The Mission Inn in Riverside California, built over a sixty year period beginning in 1876, is a living museum full of priceless art and antiquities. It has two onsite chapels, one is dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi and has glass works designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany in 1906 for a chapel in New York.
Many Della Robbia style ceramics from Italy,
are on stunning display throughout the property.
The Inn is a National Historic Landmark which you can tour on your own or with a docent. The art and artifacts overflow the spacious Inn and there is a museum with more art across the street that can also be toured.
Ten US presidents have visited The Inn,
and there is a presidential lounge dedicated to them.
The mission style interiors are comfortable and spacious, but the most amazing spaces for me are all the inner courtyards which are like beautiful outdoor rooms full of whimsical artwork and constant surprises.
Exploring is great fun as everywhere you look you find precious art and artifacts.
The clock tower has a glockenspiel with full size rotating figurines that is a replica of the original built in Nuremberg Germany in 1709.
The Inn has over 400 antique bells. One from Nanjing China dates from 1247 and is the oldest bell in Christendom.
Cheers to you from the fascinating and fun Mission Inn in Riverside California~
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Fascinating and beautiful! Thanks for sharing Cindy 💛🙏💛
Beautiful post Cindy 😀
I would like to share your post at Twitter, but your sharing connection only share to WP and not to your blog.
Oh dear. I will see if I can refresh the connection. Sorry about this and thank you for trying <3
You are a master! These photographs stun, far more so than what the wandering, distracted eye can focus on. (Mine, I mean). What a treat to have these images in preparation for a visit there. Thank you, Cindy.
Oh my gosh, are you going to visit? I am happy. I want to hear what you think. And where else you are going to go. There is always so much to see. I am so grateful for people like you who want to look. Be well my friend and thank you.
What beautiful and unique architecture!
It is a whimsical hodgepodge that manages to be utterly charming.
What a truly stunning and amazing place.
I am happy you see it as I do Mary. It doesn’t take itself seriously, and this makes the experience of discovering it, fun.
Was für eine eigenartige Stilmischung !
Ja, in der Tat. Wunderlich.
BEAUTIFUL!
I’m not sure what else to say? Your photos are wonderful. What a gem!
I can easily see a fancy dress ball with gowns designed by Resa. How magical that would be.
Very magical!!!
<3
Very interesting place, Cindy. Looks very peaceful as well.
Yes indeed peaceful. The courtyards provide so many venues for privacy and relaxation.
What a marvelous adventure. Your photos are exquisite, Cindy. I felt I was there with you….
I wish you were Rebecca. You are a wonderful travel companion! <3
Sehr schöne Fotos. Wolfgang
Vielen dank mein lieber Freund Wolfgang.
It holds some amazing history Cindy, it would have been a treasure to look through 😀
It is great fun to explore because it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Very Beautiful
Merci beaucoup mon ami <3
what a fascinating place Cindy, thank you for sharing.
Leslie xoxo
Happy you enjoyed and it indeed is fascinating, which is why I want to go back and see all the stuff I missed!
please do share it with us, Cindy…
Awww, thank you for your kindness. I will, with love <3
What a beautiful place! Your photos are stunning. 🙂 Thank you for sharing.
Thank you more Lynette, for your kind appreciation <3
As I scrolled through and read this post, all I could hear inside my head was “Wow! Wow! Wow!”
Awwww, you make me happy I posted. Thank you & cheers too!
That’s good that it works both ways.
Thank you.
What a gorgeous place. Such exquisite detail. I have seen the original glockenspiel in Nuremberg.
I have too. Hate to say it, but the original is better.
Thanks Cindy for sharing. Looks like a wondetful, interesting place of some great creative workmanship!
Yes, it definitely is. The best word to describe experiencing it is surprising.
What a wonderful virtual getaway you just gave us, Cindy. It is such a stunning place. I love all the detail on the outside of the building. Yes, it’s a lot, but it makes it feel whimsical to me. I’m happy you took time to share this with us. Hugs on the wing!
Hugs back to you sweet lady <3
Looks like one could spend hours going over all the details… thanks for sharing this fascinating and uncommon hotel/museum, Cindy!
Thanks for your kind appreciation Eliza. We are going back. They apparently have this amazing Christmas light display, and there is so much I still haven’t seen….(This is the story of my life!)
A good way to live. 🙂
It’s one way to live, and the best I can do <3
Thanks for the tour of a beautiful place Cindy
Thank you more for joining me!
Another delightful tour, Cindy. Thanks. –Curt
You are fun to tour with Curt!
🙂
Thank you for this wonderful tour Cindy! I’m living vicariously through you!🤗
That’s quite nice thank you & I do the same with you!
Just WOW! History, art, architecture, and beauty all in one. The glockenspiel clock must be one of the treasures of the Mission Inn. Thank you, Cindy!
Thank you Jennie for such a thoughtful comment. The glockenspiel is wonderful, but I couldn’t possibly include all the wonders waiting in this amazing place. It truly must be seen to be believed.
I’m not surprised to hear you say that, Cindy. I can imagine that your wonderful photos can’t show it all.
<3 <3
That is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing.
Wow, I wasn’t expecting that degree of opulence! I’d need to spend an entire week there just to see everything without going into sensory overload.
Beautiful artwork but I must say, looking at that gorgeous blue sky was such a treat.
Dear Cindy,
The shots of the inner Innis awesome. 🙂
Thank you. It is so wonderful to hear from you. Hope all is well with you my friend. Heading over to see what I haven’t seen recently from you
What a beautiful place, on my list!
Yay! I want to hear your impressions <3
Looks so beautiful, Cindy! A different world 🙂 🙂
All these parallel worlds, happening at the same time…..
I love that clock. I am fascinated with the oldest bell. Wow.
Love all these shots. ❤
The biggest thing for me, is this is Riverside. This is a place I always just drove past fast. Shows you how much I know.
Hey. Better late than never…
<3 <3
Looks fantastic from the inside too. There are many things to explore here.
There are so many things left to explore which is like life at it’s best <3
It is fascinating and absolutely breathtaking!
Thank you & love to you Linda <3
What kind of atmosphere does the Inn project? From the beautiful photos it looks like serene, calming old-world charm… Is that the case? (The Cloisters felt like that to me on every visit) Is it bustling with activity? Do different areas project different atmospheres?
What a nuanced question. Thank you for it. It was not bustling with activity when I was there. It is a large piece of property. It was very easy to be alone, in very many seemingly magical places. The only humans that tended to appear in more remote shots were housekeepers taking breaks. Originally, the owner, collected antiquities en mass through travel, and set them up by theme and rooms. I loved coming across the Anne Rice suite. I could well imagine her feeling at home here. It had that sort of feeling for me, like gothic New Orleans with a Catholic Mission era twist. Just a big surprise to me.
Whoa, I love sanctuaries, especially in the middle of a bustling city, that transport me to another time/place/state-of-mind! Not too many of those available. Do you have a photo of the Anne Rice Suite? Do they let people peak inside unoccupied Suites?
In my first post on The Inn, the third photo from the bottom is the entrance to The Anne Rice Suite. It has a cupola in the ceiling and is two levels. Very nice! See:
https://cindyknoke.com/2019/11/02/mission-inn/
I see now what you mean: You can easily imagine Louis and Lestat emerging from there…
Exactly! They would be perfectly at home here.
A beautiful place!
It is, just so different, one person’s artist pursuit, and it is quite amazing.
🙂
Stunning, Cindy, just stunning. I am so glad I can ‘see’ these places through you.
I am grateful I met you.
Me too (she says with a strong nod and huge smile!) 🙂
<3 <3
This is really interesting. It looks like a nice place to spend the day–or several!
We spent one night. Not enough. They light the whole place up for Christmas. We are going back to see the lights, and all the other stuff.
Definitely a stunning place. Love the outdoor architecture!
I basically never knew this place was here, so it was a surprise to me.
If I ever have a chance to travel to California, I will – inspired by your post today – definitely visit the Mission Inn, Cindy!
That makes me happy Peter. Thank you. And I think you will be very happy when you do <3
WOW! Truly an awesome place, which I would love to visit someday!
The biggest deficit with me is I lived near here all my life and never knew about it. Live and learn.
What a place!
Yes indeed <3
Ein fantastischer Ort liebe Cindy. Wünsche Dir eine frohe Zeit…
Du bist ein nachdenklicher Mensch, Ernst. Danke und sei gut mein Freund.
How beautiful and intriguing. There is so much on display, I can see why you would need to go back.
Hi my friend! We are going en famille to see the Christmas lights. I hear they put on a spectacular display. It will put us in the Christmas spirit. Hope all is going well with you <3
🙂 🙂 🙂
What an amazing place, Cindy – and how wonderful to know of the della Robbias there. I love the dR tondos in particular (eg #3). How fortunate the family were so prolific that their work has travelled so well!
Thanks much & very pleased you enjoyed. I love the Della Robbia’s too. They are just so beautiful and uplifting and you find them everywhere at The Inn. Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful week.
liebe Cindy, das ist echt beeindruckend, finde ich, möge es eine gute Woche werden, Klaus
Danke, dass du so ein liebenswürdiger Freund bist und gut, mein Freund.
hab eine gute Zeit
<3 <3
Ahhh….MIssion Innpossible Part II. Superb as always, my friend!(♡ ὅ ◡ ὅ )ʃ♡♡♡♡♡
You have such a knack for clever wording. You are a wordsmith (♡ ὅ ◡ ὅ )ʃ♡♡♡♡♡
Aww…thank you for your kind words.
(⺣◡⺣)♡
<3 <3
Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Beautiful pictures from Cindy Knoke of the Mission Inn in Riverside, California.
You are such a lovely friend Patricia <3
I’ve been looking forward to seeing the inside of the Mission Inn, Cindy, and your photos certainly didn’t disappoint. What a stunning place! How I love that architectural style — the balconies, courtyards, tile, and artwork. Thank you for sharing it with us here!
Thank you more for your thoughtful appreciation Debbie & have a wonderful week <3
Thanks for the tour Cindy. It’s nice but not my style. I love the exterior and courtyards.
I love inner courtyards too. They bring the outside in. We have one at The Holler.
How nice to have one where you live!
Gorgeous subjects well photographed.
Thank you Derrick & have a wonderful week!
Beautiful, and a ‘Comfort’ too. Bonus.
Indeed <3
Looks like a wonderful place!