Museum of Riverside

Programs and Events 

COVID 19: The City of Riverside ENCOURAGES members of the public to wear a mask indoors at city facilities and outdoors on city property when social distancing is not possible, REGARDLESS of vaccination status.

Upcoming at the Main Museum

3580 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501
                 

First Sundays First Sundays return in October 2023!  All First Sunday events are from 1-4 p.m. and free of charge. Please take note of First Sundays that will occur at different locations. October 1, 2023 - Touch-a-Bug Zoo November 5, 2023 - Blossom Maciel presents Indigenous basketweaving December 3, 2023 - Make a traditional orange tree ornament! January 7, 2024 - National House Plant Day - celebrate with succulents February 4, 2024 - Joseph the Reptile Hunter brings his friends to visit with you March 3, 2024 - Hinamatsuri origami April 7, 2024 - National Handmade Day - celebrate with papermaking and other crafts May 5, 2024 - Captain Carl and His Mobile Tidepool (at the SSgt. Salvador J. Lara Casa Blanca Library, 2985 Madison Street)

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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.

October 5, 2023 - Frankenbug!
November 2, 2023 - Open Lobby event - stop by to see the plans for the new main Museum and meet the architects
December 7, 2023 - Holiday garlands inspired by the Great Backyard Bird Count
NEW LOCATION IN 2024 - Main Street
January 4, 2024 - Trivia Day
February 1, 2024 - Making wax seals (and writing love letters)!
March 7, 2024 - Celebrate Women's History Month with paper dolls of famous local women
April 4, 2024 - Quingming (watch our social media for a possible additional location)
May 2, 2024 - Astronomy Day
June 6, 2024 - Make a button to celebrate Pride Month

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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.

Friday, October 6, 2023  |  6:30-8:00 p.m.
Jennifer Mermilliod, architectural historian, JM Research & Consulting, and Restored TV show historian
“Evergreen Cemetery: Riverside's Pioneer Burial Grounds Reflect Local History and National Trends”
Learn about the evolution of American cemetery design, funerary architecture, and death and burial practices embodied in Riverside's oldest cemetery and the extraordinary citizens its grounds embrace.

Friday, November 3, 2023  |  6:30-8:00 p.m.
Christopher Tracy, Ph.D., Director, Philip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center, University of California Natural Reserve System, University of California, 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 lizards 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. Click here to reserve your free seat.

Friday, December 1, 2023  |  6:30-8:00 p.m.
Cathy Gudis, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, University of California, Riverside
“From King Citrus to the Empire of Logistics”
The inland region today is occupied by over a billion square feet iof warehouses, and Amazon is the biggest employer. Yet the region was once promoted through vistas of seemingly endless orchards and was known as the Orange Empire, where citrus was king. How did we get to this point, where logistics has dominated the landscape, and with what implications? Click here to reserve your free seat.

Friday, January 5, 2024  |  6:30-8:00 p.m.
H. Vincent Moses, Ph.D., Vincate & Associates History Consultants - RESCHEDULED FROM MAY 2023
“Jekel, Spurgeon, Wilson: Riverside's Architects of the Spanish Colonial Revival, 1914-1940”
By 1930, the Spanish Colonial Revival (SCR) dominated the architecture of Southern California. Moses's presentation will examine the primary works of Riverside's three best known architects of the SCR 1903-1940 and place them within the context of SCR in Southern California.

Upcoming at Heritage House

8193 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA 92504

Heritage House is closed for site work and will reopen in November on a date to be announced.

Regular tours of Heritage House are held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (12:15-3:15 p.m.)
Please make a reservation to tour Heritage House via Eventbrite link here.

Moon Festival, originally scheduled for September 29, 2023, is cancelled due to site work at Heritage House.