Riverside Festival of Lights

The Mission Inn

What a sight to see!  The Festival of Lights in downtown Riverside, California!  The Mission Inn, a historical hotel dating from the late 1800's is the hub of the festival.  It is covered with over 3.6 million lights and it is spectacular!

We strolled the streets and downtown mall, explored inside and around the Mission Inn and enjoyed the shops and tasted a few holiday treats on our trip there Tuesday.  The weather was perfect and there were crowds of people, which made it all seem more festive.  It is truly an opportunity to experience the holiday spirit in action!  You can't leave there without taking some of the energy with you!

Along the downtown mall all the store windows are filled with glittering lights and fanciful decorations.  Loads of bling!  One even has an up-side-down tree!  There are outdoor cafes and booths with cupcakes (Casey's was a winner of Cupcake Wars on Food Network), hot chocolate, caramel corn and salt water taffy. There is even a reindeer to feed, live music and a skating rink with skaters galore!  It was really quite fun!  If you live anywhere near, you really should go! Here are some pictures of our evening adventure.

In the spirit of the Festival of Lights,  Cindy