Well Known In It’s Heyday
I had heard about the magical holiday displays at The Mission Inn and they were a must see, but I visited in the middle of the summer to get a look at the inn.
How It All Began
Riverside, California, was home to a colony of healthy people who tried mightily to grow crops until they hit on the right one, the navel orange. The orange crop blossomed and waterways, trains and lodging helped develop this Southern California area 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Hollywood stars and wealthy tourists vacationed here where Spanish Renaissance buildings, sunshine and swaying palm trees abound. Mission Inn owner Frank Miller marketed all this along with the popular California Missions to bring in visitors.