Stacy – my best bud since we met in LaMaze class – reached out a few weeks ago. She wanted me to check my calendar. She had vacation time to burn and no family obligations.
“Wanna play?,” she texted.
An early December girls trip? Count me in!
Both of us desperately needed respite from our hectic professional lives. But Stacy had an ulterior motive for traveling from North Carolina to her native California this time of year.
“They just don’t do Christmas decorations here the way they do back home,” she told me.
I immediately thought about the California city that does Christmas like no other: Riverside.
Yes, Riverside.
This inland California city about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles is home to the annual Festival of Lights at the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa. Each year, The 1800 Spanish Revival-style hotel hosts a holiday light display that draws nearly 100,000 visitors.
Stacy wanted Christmas spirit? I was about to deliver.
10 Million Bulbs Illuminate the Night at Festival of Lights
I picked up Stacy from the easy in/out Ontario Airport on a Sunday morning and we made our way to Riverside, about a 30-minute drive.
From the moment we self-parked, we sensed staff bracing for the swarms.
And, sure enough, by sunset the hotel grounds were surrounded. By about 7:30 p.m., the onlookers were shoulder-to-shoulder at the Inn’s walkway awaiting their tour around the outside of the building.
Fortunately, as hotel guests, we skirted around to a hotel restaurant entrance and flashed our room keys to get into the lobby.
There’s plenty to see and do at Festival of Lights:
- Tour the exterior of the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa. Snap photos. Drink in the wonder of millions of tiny lights, decorated balconies and freshly planted poinsettias.
- Visit the pop-up Gingerbread Shop and order a slice of gingerbread cake with whipped cream.
- Visit Santa’s Workshop and try to get away with not buying a toy for your niece or nephew.
- Hop across the street and lace on a pair of skates and take a few loops around the ice skating rink. Skates rent for $20 for a one-hour session. For non-skaters, rent an ice scooter for $10.
- Visit the Mission Inn Candy Lane Store. It’s new this year, in the location of the former beloved museum. There is every flavor of taffy imaginable as well as sweet holiday decorations that make great backdrops for selfies. The Mission Inn Museum has a new location at 3750 Market St. It’s there you can book a private tour of the inn and immerse yourself in its storied history.
- Walk over to the mini-carnival and try your hand at ring toss or the duck pond. The carnival rides are all scaled down versions of larger attractions, making them perfect for families with little ones.
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‘Taste the Rainbow’ with Lobby’s Mimosa Flight
While we waited for our room on Sunday, Stacy and I stumbled upon a hidden gem for brunch. Lobby – opened about five years ago – is a hip cocktail lounge in a shopping center across from Mission Inn Hotel and Spa.
Lobby’s vibe was cool and quirky, with friendly staff. Their nod to the holiday frenzy were two Christmas trees hung upside down from the ceiling.
When Stacy suggested we each order a mimosa flight instead of splitting, I was dubious. But oh my! What a great choice.
The flavors were so original. From the sweetness of the mango juice to the spice of the tamarindo, we could barely determine our favorite. The star of the show, we finally decided, was the cotton-candy topped Violette. We took a note to serve it at our family holiday brunches.
After filling up on brunch – Stacy had a Cobb salad and I opted for the avocado toast with egg – we were ready for some light shopping.
Explore the stores, but don’t miss Riverside Rustic
When it comes to shopping, Stacy and I are simpatico. We both still own the same raincoats we purchased on a girls trip to Seattle years ago.
Alas, I really want to share her penchant for the lululemon Define Jacket, but it just doesn’t look good on me – in any size. She, however, looks incredible in them and has nearly every color.
But this trip wasn’t about major brands. We were in Riverside to soak in the local scene.
We found it at Kelly Cook’s Riverside Rustic. She’s owned the shop for the last two years and travels the country looking for just the right stuff to display.
Cook hand-makes all the vintage-like signs in the shop and she has an impeccable taste in merchandising. On every shelf, in every corner there is something bespoke or bedazzled.
Stacy purchased darling miniature snowman ornaments. We both snagged adorable light-up beanies to wear that evening when the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa was illuminated.
Kelly’s Spa: the Secret to Serenity in Riverside
On day two of girls getaway, Stacy and I treated ourselves to a spa day. And, that turned out to be the highlight of our girls’ getaway.
Instead of facing Monday-morning corporate crises, we were greeted with fluffy terry cloth robes, complimentary champagne and chocolate truffles.
From the pink, leather-bound check-in notebook to Patty – our seemingly personal assistant who anticipated our every need – Kelly’s Spa at the Mission Inn, we agreed, delivered one of the classiest spa days we’ve ever had.
Kelly’s Spa is named after Kelly Robertson, who with her husband Duane, spent $55 million to revitalize the Mission Inn, reopening it in 1992. The spa reflects Kelly’s love of the color pink, which is tastefully woven into the Tuscan-like decor and frescoes of the spa’s interior design.
Here are a few tips for enjoying your perfect Kelly’s Spa experience:
- Don’t forget to pack a swimsuit, no matter what time of year. The pool adjacent to Kelly’s Spa is wonderfully warm and there’s a co-ed jacuzzi.
- The steam room – with heaven-scented, piped in eucalyptus – is intense! Don’t miss spraying yourself with even more eucalyptus oil and take a break to cool off. Patty was there for us to replenish with cold face towels and cucumbers.
- Plan to snack away a meal at Kelly’s Spa. The fruit, nuts and daily specials are delightful. And perfect for soaking up some of that champagne.
- Don’t be shy. Patty will bring you as much champagne as you want.
- After your spa service, extend the calm by relaxing poolside. We ordered a turkey club to split and were mesmerized by the truffle fries that came on the side. Do not miss the truffle fries, available at any of the Mission Inn restaurants.
Immerse Yourself in Art at Tio’s Tacos to Start
Riverside is a town with a vibrant art scene.
For example, comedian Cheech Marin (of Cheech and Chong fame for you Boomers) recently opened The Cheech, a Chicano museum, which we’ll be exploring next time we visit the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa.
After trying to burn off the truffle fries on Tuesday with a 4-mile round trip hike around Mt. Rubidoux Park, Stacy and I headed to the one-acre property that is Tio’s Tacos.
And, even though it was “Taco Tuesday,” we weren’t there for the tacos. We were there for artist Martin Sanchez’s artistic gardens which surround the restaurant.
Sanchez is a Mexican immigrant who builds sculptures out of discarded items such as tin cans and bottles. It’s a nod to the poverty he endured in Sahuayo, a small town in Michoacan, according to a plaque at the restaurant. Things in this country that have been rendered “useless,” but Sanchez repurposes them and erects something beautiful.
The artist’s handiwork is far from finished it seems, as we noted bags filled with trash and metal in a workshop near the rear of the property.
Tio’s Tacos, like the town of Riverside itself, is constantly recreating itself. And we’re happy we were there for it.
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