The citrus industry is very important for California since it represented the main economy at the start of the 20th century. California Citrus State Historic Park lets you experience how residents got rich by growing citrus fruit at that time. The park is covered in majestic palms and rich citrus trees that make for a beautiful landscape. This citrus museum Riverside is located in the Arlington Heights area and you can easily spot it from the 91 Freeway.
Keep reading and don’t miss your chance to learn about this historic citrus park!
Visiting California Citrus State Historic Park
About the Park
The California Citrus State Historic Park is characterized by Victorian-style landscaping and Craftsman Bungalow architecture. This type of shaping of buildings was very popular at the turn of the century and the park features historic significance that helps illustrate this message.
The Gage Canal was built at the end of the 19th century along with all the related structures. It shows how water was managed in the state of California to irrigate several thousand acres of citrus at that particular time.
In addition, a very significant part of the cultural and esthetic resources of the site is the palm-lined streets in and around the park. The park has a series of knolls or hillocks that are encircled by some of these palm-lined roadways from the begging of the 20th century.
This Citrus museum Riverside has two main goals – to preserve a vanishing cultural landscape and to tell the colorful and far-reaching history of the citrus industry. If you show particular interest in citrus fruit, keep in mind that almost every tree service California recommends visiting this park.
Things to do
As already mentioned, this 300-acre park tells the story of the industry and preserves the vanishing cultural landscape of the citrus fruit. There are a lot of things you can do in the park. Read on!
The visitor center and fruit tastings are open Friday to Sunday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Make sure you make a stop here to enjoy some tasty, fresh fruit while you’re roaming the museum. Fresh fruit at the park is refreshing and will give you the energy to keep wandering! Still, you will need to pay a small parking fee in order to enter this part of the park. In addition, free guided tours are organized regularly and you can experience the horticultural aspects of a working grove and learn more about California’s historic citrus industry.
The park is massive and you can enjoy its different trails that wander through orange groves and citrus varietal blocks. Almost 50% of these 377 acres are devoted to a working citrus grove overlooking the valley.
Citrus museum Riverside is located at the visitor center, so make sure not to miss this one either. Additionally, antique citrus grove equipment is placed in the park on display. You can experience how people used this equipment to harvest and care for citrus fruits back then.
Once you’re inside the museum, you can learn how oranges came to Riverside County in the late 19th and early 20th century. Citrus fruit sparked California’s second “gold rush” and made the country very rich and important for the USA.
According to tree services Riverside, here is an overlook of all the things that you can visit and do at this historic park:
Day-use Activities and Facilities
- Picnic areas
- Guided tours
- Exhibits and programs
- Historical sites
- Visitor center
- Vista point
- Interpretive exhibits
- Geocaching
- Museums
- Wildlife and nature viewing
- Family programs
Trail use
- Hiking trails
- Bike trails
Visitor information and other facilities
- Restrooms
- Parking
- Drinking water
Additional Information
Parking hours are from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Make sure you leave before 5:00 pm to avoid paying additional parking fees. Dogs are allowed on trails, but they are not allowed to enter the visitor center, so bear in mind that you will have to leave your dog outside.
The park is located in the Arlington Heights – Lake Matthews area of Riverside, just one mile east of the 91 Freeway. It shouldn’t be too hard to find the park since it can be seen from far away. Still, try to set your GPS properly to be there on time.
The California Citrus SHP accepts the following State Park Passes:
- Distinguished Veteran Pass
- Disabled Discount Pass
- Golden Bear Pass
- Historian Passport Day Use Annual Pass
- California Explorer Vehicle Day Use Annual Pass
The Local Tree Experts Overview
California Citrus State Historic Park is about 400 acres in size and exists since the early 20th century. It displays how the state started growing citrus trees and how the industry grew so large in a short period of time. The park has a lot of picnic areas and demonstration groves among the trees, so you will definitely have a great time with your family!
