5 Best Sights in Oak Glen, The Inland Empire

What started as an apple shed has become a 14-acre fun park and plaza with eateries, a petting zoo, a candy store, a creamery, train rides, shops, trout fishing, gold panning, local artisans, archery, a cider mill, and more. Be sure to grab a fresh-baked apple pie from Apple Annie’s Bakery. Some activities are seasonal.

Just outside of Oak Glen, this museum features late 16th to early 19th century European, Indian, and Asian works of art. Founder Dean Stout designed the interior to resemble a home with seven historic rooms including a library with over 2,700 books from the 17th to the 19th centuries. After visiting the museum, stroll the grounds to enjoy the koi pond, garden maze, and the popular Legacy Rose Garden.

This 909-acre preserve encompasses the Southern California Montane Botanic Garden, the Children’s Outdoor Discovery Center, and the Los Rios Rancho Apple Farm. Three well-marked trails—ranging from 2 to 4.8 miles—wind past ponds, streams, wetlands, oak and pine forests, chaparral, and willow woodland.

The original wooden schoolhouse (circa 1889) was replaced by this two-story stone structure in 1927, and it continued operating as a school until 1965. Today, it's a museum with vintage desks, blackboards, textbooks, a 48-star American flag, and artifacts dating from the 1880s. Outside the museum is a playground and picnic area.

Employees dress in period costumes at this interactive, kid-friendly ranch. Riley's hosts school groups from September to June, and individuals can join the groups by reservation for tours on the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Gold Rush, homesteading, and colonial farm life. You can hop on a hayride, take part in a barn dance, pick your own apples, press some cider, or throw a tomahawk while enjoying living-history performances. The farm is also home to Colonial Chesterfield, a replica New England–style estate where costumed 18th-century reenactors offer lessons in cider pressing, candle dipping, colonial games, and etiquette.