FINALLY had the chance to visit the Jurupa Mountains Discover Center! I always see the iconic mammoth statue passing by on the freeway and finally got to visit. His name is Eddy and he's a Columbian mammoth. Crazy cool that it's a life sized replica too. At the entrance, you pay for parking and it's $10. PRO-TIP: If you spend $40 at the gift shop, the $10 counts towards it and altogether it's actually only $30, which is great if you're buying a lot of goods there to support OR if you're a fossil and/or gem/mineral enthusiast since they have a LOT of that there, which is pretty neat. There's 2 places you can park. One near the garden nursery where you can purchase plants or near the main parking where the gift shop is. The Critter Corner is in the gift shop where you can see lots of herps and aquatic critters as well. The volunteers are super informative and can answer all your questions about the critters they have there. Love that they have name tags and info about where they're from and information about the species. Love the monkey skink, emerald tree skinks, Argentinian tegu, and of course, the beardies. Gift shop also has a great variety of affordable gifts ranging from toys, to small knick-knacks, decor, gem stones and minerals of all varieties and displays (loose, as earrings or necklaces, carved, etc.), locally sourced honey, actual fossils (there's a section where you're not allowed if you're under 16 without a parent or guardian), books, stickers, and much much more. While we were there, there was also a fun little S.T.E.A.M. corner where you can work on artwork you can take home or on some days I think there's science activities there too. The mural on the walls are also quite impressive too. Great for photos and a nice personal touch. I recommend getting the $1 grab bag! Kids love gacha/blind boxes nowadays and mine had 2 small fossils, a sticker, and 2 mineral stones. Pretty nice and super affordable. There's a trail that goes through a cactus garden with lots of dinosaur sculptures, done by the local boy scouts which is pretty neat. It's $9 if you would like to go rock collecting. You get to meet all the dinos during this expedition as well. It's 12 rocks, minerals, or fossils which isn't bad. They also have guided tours that start at the gift shop, but my boyfriend and I were just there to free roam, which can kill a couple hours too depending on how in depth you are in reading and looking at everything. They also have a separate Museum of Discovery with lots of fossil specimens and models ranging from dinosaurs, prehistoric creatures (aquatic, mammals, reptiles, etc.), indigenous/Native American artifacts and artwork (local artwork too), minerals and other geological structures. There's taxidermy on the wall too. Lots to look at. Will definitely come back in the future. Super affordable way to learn and spend some time. read more

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My family came here today with our charter school for a field trip. We had the absolute best guide, Alexis. She truly made our day so special. She was so enthusiastic about her job, and she really got the kids excited about everything. All of the children thoroughly enjoyed Learning about rocks, hiking up to the dinosaurs, and all that this center has to offer. We will definitely be going back on the weekends when they are open to the public so we can do more exploring. Again, we highly recommend Alexis as your tour guide because she was so sweet and kind and taught the children so much. Thank you for making our trip so special. read more

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The center looks fantastic! I worked part time at the center years ago, while i finished my graduate degree in Anthropology. It was not thriving under its then administrator. I always hoped someone would make it what it is today. You all have done a wonderful job. Thank you I can't wait to take my nephews and their children. read more

My wife and I took the kids here and they absolutely loved it! My only regret was not scheduling the tour but we will do so next time. The staff was very knowledgeable in regard to the dinosaurs/fossils etc. I definitely recommend coming here read more

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center - Map of the park - Museums Near Me - Riverside, California

Kismet. Usually when I find myself driving up the 60 out of LA towards the desert, it's a Friday. This time it was a Saturday and my husband noticed some metal dinosaur sculptures - which is our son's favorite thing ever - so we pulled over. What a fantastic little spot. $10 to park and there's a gift shop with fossils (one of which I got for the kid's birthday present), crystals, turtles, and a whole reptile mini-zoo. One of the handlers even let the kids pet the snakes! Next building is the museum. Small, but very filled with great stuff and friendly docents. I heard that a few times a day there's a nature hike where a guide takes the group around to see the Dino statues for a small fee - but we missed it. A great find! read more

Such a cute place to take kids. The most exciting part was walking through the aloe garden and running into a huge friendly tortoise. Parking fee was $10 They have a cool museum filled with fossils, crystals and tribal artifacts read more

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center - Museum - Museums Near Me - Riverside, California

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This place is awesome! Such a hidden gem! Everyone was so helpful, informative and kind. They brought out several animals for my kids to learn about and touch. They even let the kids take pics with the coolest lizard, Norbert! They seem to really care about their animals. We will be sharing this place with friends and family and we will be coming back soon! read more

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center - Norbert the lizard! - Museums Near Me - Riverside, California

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This was the 2nd time that my granddaughters and I visited Jurupa Mountains Discovery Museum. On this trip, we took the dinosaur tour. Our guide, Dino Dave , was very informative, nice.and funny. After the tour, the kids participated in the craft corner. We looked at all the reptiles, snakes, and tarantulas. We went to the fossil museum again . There is so much to see. What we didn't notice on our first trip, we noticed on our 2nd visit at the museum. Every staff member in all areas were very nice to us . I'm sure we will visit JMDM again . read more

Sadly i would like to echo a bad experience with the phone answerer person. He was rude and condescending. Completely unnecessary. The actual person at the gate, however, was helpful, and pleasant. We spent a fruitful hour at the end of the day (2-3:PM) taking in the gardens, the turtle pond, the gift shop, the "critter corner where one could get up close to snakes, and skinks, and lizards of all sorts, and a grand museum of natural history, dinosaur bones, rocks and minerals, sea fossils, and stuffed mammals, which rivals big city museums. Seriously -- A wonderful discovery for anyone interested in science, and especially appropriate for school age children. A myriad of exciting exhibitions. read more

It was a great place to spend an afternoon with the family. We walked the trails, browsed the museum, enjoyed the tortoises, and pet a snake. My five-year-old had a fun and educational time. read more

We had so much fun, my little one love the dinosaurs and the museum it's amazing , was a great family time.

We hadn't been here in a few years and wow! It has really improved! There's a nice small museum with fossils. They are probably many replicas, but this didn't matter to my dino obsessed child. We took a tour, which was funny because it visited a number of dinosaur statues in a variety of styles, and learned a lot of fun dinosaur facts. And the end, there's a fossil dig, which is a big patch of gravel where they have sprinkled a number of small fossils and semiprecious stones. You get to collect 12. This was such a a fun activity for the kids, and me. I had a ton of fun. Obviously this place is not the Smithsonian, but they have done so much with limited resources and created a truly fun family experience. We also enjoyed the tortoises and the reptile/ invertebrate collection, and the gift shop has lots of nice thibgs for anyone into fossils, rocks and minerals. The nursery also looked nice, but by the end we had spent a lot of time and didn't have time to browse. This is a very fun stop, and I highly recommend it. read more

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We had a great time here. I brought my nephew and my daughter, and they were able to see tortoises and touch a variety of reptiles. There was a volunteer in the museum named Otie & he was great at educating my nephew and getting him excited about fossils & rocks. Great staff & a fun activity for littles! read more

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Riverside, California

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Bloom, bloom, bloom! SO much color in the cacti garden! Aloes are beautifully bloomed!!! I started on the left side and walked up then meandered down to the herb garden. Watch out for the dinos at the top!! And "yaaas" there is also a museum, not to be missed! Parking super on the cheap and there is plenty of parking spaces in two different spots. This is a great place for a picnic. Plenty of shaded areas to lounge at. I appreciated the numerous benches throughout. read more

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Somewhat boring which was dissatisfying. I loved the shop and gallery they have! But it is a lot of dirt and they have the dinosaurs blocked off so there was really no point in going. Said they had a bingo night coming up but didn't know anything about the details when I asked :/ might return! Also all of their "gardens" are dead and closed and locked. Be prepared to be warm, outside walking and in the dirt read more

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center - Gallery - Museums Near Me - Riverside, California

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Just take your own water - it's quite a little hike especially in the sun . Nice old fashioned place , great for families. read more

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Such a fun place to explore and take kids! The variety of cacti and succulents is amazing, they also sell unique varieties I haven't found elsewhere. Not to mention extremely affordable. Always great to support places like this, the staff here is wonderful, informative and helpful! It does get extremely hot here, best is going during the winter. read more

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Mr. Mark was a great tour guide. Super cool and very educational for the kiddos. Thank you Mr. M read more

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We had an absolutely great time here this morning!! It was hot but bearable. The museum was amazing and we learned a bunch! We did the Dinosaur tour. I'm pretty sure our tour guide's name was Julia but she was a real archaeologist and taught us a lot about dinosaurs and things the movies get wrong. She was kind, entertaining, and informative, an expert in her field. She even put together some of the museum exhibits. I would definitely go back! The rock dig at the end was way more fun than I expected and I sat down and dug right along side the kiddos. read more

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Admission is free, $10 parking donations welcome. I did not visit everything in the property but what I did see I enjoyed. The museum was pretty cool and informative. The gift shop has live critters to see. Plenty of turtles in the pond. There's gardens to visit which looked beautiful from what I drive by. read more

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With kids, it can be a challenge to find places within a reasonable price and entertaining. Well Jurupa Mountain Discovery checks both boxes. The only fee you pay to get in is to park tour vehicle. The discovery place is on open land with hiking trails. There is a map to help you around. You can see the museum, butterfly field, turtles, lizards, tarantulas, cactus, and lots of dinosaur display along the path ways. It was a blast we look to repeat. read more

Hosting a party here was a smooth process. Overall: very affordable, huge party space, clean bathrooms, AMAZING TOUR GUIDE & fun "fossil collecting" activity, well put together museum & great gift shop with pets. Kids enjoyed petting the snake! Employees are all approachable and kind. We were there for about 4 hours & still didn't get to see everything. We plan to return. HIGHLY RECOMMEND for (multi)day visit or party venue for children. read more

This place is super cute!! It has flower gardens, vegetable gardens, aloe paths, cacti EVERYWHERE, and the iconic metal dinosaurs. We had so much fun walking around and seeing everything, exploring the museums, and watching the turtles in the turtle pond. I am fascinated by the fact that I saw giant cacti AND a saber tooth tiger skeleton in the same space. very cool, very diverse, VERY fun, and very well worth the $10/car parking fee. At the end of our day we ate at Daisy's bbq, which was located right next to the gift shop. The owner was so kind and attentive, and everything was made with so much quality. We asked for loaded nachos and they were the most loaded nachos of my life. AWESOME!! read more

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My husband and I wanted to take our toddler out of the house and do something fun on the weekend, so we chose Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center since there were metal dinosaur sculptures to be seen. We drove up to the entrance and had to pay $10 for parking in order to get in. The female employee at the entrance was really friendly, informational, and nice. We were given a map as well as a $10 coupon to use inside their gift shop if we spent $40 total, which we didn't end up using as we didn't purchase anything there. It wasn't very busy when we went; probably only 30 or so people that I could count while we were there. Overall it was an okay experience, not that entirely exciting. If you'd like to go to a place that has some short looped trails to walk outdoors for exercise with your family, this is a decent place for that. There's a cactus garden with lots of small lizards scurrying about, and some sort of museum which unfortunately was closed on the day we visited. I just looked on their website and apparently, they're planning for a grand opening (no date listed) and there are large dinosaur fossils to look at including a wooly mammoth skull and tusks, a complete sabertooth tiger fossil, fossils of dinosaurs that died while fighting with one another and more! That would definitely be worth coming back to see. My child LOVES rocks but we didn't sign up for any tours, so perhaps that would've made the experience much more fun. Bring your bug spray! There were tons of mosquitoes and I got bit EIGHT TIMES while I was standing near the entrance of the gift shop and chatting with some ladies. If you keep moving and walking around though, you should be fine; I had stood in the same spot conversing with the Master Gardeners for about 20 minutes or so. You have to follow the map and walk west to get to the metal dinosaur sculpture trail area. The sculptures weren't labeled with any information whatsoever, so there really wasn't much of anything educational about seeing them. They were cool to look at from an engineering and artistic standpoint, but we just took a few photos with them in the backgrounds of our photos and kept walking. I noticed that there are informational podiums in front of most of the sculptures, but they were all empty. Someone on staff really needs to update them, as that would give a lot more meaning to people's experiences here. There's some bell you can ring that's dedicated to a gentleman who I believe founded the Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center. My kid really enjoyed pulling the rope to ring the bell, the sound of which got irritating after the 10th or so very loud ring, so we moved on and walked to the nursey on site. The Discovery Center has a nursery filled with cacti and succulents for purchase. I walked through it but didn't see anything I really needed or really wanted, as I already have too many plants to take care of. The nursery was decorated with Halloween decorations including cobwebs and fake severed feet and hands, which was a nice decorative touch. Just outside of the gift shop entrance, there are three medium-sized tortoises munching on lettuce and other vegetables. That was pretty cool to see for us and our small child, but we saw no information posted regarding what species they are, their age, names, or anything like that. They were just chilling and eating. Inside the gift shop, there are lots of geodes, fossils, souvenirs, toys, clothing, and knick-knacks for purchase. We walked through and looked at what was on most of the shelves but didn't see anything we wanted to bring home. There was a really cool reptile corner that had a large collection of various animals that included: snakes, lizards, iguanas, both soft-shelled and hard-shelled turtles, and frogs. All of the glass terrariums were labeled with the species of the animals they contained, but no further interesting "did-you-know" information which would've been nice to read. We got a chance to pet one of the larger scarier-looking snakes when its handlers had just so happened to bring it out. That was a cool experience for us. After that, we headed out. All in all, this place definitely needs a makeover and a lot more interesting information regarding what they're exhibiting. It's kind of like going to a museum but with no informational panels to read, so you're not really sure what you're looking at. It would be really cool if they had a petting zoo for little kids, as that would be a huge attraction for parents to bring their children here. read more

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center - Entrance to the Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Riverside, California

Free entrance . We came here on a scorching hot day .. we only hike a few yards and we were dying from the heat. decided to head to the gift shop instead. Bought some of their jewelry and rock collections . Kids were intrigued seeing so many rock collections , dinosaur skeletons and Indian artifacts. Definitely come here during spring or winter to hike. read more

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After a week of learning about dinosaurs and Dino activities at home, I decided to bring my son to the Discovery Center as a treat. We first visited the gift shop- relatively inexpensive items, and the gift shop had various reptiles, snakes, and turtles, which was pretty neat. We also paid for the guided tour, and after reading Yelp reviews, we asked for Javier. We were not disappointed! You can definitely tell he has a passion for what he does, which makes a world of a difference. My son was engaged the entire time, and even he had a great time! Lastly, we visited the museum on premises, which was very nice. We will definitely be coming back here for another stroll. read more

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The Cultural Center is a fun place to stop by. It can be a great learning experience for all ages. So much to see & touch. It's fun to learn about the geology of our area. read more

Was a great family day at the discovery place. They had a small tour that took you up to see the large metal dinosaurs guided with a very knowledgeable guide. Don't take a stroller and expect to walk up hill and on a dirt path. The little museum had a very passionate worker who knew so many cool facts. Loved our visit!! read more

Meh... it was okay. Admissions's $10/pp plenty of parking. Not much for the kiddos to do. enough to see. Poorly maintained. We were talking about the many things that could be done to make it a little more exciting for the kids and that's to add more outdoor activities like a playground, more Dino's photo opps... since they don't have many animals now and everything is short lived perhaps other inexpensive upgrades can spruce things up! Not worth. Would not recommend read more

Amazing metal sculptures and great staff. Great weather this weekend for walking through the gardens.

Took the 3pm Sunday tour lasting about 1 1/2 hours at the Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center with Dino Dave, aspiring Environmental & Mechanical Engineering major. Dino Dave was informative & factual, and since children were present, his presentation was geared for the elementary school level. However, it was still informative enough for an adult audience. We were first prepped by a quick intro to minerals, and then on to igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary rocks which segues onto fossils. There are dinosaur models planted throughout the succulent, cactus gardens so there is a good amount of talk of the fauna of the Mesozoic era as well as the Permian period with mention of Dimetrodon reptile with sail like dorsal fin. Then we go to the "mineral pit" to find interesting or colorful rocks. I found some amethyst and obsidian. Dino Dan provided us w/ egg cartons to store our newly found treasures. We had mentioned to Dino Dan that we wanted to go to the plant nursery before the tour started so he accomodated our wish by passing by the nursery near the conclusion of the tour. Nice collection of cacti and succulents. I found Pachypodium lamerei, Giant Madagascar Palm, which has spiked fleshy trunk and festooning of a crown of bladed green leaves. JMDC seems to be an ideal site for school field or family trips as well as informative, fun birthday parties for the young. Great for adults with a mineral, fossil, or xeric plant fetish. 4 Yelp stars. read more

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Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center is a free and fun way to spend an afternoon if you have nothing to do. Located in Riverside County, off the 60 freeway, an easy find. Admission is free to wander through the botanical garden and view all the different dinosaur statues. There is a biblical pond, some orchards and a nursery to purchase plants. There is also a museum and a gift shop. My husband and I, along with our dog (dog friendly) came by here on a Saturday afternoon around 1:45 pm. We didn't really have plans for our Saturday afternoon and so we decided to drive all the way out here. Being that I would always see these dinosaurs from the freeway numerous of times in the past, I just knew that I wanted to check this place out one day. So we brought our little girl out and had her dressed in her triceratops costume to take photos and explore. In the end, we got some great shots with our little girl and enjoyed our family time. We were here a little less than an hour. Not bad for a place with free admission. Please note that most of the area here is sunny and not shaded. So be sure to wear some sun block and a hat to shield your face from the sun. Also there are only portapotties available (not sure if there are restrooms inside the museum though) but there are portable sinks with soap and paper towels available to wash your hands afterwards if you need to use them. read more

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This was a great experience for the kids. We usually drive past it when on the 60 and finally decided to check it out. There is plenty of space to explore and different sections that are good for pictures. We went when it was hot but made sure to take our waters. read more

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center - Museum - Museums Near Me - Riverside, California

Went on a field trip with our kids. Kids all had a great time on the tour. Got to learn about rocks and dinosaurs. Had fun digging for rocks in a small quarry. There were fossils, colored stones, and teeth and "gold" pieces the kids loved. Had a nice gift shop with many kinds of rocks priced from $1 and up. The tour guide was very very knowledgeable about plants, minerals and dinosaurs. He kept the kids full attention. Everything was clean. read more

So the location is good it's a little bit too small but it gives an idea why they have in the inland Empire. It's good for kids to get understanding what type of dinosaur roam around this area tour guy experienced individual there give good explanation about certain scenarios it's really amazing my kids love they will take them back again. read more

Great place for kids to learn about dinosaurs and have a day outside. The store is small but very interesting with lots of turtles.

$10 parking: I paid cash but I believe they accept card, not sure about Apple Pay. Gift shop: they accept Apple Pay and have some noice rocks and reptiles! Museum: still under construction but accessible Nursing area: mostly succulents Awesome hiking view: I came to see the dinos and the cactus "maze" and the views did not disappoint Food: they have snacks at the gift shop Bring water, a hat, and sunscreen! read more

Staff were all cool and friendly. Replicas of bones look great. My kid enjoyed it. There's a game you can play on your phone to see Dino's pop up. On-site vendor with food was there $10 for a hot dog. However there's plenty of sitting and you can bring your own food/snacks/drinks. Mini trail lots of cactus and cool Dino statues. $10 per car entrance (parking) gift shop with reptiles to see. read more

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Riverside, California

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I totally recommend coming here! It's $10 to park and free to walk around unless you want a guided tour of the whole place then it's $9 each person. Very inexpensive for what you get to see. They have a lot of local animals such as snakes in their gift shop to see, as well as tons of crystals and rocks you can buy. The museum is beautifully updated and everyone working was so kind and helpful. My 2 toddlers loved every minute! read more

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Riverside, California

Nice little Discovery Center to spend some time with the kids or by yourself lol you know to kill some time. Entry is free of charge only place where I seen you could possibly spend some money was inside the gift shop/office. They had some pretty pieces of Amethyst Crystal's for sale, but you had to be careful with these pieces you break them you buy them. Oh man they got all kinds of gross little critters in that office too. I could only be there for so long after, even I had to walk away. The lizards and snakes I was cool with. But the spiders, roaches and scorpion yeah no thank you, I'm out!!! The turtles were a cute touch though, munching away without a care in the world. We walked over to the little museum part and they had plenty of fossil, most of it is borrow from other places but still interesting. Be warned though they had no AC so it was hot, and no restroom inside. read more

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center - Snake. - Museums Near Me - Riverside, California

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