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The crown jewel of parks in Riverside was designed by Frederick Olmsted, the architect of New York's Central Park. Fairmount includes a carousel-themed inclusive playground that is fully wheelchair-accessible and offers sand, water, and sensory play areas for the kids. Bring a change of clothes for summertime visits to the splash pad. Pedal boats can be rented by the half-hour during the summer. Other park facilities, including skate parks, pools, and sports areas, dot the city.
The museum rotating exhibits on various topics and standing exhibits on local history, geography and culture. It's a half-hour's walk-through, but well worth the price.
The museum has rotating exhibits featuring a variety of local artists, including projects from the University of California-Riverside.
Located on the ground floor of the historic Mission Inn, this space showcases the history of the building, including a chair crafted for the legendarily girthy President Taft.
These impressive botanical gardens are hidden in the hills above campus. They are usually lightly-visited and offer fantastic views of the city, as well as a large collection of exotic flora. Parking is highly limited, and metered at $0.50/hour.
For a panoramic view of the city, try climbing Mt. Rubidoux! Well... to say climb is a bit strong. The route up Mt. Rubidoux is a steady, sometimes-paved but mostly sandy incline lined with tall, prickly pear cactus and humongous rocks. A steady gait makes for about an hour round trip. Don’t forget to bring a camera. If it’s a clear day, one can see clear into nearby Corona to the West and Moreno Valley to the East. The sunsets from this vantage are beautiful, too! Be sure you are able to make it down before the sky gets too dark though as there are no lights lining the path.
Also, bringing a bottle of water is a good idea as there are no fountains or vending machines anywhere on or around the mountain. The entrance to the park is in a residential area. The park entrance is at the west end of 9th street, under a large iron gate. Parking is extremely limited in the surrounding neighbourhoods.
This park provides a look back to the time when orange groves dominated what is now the city of Riverside, and reminds us where Orange County got its name. A small museum resides at the center of this park, surrounded by a working citrus orchard. If you go, be sure to pick up a sack of fresh oranges, which should run you around $4–5. Riverside is the birthplace of the navel orange, and we still do it best.