Museum of Riverside

Programs and Events 

At the Main Museum

3580 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501 - This site will soon be closed.  Check each program location below.
                 

ArtsWalk The Museum of Riverside participates in the Downtown Riverside ArtsWalk held the first Thursday of each month 6-9 p.m.  Activity and ending time will vary. TWIN LOCATIONS! - Main Street AND the Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties October 3, 2024 - Gourd craft November 7, 2024 - Naturalism and nature journals. Get the scoop on Edmund Jaeger's "Magic Circles." December 5, 2024 - National Letter-Writing Day and holiday cards inspired by the art of Miné Okubo 100th Anniversary Programs Celebrate the Museum of Riverside's 100th with programs as diverse as our collections and history.  Locations, times, and topics vary. September 17, 2024 - Moon Festival returns!  Enjoy lion dancers, storytelling, crafts, refreshments, and more from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Heritage House, 8193 Magnolia Avenue September 26, 2024 - Conversations with a Curator in our 100th anniversary exhibition "Dear Riverside, A Letter to Our First Love."  Chat with Dr. Brenda Buller Focht at noon at the Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties. September 28, 2024 - Stop by Heritage House from noon - 3:00 p.m. for Charleston dance lessons with Tatyana Alford and performances by members of the Riverside Arts Academy. October 5, 2024 - We will participate in the local version of Doors Open!  Stop by Harada House, 3356 Lemon Street, to chat about its path forward.  Access provided to the site, but not the house. October 12, 2024 - Candlelight and Corvids, a special program featuring crows, ravens, and Edgar Allen Poe (or someone who looks like him)!  At Heritage House, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. October 17, 2024 - Hear local Cahuilla artist Gerald Clarke reflect on his work and Indigenous peoples' relationships with museums.  At the Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties, 3:00 p.m. October 20, 2024 - Local author Kate Anger will lead a workshop at Heritage House, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.  This is a ticketed event. October 24, 2024 - Conversations with a Curator in our 100th anniversary exhibition "Dear Riverside, A Letter to Our First Love."  Chat with Curator of Natural History Ian Wright at noon at the Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties. October 25, 2024 - Barbara Wong tells Japanese ghost stories!  At Heritage House, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. October 26, 2024 - Tea with the Undertaker, noon - 3:00 p.m. November 16, 2024 - Local historian Steve Lech speaks on "Postcards from Mecca" at the Main Library Community Room, 2:00 p.m. November 17, 2024 - Go on a nature hike with our Curator of Natural History Ian Wright at Doty Trust Park, 5410 Golden Avenue, Riverside.  Hike begins at 9:00 a.m.  Bring good shoes, water, a hat, and maybe a camera. November 21, 2024 - "Home Front at Camp Anza: Veteran Storytellers," will take place at 2:00 p.m. at a location TBD.  Coordinated by the Inlandia Institute. December 8, 2024 - You waited all year, and now it's back!  Christmas Open House at Heritage House, from noon to 4:00 p.m. p.m.                                                                             December 12, 2024 - Our 100th anniversary gala!  Book your ticket by clicking here for this glamorous event at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium. First Sundays We'll be back in October 2024 when First Sundays resume!  First Sundays are free, family-friendly events from 1-4 p.m., occurring at different locations.

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Nights with the Museum

Always Different, Never Boring

Attend fascinating discussions with people from our local community.  No previous expertise necessary!

First Fridays of the month  |  6:30 – 8:00 p.m.  FREE!

Located at the Main Library Community Room, 3900 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside.

TO BE RESCHEDULED
Eric Focht, Ph.C., Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California Riverside                                                                                                                                                                                                            "California's Avocados, From the Past to the Present and into the Future"     

Take part in this overview of the biology and ecology of the plant in its native Central American/Mexican centers of origin, as well as learn about the history of its introduction to California and where the University of California, Riverside program has taken it.      

Friday, October 4, 2024  |  6:30-8:00 p.m.
Christopher Tracy, Ph.D., director, Philip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Reserve Research Center, University of California Natural Reserve System, University of California, Riverside Riverside                                                                                                                                                         

“Sand Between Their Toes: How Coachella Fringe-Toed Lizards Helped Us Understand Desert Lizards in Africa"

The Coachella Valley is the only place in the world where the Coachella fringe-toed lizard lives.  Herpetologist Dr. Chris Tracy will introduce us to his decades-long study of this federally protected lizard species, how it has affected development and natural conservation in the valley, and how that project took the research team from the Deep Canyon Research Center to Africa's Namibian Desert to understand more about lizards that live on sand dunes.

Friday, November 1, 2024  |  Nights with the Museum is cancelled because our room at the Main Library is a polling location - Please vote!                                                                                                                                     

At Heritage House

8193 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA 92504

Heritage House is open!  Book a tour on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday (12:15-3:15 p.m.).  Stop in to see our new exhibition of gorgeous 1920s fashion, "Roaring Riverside: Fashions of the 1920s."
Please make a reservation for your free tour via Eventbrite link here.

Movies on the Lawn: Made in Riverside

Every third Friday during 2024, the Museum's 100th anniversary  |  gates open at sunset, film starts at dusk
Bring your own lawn chair or blanket and dress warmly. Popcorn and other snacks are available for cash purchase only.  Onsite parking is limited.

Every film has a connection to Riverside ... see if you can spot it each month!

September 20, 2024 - "Eagle Eye" (2008)

October 18, 2024 - "Two on a Guillotine" (1965)

November 15, 2024 - "Strait-Jacket" (1964)

December 20, 2024 - "Double Dynamite" (1951)