in and instantly fell in love with this wonderful community resource dedicated to civil rights education and outreach. There were exhibits about social justice and civil rights, with information about key events and people in the Riverside area. We enjoyed a short film about social justice before walking upstairs. The second floor was a pleasant surprise for me: the entire floor was dedicated to the Mine Okubo exhibition. She was the author and illustrator of one of my favorite books in college, Citizen 13660, a graphic novel about Okubo's experiences as a child in the U.S. internment camps during World War II. She donated most of her life's work to the center after she passed away in 2001 and this is the first exhibition of her art in nearly 40 years. It was a thrill to see her paintings from various periods of her life as she experimented with different styles and techniques; the art depicting life in the internment camp was poignant and beautiful. After we finished our visit, we chatted with the friendly workers, learned about upcoming special events, and started planning our next trip to the center. Highly recommended. Note: the center is only open on Saturdays from 10am to 4pm (including first Thursdays for the ArtWalk and by special appointments). Admission and nearby street/structure parking are free.

UCR ARTS is this great museum that focuses primarily upon photography. Based out of university of…read moreCalifornia, Riverside, what this museum presents is the work of very well-known photographers and other artists, as well as some of the student work. The moment you walk into the space you see that is very beautifully architecturally designed. Just near the entrance, they have a very nice spiral staircase that takes you up through the various floors where exhibitions are shown. As you walk farther back into the gallery, there you will find the lower level exhibition rooms. Moving upwards, you can get there via the aforementioned spiral staircase, or they also have a stairwell in the back, if that is your preference. Either way, you'll move through the various galleries and see some great photographs, and some other artistic works. Located right in the heart of downtown Riverside, this gallery space is very easy to find. There's parking all over the area, so that should never be a problem for you. The way admission works as this space is that you walk in, and there will more than likely be a person at the reception desk who will guide you over to the right of the facility There is the reception desk where you'll pay your fee and be given a small little badge to put on your apparel. Then, you're ready to go. Enjoy the showings. Overall, great space. Great place to view some really unique photographs and other artistic works.

A museum of photography that differs from the other museums in the vicinity. There is a camera…read moreobsura upstairs. At times, there are events, check their website. Exhibits vary, check online before you visit.

We love coming here each year, but not on the first night LOL…read more Yes, parking can be a drag, but it's soon forgotten when you start walking around. Plenty to see and do... Restaurants, Check. Small shops to visit, Check. Craft & food stalls, Check. Historical Society store, Check. Riverside Bookstore, Check. Light parade, Check. Yes, plenty to see and do. What's not to like? Five Stars.

We came here to see the inn all lit up for Christmas. I have not been here in a while. There were…read morephoto ops with giant ornaments as you're walking towards the inn to see the lights. Once we got to the inn ... lucky for me, he knew where to go so we did not have to wait in line to go into the lobby so we got into the lobby fairly quick. The outside of the inn is beautiful! I love it so! It was full of lights! It was magical. The lobby was all decorated with trees and Santa's toy shop. On the balconies of the inn, they had decorative animated figures. They look like they were singing Christmas carols. I love coming here but I do not love the parking situation or how crowded it is. I took off one point for the parking situation. I feel there should be more signs directing you to the paid parking lot. I took off one star for this.

Decided to take the kids to something new and this is where we went!. This is a *small* museum…read morethat has lots of history in downtown riverside. My kids ages 6&12 were not totally amused by the place. I thought it was interesting. There were Lots of fossils and taxidermy animals that are native to the area & Native American artifacts. The history of the building was pretty amazing. Overall I'm glad we came in; We learned a few things. There is a suggested donation of $3 adults and kids 12 and under free. Considering this visit cost me $3 I'm happy. I don't feel it would be worth much more. I wish there were tours that could show you around as maybe it would be more informative that reading every piece of paper on the walls. Tip: this will only take 30-45 minutes to walk through so plan accordingly...

Closed for renovations according to sign at the door. Wish I knew this before walking over. Sounded…read moreinteresting by other reviews.

I'd say a solid 4.5! Free museum that's really small, but a huge section of the museum is closed…read moreoff for renovations right now. They really only have their two main exhibits, one of which is a history of Ontario and the other is about water conservation in Ontario. AC is really strong, clean facility, super nice staff... but honestly there really isn't much to see unless you're a local and really interested in your area's history. I think if they had their art exhibits open, it'd be an easy 5/5 despite being small because it is free.

A pretty nice local museum that has rotating exhibits. I came here on a weekend visit and it was…read morebusy here and there. People seem to just stop in shortly here, with a few people that stuck around longer to really take in the art. You walk in to the security desk and check-in with your location. They only need your zip code and you're free to check out the exhibit. There's about two museum security persons in the exhibit areas They don't really greet you, but they're there. I came in for their Chicana(o) art exhibit as well as their water exhibit. Both were good. They also had a special historical exhibit that features the history of the City of Ontario. That was an okay exhibit. Facility has some nice historical architectural feel. Kind of like some of the art deco styling in the L A. buildings. Parking lot is small, but you can also park on the street. Also just a very close walk the Ontario train station.

FINALLY had the chance to visit the Jurupa Mountains Discover Center! I always see the iconic…read moremammoth statue passing by on the freeway and finally got to visit. His name is Eddy and he's a Columbian mammoth. Crazy cool that it's a life sized replica too. At the entrance, you pay for parking and it's $10. PRO-TIP: If you spend $40 at the gift shop, the $10 counts towards it and altogether it's actually only $30, which is great if you're buying a lot of goods there to support OR if you're a fossil and/or gem/mineral enthusiast since they have a LOT of that there, which is pretty neat. There's 2 places you can park. One near the garden nursery where you can purchase plants or near the main parking where the gift shop is. The Critter Corner is in the gift shop where you can see lots of herps and aquatic critters as well. The volunteers are super informative and can answer all your questions about the critters they have there. Love that they have name tags and info about where they're from and information about the species. Love the monkey skink, emerald tree skinks, Argentinian tegu, and of course, the beardies. Gift shop also has a great variety of affordable gifts ranging from toys, to small knick-knacks, decor, gem stones and minerals of all varieties and displays (loose, as earrings or necklaces, carved, etc.), locally sourced honey, actual fossils (there's a section where you're not allowed if you're under 16 without a parent or guardian), books, stickers, and much much more. While we were there, there was also a fun little S.T.E.A.M. corner where you can work on artwork you can take home or on some days I think there's science activities there too. The mural on the walls are also quite impressive too. Great for photos and a nice personal touch. I recommend getting the $1 grab bag! Kids love gacha/blind boxes nowadays and mine had 2 small fossils, a sticker, and 2 mineral stones. Pretty nice and super affordable. There's a trail that goes through a cactus garden with lots of dinosaur sculptures, done by the local boy scouts which is pretty neat. It's $9 if you would like to go rock collecting. You get to meet all the dinos during this expedition as well. It's 12 rocks, minerals, or fossils which isn't bad. They also have guided tours that start at the gift shop, but my boyfriend and I were just there to free roam, which can kill a couple hours too depending on how in depth you are in reading and looking at everything. They also have a separate Museum of Discovery with lots of fossil specimens and models ranging from dinosaurs, prehistoric creatures (aquatic, mammals, reptiles, etc.), indigenous/Native American artifacts and artwork (local artwork too), minerals and other geological structures. There's taxidermy on the wall too. Lots to look at. Will definitely come back in the future. Super affordable way to learn and spend some time.

My family came here today with our charter school for a field trip. We had the absolute best guide,…read moreAlexis. She truly made our day so special. She was so enthusiastic about her job, and she really got the kids excited about everything. All of the children thoroughly enjoyed Learning about rocks, hiking up to the dinosaurs, and all that this center has to offer. We will definitely be going back on the weekends when they are open to the public so we can do more exploring. Again, we highly recommend Alexis as your tour guide because she was so sweet and kind and taught the children so much. Thank you for making our trip so special.