Riverside is what can only be considered a true rarity. This picturesque California city offers plenty of small town charm. Just take a stroll through Downtown Riverside and the many shops, boutiques and restaurants are inviting and accessible. The people that you encounter along the way give you the faint impression that you have met them somewhere before.
Moving beyond the downtown periphery, that same small-town feeling stays with you when you visit any of the city's shopping centers, museums, historic sites, nightlife and family attractions. And, the fact that Riverside takes its name from being right along the Santa Ana River means that there are plenty of must-see natural amenities like gardens, parks, trails and water sports to experience.
But the fact that Riverside is just a short hour's drive away from the entertainment mecca of Los Angeles means that some of that city's glitz and glamor makes its way here, most notably when film crews arrive to film scenes for an upcoming movie or television show. It all is part of the bigger picture that illustrates what locals have known for years–that Riverside is California's favorite small town with big city appeal.
