Benedict Castle

Located at 5445 Chicago Avenue, this Spanish-style castle was designed by H.L.A. Jekel in the Spanish- Moorish style and built in two stages, 1922-1931. It is now headquarters for the Teen Challenge Program, For further information, call (909) 683-4241.

Buena Vista Drive & Park

Principal entrance to Riverside from the west prior to the opening of the Pomona Freeway. The rustic-looking 1931 bridge of locally quarried granite is a favorite path for walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and the occasional slow-moving automobile. Landmark status includes Raincross lamp standards and balustrades, St. Francis fountain and waterfall, stone bridge and towers of former river bridge.

First Congregational Church

3504 Mission Inn Avenue at Lemon.

Completed in 1913 as the third home of the city’s first church congregation, the building was designed by architect Myron Hunt in Spanish Renaissance Revival style with Churrigueresque tower and details. The carillon was installed in the bell tower in 1989.

Fox Theater

3801 Mission Inn Avenue at Market.

Opened in 1929, the Spanish Colonial Revival style theater served the community as a combination cinema/vaudeville house and attracted well-known performers including Bing Crosby and Judy Garland. Also popular as a location for motion picture previews, the theater was the site of the first public screening of “Gone with the Wind” in 1939. This grand old theater is now home to the Riverside Film Festival.

Heritage House

This restored two-story Victorian home, completed in 1892, is in the Queen Anne style. Highlights include the staircase, gas lamps, and turn-of-the-century decor. Riverside City Landmark #5. Call for tour hours. Free admission, donation suggested. 8193 Magnolia Ave. (909) 689-1333.

Mission Inn

Public tours of the Mission Inn are provided four times daily, Monday through Friday, by the trained docents of the Mission Inn Foundation. On weekends, the tours depart every half hour. The walking tour takes 75 minutes and begins at the Mission Inn Museum. Tour times and route are subject to availability. For reservations, call the Mission Inn Foundation, (909) 781-8241, or the Mission Inn Museum, (909) 788-9556). The Mission Inn Museum is located at the corner of Mission Inn Avenue and Main Street.

Today, the Mission Inn is privately owned by the Historic Mission Inn Corporation. It is a four-star, destination hotel, renovated by public-private partnership in the 1980s with federal and local, private and public funds, totalling over $42 million. Registered hotel guests can visit nearly all nooks, crannies, and niches of the Inn. For information on rooms, food/event services, or great getaway packages, call the Mission Inn Hotel, (909) 784-0300.

Parent Navel Orange Tree

Located on Magnolia at Arlington Avenue. One of two received from Brazil via Washington, D.C. about 1875. From them the premium table variety was propagated worldwide. The Parent Navel Orange Tree still bears fruit.

Riverside Municipal Auditorium

An historical landmark that meets the cultural needs of the entire Inland Empire. Its Events Calendar is constantly changing. Pop Music, Jazz, Classical, Gospel, Comedy or Dance all are part of the potpourri of entertainment presented at this beautiful 1920s Moorish-Mission revival style building. The main auditorium seats 1776 people. The building itself includes a magnificent sunken garden and a cloistered walk. The lower level which houses a refreshment area and a full service bar is currently undergoing a major renovation and restoration. The Municipal Auditorium is located on Mission Inn Avenue, just a block east of the Mission Inn in Historic Downtown Riverside. For complete program information and more, please visit its website.

Riverside County Courthouse

3050 Main Street. Constructed in 1904, the county’s first courthouse was designed by Franklin P. Burnam in beaux artes classical style to duplicate the facade of the 1900 Paris Exposition’s Grand Palace of Fine Arts.

Universalist-Unitarian Church

3525 Mission Inn Avenue.

Built in 1891, the Arizona sandstone structure was designed by architect A.C. Willard in medieval English parish church style, a form of Gothic Revival. Sunday morning services are enhanced by the picturesque restored interior lit by detailed stained glass windows.

Victoria Avenue

One of California’s great historic avenues, lined with palms, eucalyptus and oldfashioned rose bushes. This landscape pattern dates from 1892 and has been a local showplace ever since. Bicycle paths run alongside this distinctive 7 mile divided avenue bordered by orange groves.