In entertainment, Riverside has something for everybody. For family fun, Castle Park is a 25-acre family recreation park, featuring miniature golf, arcades, amusement rides, and a restored 1909 carousel. Visitors are also welcome at the Jensen-Alvarado Ranch, a historic ranch completely restored to portray rural life. The ranch features a variety of live animals, a duck pond, and citrus groves and fruit orchards. The Children's Performing Art Center of California offers puppetry, mime, story spinning, and family entertainment every weekend through KIDSTUFF. The Orange Blossom Festival is two days of entertainment, vendors, a parade, turn-of-the-century costumes and events that celebrate Riverside's citrus heritage. June also marks the beginning of Riverside Wednesday Night in downtown Riverside; the program lasts until September and offers a certified Farmer's Market, arts and crafts, food, live entertainment, petting zoo, pony rides, and kiddie rides. In the summer months Fairmount Park offers a wide range of family programs and a peaceful setting.
For those more interested in the arts, Riverside is home to a variety of performing arts, theater, dance, and music organizations. The Performing Arts Program of the University of California, Riverside offers quality plays, musicals, and other acts through its University Theatre and other campus venues. The historic Riverside Municipal Auditorium, located in downtown Riverside, showcases live performances that range from popular music acts to comedy to dance throughout the year. The Riverside Community Players, founded in 1926, is one of the oldest continuously active community theater groups in the United States and holds workshops in acting and staging techniques in addition to performing six productions annually. A professional productions of the Nutcracker each Christmas is offered annually by the Riverside Ballet Theatre, as well as a spring performance. February brings the annual Dickens Festival, a literary festival honoring the writer Charles Dickens that encourages reading and enjoyment of the dramatic and cultural arts by the general public.
Riverside has more than 45 neighborhood and community parks and 2 state parks available to sports and nature enthusiasts. Six neighborhood parks have tennis courts and swimming pools. The city parks also have a combined total of 15 soccer fields and more than 40 ballfield which includes the lighted baseball stadium at Riverside Sports Complex that seats 3,500. County parks offer natural environments for hiking, horseback riding, cycling, fishing, and camping. The 180-plus acre Fairmount Park offers fishing and sailing on Lake Evans, paddleboats, wildlife and bird watching, lawn bowling, golfing, playgrounds, and evening concerts. An outdoor recreational facility on 350 acres, Rancho Jurupa Park has 10 miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, stocked lakes, campsites with utility hookups, and the Louis Rubidoux Nature Center. Golfers can choose from 6 public and 3 private courses.
For the avid shopper, Riverside will not be a disappointment. The Inland Empire's shopping outlet is Ontario Mills, home to more than 200 specialty stores and 24 anchor stores. Riverside itself has two other major shopping malls: the 1.1-million square foot Galleria at Tyler and the recently transformed Riverside Plaza. Downtown Riverside also offers a wide arrange of specialty stores.
With all of this and so much more to offer, you will never be bored in Riverside, California, no matter what your interests!
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