Mission Inn Museum Tours

The Mission Inn is the architectural heart of Riverside and one of the most striking historic hotels in California. Filling an entire city block downtown, it is a maze of arcades, courtyards, towers, domes, balconies and cloisters that blend Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial, Moorish and other styles into something that feels more like a fantasy than a hotel. It grew in stages from a small adobe boarding house in the late nineteenth century into the grand complex seen today, shaped largely by the vision of the Miller family and by architects who were encouraged to keep adding wings, bells and artwork. The Mission Inn Museum, a separate nonprofit, runs guided tours that take visitors through public areas and explain the history, the architecture and the collection, from the Rotunda and the Spanish Art Gallery to the St. Francis Chapel with its Tiffany stained glass and the Kimpton-era courtyards. Even if you are not staying here, a tour is the best way to understand why this building matters and why Riverside has protected it so fiercely. The guides tell stories that tie the inn to national history, including presidents who visited, famous weddings and honeymoons held in its chapel, and the role it played in the city's identity as an early tourist destination.

A typical tour lasts about an hour and covers a lot of ground on foot, mostly on level terrain with some stairs and ramps. You will pass through the lobby and the Rotunda wing, see the carved doors and ironwork that make the architecture so photogenic, and visit the chapel and one or more of the inn's interior courtyards.

The Carillon tower and its bells, the oversized Asian and European artifacts brought back by the founders, and the little corners that most guests walk straight past are the highlights. Because the inn is a working hotel, parts of a tour may be adjusted around events and guest use, so the route can change from one day to the next.

The museum offers more than one kind of tour, including general walking tours and themed or specialty experiences, and tour times and availability vary through the week and the seasons. Book ahead on weekends and in the holiday period, when demand is highest. From late November through the winter the inn is famous for its Festival of Lights, when the building and surrounding blocks glow with decorations, and tour schedules and crowds change accordingly, so check ahead if you want to combine the two.

Wear comfortable shoes and bring a camera; the afternoon light on the arcades is lovely.

The tour suits adults, older children with an interest in history and anyone curious about California's early tourism boom. Younger children may find the pace slow, though the bells, towers and ornate details tend to hold their attention. After the tour, consider lunch or coffee in the surrounding Main Street pedestrian mall, a short stroll to the Riverside Art Museum or a drive up Mount Rubidoux. The inn's restaurants and bars are open to the public as well, so you can extend the visit with a meal in one of the dining rooms or courtyards.

Riverside is easy to reach by car or by Metrolink commuter rail, and the downtown station is close enough to walk. If you plan to stay overnight, the inn itself is a memorable base, with rooms of varying character and a spa and pool. For day visitors, a tour makes a perfect anchor for a walking day downtown and a gentle introduction to the history that links this city to the citrus industry and the growth of the Inland Empire.