The Dam Keeper's House at Big Bear Lake is a piece of history that's both fascinating and tragic…read more According to the USDA Forest Service, the house was built in October 1890 from hand-cut granite blocks, constructed using stone from the same quarry as the original dam. For nearly 100 years, it served as home to over a dozen dam keepers and their families, including the well-known Bill Knickerbocker, who lived there with his family between 1909 and 1918. The Dam Keeper's House also played a feature in the 1930's Frankenstein film series. When the Municipal Water District purchased the lake in 1977 and ended the practice of releasing water for irrigation, the role of a resident dam keeper became unnecessary. The water company handed the stone house over to the Forest Service, hoping it could be preserved as a museum. Sadly, those plans never materialized and the Dam Keeper's House is slowly departing us. Visiting this site is both beautiful and sad. Witnessing the ruins and vandalism while seeing breathtaking views of the lake is bittersweet. If you're in the area, I definitely recommend visting to witness history that is fading. It's free to park (on the side of the road) and visit. Just be cautious when entering and treat it with respect as a historical landmark should be treated.

The Maze Stone Restaurant used to have a great menu and their prices were reasonable…read more We went on a Sunday and the only food available was their brunch buffet. It was well-appointed, however, the price was outrageous, $50 per adult and $25 per child. My husband and I don't eat enough food to warrant the cost. It has a great atmosphere and the wait staff were very attentive. They are only open for dinner on Saturday and buffet brunch on Sunday. They close by 2 pm. We will not return.

This stone has been around for thousands of years,but I did not know about it till I saw it in a…read morebook called "Strange California'. Found out it was 10 miles away from me and went to check it out myself. It was cool to see it and wonder who or what created it? The Inland Empire has many little known places of interest to visit like this.

I had never been here before and didn't even know this place existed, but I was absolutely blown…read moreaway. I attended an event as a chaperone with the kids from Micah House, and from the moment you walk in, the Burrage Mansion is stunning. The steps leading up to the home and the beautifully preserved historic house immediately set the tone. The property owner generously hosts events here, and one of the annual events is a Christmas celebration for elementary school kids. He opens up the entire estate for the children to enjoy crafts, a magic show, bounce houses, and even a visit with Santa Claus. There are also two rooms filled with presents where each child gets to choose a gift, which was incredibly special to see. It was such a thoughtful, joyful, and memorable experience for everyone involved. I'm not sure what other events are hosted here, but based on this experience alone, the Burrage Mansion absolutely deserves five stars.

Beautiful property... they're decorating the grounds for Christmas…read more... They were busy today getting things ready... I didn't go inside just watched from the front of the property....

Nice little place to sit down and watch the kids play in the water. We were looking for a place to…read moretake pictures for a photo project and this came up on my map. Beautiful little area.

A MUST DO! 4 & 1/2 STARS! IT'S FREE & with Free Parking! The Fountain of Life Fountain is a…read moreBeautiful Flowing Water Sculpture with a colorful playful design in the heart of Cathedral City adjacent to Palm Springs. It is located right on Highway 111 & is the Focal Centerpiece of Town Square Park. Both Adults & Kids will find it a place to have some Fun & Relax. The continuous sound of flowing water & the color palate really calms the Soul. There are benches all around so you can sit down & Chill Out. The fountain's design is a spiral motif, which is a symbol of rejuvenation & continuous birth. This artistic fountain's composition also incorporates a recirculating water system. When the desert temperatures hit the over 100 mark & you are looking for an inexpensive way to Cool Off; this is a perfect place to Beat the Heat! This place is picturesque during the day but it really comes to life at night with the colorful lights placed to highlight its artistic features. The Fountain of Life was designed by artist Jennifer Johnson with architect Reuel Young. It was physically built by The House of Stone and Fountains & Landscape Enhancements. The fountain was carved out of pieces out of adoquin stone from the quarry near Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Johnson spent more than a year adorning the fountain with hand cut glass & mosaic tiles. The Fountain of Life Reflects the history & nature of the desert community. There are 3 central columns made of Stone. The big horn sheep, fishes, lizards, tortoises, birds, shells, wildflowers & others, all surround the Sculpture. These are elements that are native to this area from both the present & the past. The rooster and hen represent the importance of family in multi cultures. A Cahuilla basket pays tribute to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, who gifted the soft surface which helps enhance the safety factor for Kids. The fountain's tri-color soft surface is made of ground recycled tires. Buddy and Beverly Rogers became the fountain's first major donors. There is Free Parking in the area & there are shops, eateries, statues, & The Mary Pickford Movie Theater ( a huge film actress from the 1920s) all in the same location. Every November this area is the host where The Hot Air Balloon Festival takes place. Hot Air Balloons from around the country come to decorate the desert skies with Light, Music, Food & some Paid & Free Festivities too. If you are in the Cathedral City/ Palm Springs Area be sure to check it out! It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really rich to have The Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've Been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like A King On A Limited Budget!

Chillin' at the Ag Fest... a.k.a. The biggest thing in San Jacinto right now, lol! Mayor Bartel's…read moregiving his State of the City Address, Carnival here for the kids, fair food, and most of the regulars from the Hemet Farmer's Market; 3-day event, tons of folks out here, family friendly... Pretty cool... I mean y'know, it is San Jacinto, what else can we expect?!

We visited mansion and the museum on a group tour. The tour was well organized, the docents…read moreenthusiastic and well versed in the history of the home and the city of San Jacinto. Definitely worth a visit.

We were looking for a venue that felt natural and classic and the Garner House was just that. The…read morehistoric nature of the house added an extra nostalgic route 66 charm to our wedding that made it feel feel like home. The intimate size of the property worked perfectly for our smaller wedding and being able to add certain rental spaces helped us tailor the property to fit our needs. Shelly and all of the staff at the Garner House were all so incredibly kind and helpful through the process. They have great teamwork which really reflects in how smooth of a process this ended up being. In the chaos of wedding planning, this was one of the easier parts. We absolutely recommend picking the Garner House as a place to celebrate your forever!

Claremont heritage does a Claremont home tour every October. I took my BF, who was over the moon…read morewith the mid century modern homes. It's 50$ per person and we got to see 7 homes from 10am-4pm. I was thinking about going to a home tour in palm springs, but the prices were sky high We can't wait to go again next year!

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.

The last time that we've been it was just for a walk around the garden and the museum area. If you…read morehaven't been, it's beautiful. Free to visit and you can enjoy the cactus garden and wander around the gardens. Museum and gift shop as well as cafe is on sites. But this visit, we took the tour of the Annenberg property. Tour is about 90 min and about 60.00 per person. They do recommend you come a little early to view and enjoy the main building where the cactus garden was but we were a little behind and made it right before the tour started. The tour host 7 person per guided tours. We start off at check in and then met with our guide, Hema. At the beginning you start off on the golf carts where your guide gives you an introduction to the family and the property. The gate into the main residence is around the corner from the public property. It's amazing to see how someone turned a barren desert landscape into an oasis. The brief cart ride to main door was quite nice. A massive golf property hidden in the desert. Once you approached the main property, it's welcomed by a massive water feature. A knock on the double doors lead you into the lobby of the house. Just walking into the property, it's a true MCM oasis. To find out the property only has just the primary bedroom was insane as it was massive. Theres no picture allowed inside but outside was fine. Hema, very detailed in everything she explained was very sweet and detail oriented. Walking through the different rooms and seeing all the amazing things collected by both Walter and Leonore Annenberg was quite interesting. The office which house all of Walter's work, pictures of family, friends and political figures. The different room that's in the main house, their amazing artwork which some are the original pieces. Then you have the way they lived, very elegantly. Each room had their own unique style. The designer and architect sure had their hands full with detail designed of everything on site. The furniture, one of a kind design with amazing embroidery. Walter had an amazing collection of artwork and sculptures. Seeing them throughout the house and the way it was displayed in different room of the house was spectacular. Even the kitchen was nice. Still fully functional as it's still used for summits. The outside alone is one in a million. The massive property with many lakes that is fully stocked for fishing. The golf course which is a golfers heaven. And then you have the pool with a million dollar view of the mountains as the backdrop. Not only the main house, there's the guest house which is utilized for guest. And they're know by different color rooms. And by that, it's fully decorated in the color palette. That building also all looks out to the pool and mountain. Leonore, with her favorite color yellow also had a rose garden designed in the property. The tour lets you inside the lives of the Annenberg and the amazing lives they've lived. Housing major political figures, celebrities and the amazing parties had. The massive art collection and endless photos of everyone, it was a sight to see. This is a tour worth checking out and learning about the Annenberg. Plus, Hema our tour guide was excellent.

So originally I went here because I am a coffee lover and I saw they had a cafe. The coffee was…read moregood. Just a basic iced vanilla latte but I think they could make a lot of different things. What gets me about this place is the scenery. This is a great place to get a coffee and walk around to see the views. Once you're done there's lots of seating around the venue. I would definitely be back here as it is so beautiful and calming. Such a rare random find as I have never heard of this place before. Also other than the coffee everything was free. That is also rare to have a great little visit for no extra cost.

Excellent spot for photos. Looks like they've shut down the access for cars since there's a…read moreconcrete barricade and multiple City of Redlands safety signs. Other than that, come here at golden hour and your photos will always be magnificent. Here's one from today showing the recent snow in the distance.

Located on "The National Register of Historical Places" The Southern Hotel and Motte Historical…read moreMuseum,located in sunny Perris,California is a terrific stop on you and your familys SoCal summer journeys! In 1859 Bernardo Bernasconi came to America from  Switzerland and later married Marcellina Orsi and together raised 6 children. In 1886 they completed the construction of "the first hotel in the Perris Ca,to meet the needs of travelers and miners in the San Jacinto Valley". Over the years the Southern Hotel fell into disrepair and so in 1990 brothers Leon E. and John D. Motte purchased The Southern Hotel's property restoring it to its former glory! Inside is a beautiful historic hotel very worth a visit and after a nice walk through downtown Perris,Ca! . . . . #thesouthernhotel#nationalregisterofhistoricplaces #landmarks #perris #iloveperris #mottemuseum #mottebrothers #thesouthernhotelcalifornia #bernardobernasconi #marcellinaorsi #igperris #travelanddestination #californiasgold #leonmotte #johndmotte #perriscalifornia #seetheusa #visitperris #californiadreamin #californiadreaming #bernasconi #switzerland #italianancestors