Downtown

Downtown Riverside and the Mission Inn

Downtown is 1.9 miles west of Rock Ridge, built around the Mission Inn. Restaurants, a historic theater, a museum and a car-free stretch of Main Street sit within a few blocks of each other, and the Metrolink station is close.

The Mission Inn

The Mission Inn Hotel and Spa is 1.9 miles from the gate, a National Historic Landmark and the largest Mission Revival building in the country, taking up a full city block. It runs its Festival of Lights through the holidays, when the whole block is lit. You do not have to be a guest to walk the arcades, eat at one of its restaurants or take a tour.

The Fox Theater (Fox Performing Arts Center) in downtown Riverside, California — The Fox Performing Arts Center, downtown Riverside. Photo: Phoebe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Main Street, the Fox and the Art Museum

A few steps from the Inn, Main Street closes to cars for the pedestrian mall between roughly 5th and 10th Streets, with shops, restaurants and fountains. The Fox Performing Arts Center, the 1929 theater the city restored, is on Mission Inn Avenue, and the Riverside Art Museum, in a 1929 Julia Morgan building, is on the same street. The County Administrative Center is 1.8 miles from Rock Ridge and Riverside City College 3.0.

Getting there without the parking

The Riverside-Downtown Metrolink station is 2.0 miles from the gate, served by three Metrolink lines, and the SR-91 downtown is 1.7 miles. RTA buses run from University and Chicago toward downtown. Commuting from Rock Ridge has the details.

Home after a night out

Rock Ridge is mostly one-bedroom homes, each a single level with nobody above or below, plus a two-bedroom and three-bedrooms upstairs over the garages. One-bedrooms are listed from $1,595/month right now. Every open home and its exact rent is on the availability page. The courtyard pool and the quiet of a single-level home are a short drive from the busiest part of the city. See the amenities.

See current openings Book a self-guided tour

Questions people ask

How far is the Mission Inn from Rock Ridge?

1.9 miles by road. The Mission Inn is a National Historic Landmark and the largest Mission Revival building in the United States.

What is there to do in downtown Riverside?

The Mission Inn, the Main Street pedestrian mall, the Fox Performing Arts Center and the Riverside Art Museum are within a few blocks of each other, 1.9 miles from Rock Ridge.

How do I get downtown without driving?

The Riverside-Downtown Metrolink station is 2.0 miles from the gate, and RTA buses run toward downtown from University and Chicago.

Is the Festival of Lights at the Mission Inn free?

Walking the lit block is free. The Mission Inn publishes the dates and any ticketed events each year; the display runs through the holiday season.

Distances measured by road from 3581 Chicago Ave using OpenStreetMap, October 2026. Downtown facts from the City of Riverside, the Mission Inn, the Fox Performing Arts Center and the Riverside Art Museum.