This is a wonderful and stunning shrine to Lincoln, our Civil War heroes, and the abolitionists who…read moreworked tirelessly to abolish slavery in the American South. The building is stunning and the displays are pure art. The docents are incredibly knowledgeable and provide you with an abundance of information. My only complaint is that the exterior of this beautiful shrine is marred by ugly QR code banners which make it impossible to take a good photo of the exterior. I also hope they remove 'The 1619 Project' from its prominent display as it has been widely discredited and is a real insult to the 360,000 Union Soldiers who sacrificed their lives - as did Lincoln - to eradicate slavery from our country.

Very interesting and somber place. Thd building and its details are beautiful. The young man…read moreworking there was very nice and he explained the layout of the museum and offered us resources and help along the self guided tour. It's a small museum with three separate rooms. There's a fun Morse code activity and some paper and colors to draw with. I'd say it's a place for fifth graders and up. Museum is free but please consider donating or buying from their gift shop to help keep funding places like these.

I've been patiently waiting for the opening of the museum. I was able to visit during the gift…read moreshop's soft opening. The building is very contemporary with white walls and vast space. The gift shop has an open floor plan with hardwood flooring. The Christmas decorations were lovely! I appreciated the citrus Christmas tree! True to Redlands origins!!

While described as a museum of natural history, this is much more, with excellent information about…read morelocal history, agriculture, and Native American life. Opening hours are apparently subject to change - while officially posted as 5 PM to 8 PM on Wednesdays, they closed at 7 that day. They are also open on Saturdays. Allow time for your visit, as there is a lot to see here.

If you're looking for an outdoor wedding venue for great Princess-esque photos, this is the place…read moreto go. I needed to tour Kimberly Crest because I always wanted a Disney Princess wedding, but I didn't want to get married at Disneyland or in Downtown Disney. To book the tour slot, we filled out the form on their website and emailed to coordinate a time with Mary and Tanya after sharing some additional details about our wedding (priorities, budget, timing, guest count). The historic home and additional stone stairwell and fountain add-on are beautiful, and they are great for couples who want a photographic venue and have put a high emphasis on getting great wedding portraits in a castle-eqsque setting. We were looking for a wedding venue with water elements, and felt like the fountain/pond was a great water feature. You have the option for your guests to go inside the house for a guided tour during cocktail hour, but otherwise it is closed, which means the entirety of your wedding is outdoors. Inspired by a French castle, the French château-style mansion was built in 1897 and has an old Victorian-style architecture, and the iconic cascading stone and concrete stairs in the Italian Renaissance-style gardens (the majority of the photos you see online) were added between 1905 and 1909 as a part of the garden overhaul by the new Kimberly family owners. In case of rain in Redlands, they have great tent partnerships and can get your reception space tented for a great day. It's a venue-only rental, which is great if you're looking to bring in all of your own vendors for a Saturday wedding with up to 200 guests! The ceremony is on the grass lawn, the cocktail hour is behind the house in a cute secret garden area, and the main reception dinner and dancing are in the courtyard at the top of the stairs, and you can really transform the space for your own fairytale vision. If you book, you get exclusive use of historic gardens & grounds, and the old Carriage House and Garden House as the two getting ready rooms for the amount of hours that you book (keep in mind the hours you book also include the setup and tear down times for your vendors). While we were touring, there were professional photoshoots for Quinceañeras, and I can easily see why they'd select Kimberly Crest for their photoshoot! Although we ended up going a different direction for our wedding venue, we loved seeing the different spaces around the property, and I hope to be able to come back one day.

The entrance and garden are open for guests to explore, but the real highlight is the history…read moreshared during the guided tour inside the house. Be sure to arrive a little early as they start right on time. The Kimberly Crest House offers reserved tours for small groups, which makes the experience feel more personal. Our docent was incredibly knowledgeable and had even worked closely with the family's descendants, so she shared lots of fascinating and heartfelt stories along the way. While photos and videos aren't allowed inside, the tour includes a walk through the living room, dining room, kitchen, second-floor common area, a remodeled bathroom, and several bedrooms. The interior was beautifully preserved, and the whole house was comfortably air-conditioned, which made the hour-long tour very pleasant. The gift shop is currently under construction, so only pop-up cards were available for purchase during our visit. I do wish we had been able to take photos for keepsakes. This was a lovely example of women's leadership and education throughout history.

Lavender nights is a themed festival style event that lasts several weeks in the late…read morespring/summer. Perfect date night idea to explore the fields and take photos. The food options are fun and out of the ordinary. We enjoyed the lavender lemonade, carnitas tacos, and "lavender" sourdough mini donuts. I'd say the sourdough over-powered the lavender in the donut but the flavors of cinnamon and lemon were excellent. Note- wear appropriate shoes, this is an outdoor farm atmosphere you'll walk a lot and much of the terrain is uneven and has wood chips. There is a small tractor tour that looks cute, we didn't ride. We walked all through the place. As the night falls, the decorative lights begin to illuminate the gardens and paths making it beautiful and romantic. Highly recommended for any group of friends, a couple or family (maybe not small kids... as it's a lot of walking and not my idea of stroller friendly)

Located on 123 Farms, the Lavender Festival is available preseason and postseason. We came on…read moreMother's Day where admission was free as long as you bought a parking pass. During the lavender season, the tickets are a bit pricey alongside parking. The farm itself has numerous activities to do, picturesque moments, and different foods to try. My fiancé and I have attended the lavender festival three times already, so we knew what to expect. We avoided the foods we didn't enjoy last time, and tried new items. We ordered their carne asada tacos, croissant beignets, their peach sangria, and more. If you're planning to come here, I'd suggest eating beforehand, because the food is not good. Their tacos are dry; the meat and the tortilla feel like separate entities. Their croissant beignets on the other hand were absolutely phenomenal. It's exactly what you'd expect and it was amazing! Their drinks are good here, too. I had their lavender margarita which was absolutely perfect. Their peach sangria can be better. They sold bunches of lavender in their gift stores and you had opportunities to take photos with their lavender in the fields. It was a unique experience overall away from your usual city life. I don't think I'll come back again. I've been three times enough, and it's generally the same. I'd recommend trying it once to see what it's like, and that's all.

Redlands, California…read more Also known as the San Bernardino Asistencia or an extension of Mission San Gabriel Arcangel in Los Angeles County. This old ranch is just in ruins. There are connecting buildings that is a private business along with a small fort to details some of the outpost items. The outpost and the old ruins is a sight to see for those who appreciate these things, Access/Roads: A Paved on Barton. A busy street in Redlands near Loma Linda Hospital. Parking: A Plenty with a private lot. Distance: A About 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Costs: A Free Other sites in Redlands: -Lincoln Memorial Shrine -Historical Glass Museum -Kimberley Crest House (Castle) and Gardens -Edwards Mansion Do not go out of your way for this site alone.

The Redlands California United States Postal Museum is a hidden gem in the historic southern…read moreCalifornia City of Redlands! The museum is located in a US Department of the Interior National Register of Historic Places building and features a small but interesting collection of historic pictures,letters,equipment,postal carrier bags,postmarking equipment,postal furniture and more from its historic inception in 1933.The museums contents is neatly assembled and displayed in this amazing one room museum! The building was dedicated during the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and was designed by architect G.Stanley Wilson. If you are a history lover,postal buff or enjoy historic landmarks you should consider visiting The Redlands Postal Museum! The City of Redlands has a variety of historic sites and locations and the Postal Museum would make a nice addition when visiting! . . . . . #theredlandspostalmuseum #history #nationalregisterofhistoricplaces #departmentoftheinterior #seetheusa #franklindroosevelt #ushistory #uspostoffice #ilovehistoricplaces #godisgood #usps #theusdepartmentoftheinterior #usa #franklinroosevelt #uspresidents #gstanleywilson

This is a wonderful little arboretum with free admission just north of Skypark along Highway 18…read more Be aware, however, that parking in the designated lot adjacent to the highway does require the purchase of an Adventure Pass (a mere $5/day), but the booth only appears to be open for select weekend hours. This may necessitate a visit to a nearby ranger station or business for pass purchase - and not as many local businesses carry these passes as once did. Coming from Lake Arrowhead (where the Visitor Center was closed), we tried the Lake Arrowhead 7-11 and Cedar Glen Trading Post before finding passes available at Cedar Glen Fine Foods. The trail itself is well marked, mostly shaded, and a little less than a mile in length. It's also circular in design, so you don't need to backtrack with the same scenery coming and going. A brochure on the local vegetation and points of interest is available at the trailhead, as well as public restrooms. Many trees and plants along the trail are also identified by placards. Being a dirt path, the terrain is comparatively flat, and numerous benches have been placed along the route for rest or contemplation. There are only a few spots with noticeable increases (or drops) in elevation, so it's perfect for young children, older folks, or leashed pets. Even on a Thursday around 1:00 pm we encountered other visitors along the trail, several walking dogs. Another nice touch is the walking path in front of the arboretum entrance where the meandering cement walkway between information kiosks is stamped with the prints of local wildlife species ranging from our little feathered friends to the big furries you'd not want to encounter on a forest walk. This is a great place for a quick stroll for all ages, and it showcases the diversity of the San Bernardino mountains. If you've passed it by on the way up to Big Bear via Highway 18, pull over for a quick "leg-stretcher" and check it out.

We got the day pass over at the Lake Arrowhead Village visitor center. I think it was $6 or $8…read more You can also pay there through an app, if you can get cell service. So it is easier to get the pass before you get there. There are some picnic tables to enjoy a meal or a break. There is a small cement path, to take you to a few little sights but there is also a dirt trail path that takes you out amongst the nature. We were there in July, it was during a heatwave, and mid day, so not too many birds and animals were out. There are a lot of tall trees that provide good shade, so that helps cool it off a little bit. There are some docents walking around that have information about the flora, fauna, and the area. The parking lot is decent size, but during cooler weather I bet it is hard to find parking. There is an easy trail, less than 20-30 minutes at a nice slow pace, during the summer. I imagine during winter snow it is much more challenging. It is a nice spot in between Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear.