Southern California City of Redlands Offers Fun and Great Eats

Southern California may be known for tourist staples like Hollywood and San Diego, but unique, lesser-traveled cities across the region offer some pretty amazing experiences for visitors, too. One such example is Redlands, a college town tucked away into the foothills between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, just waiting to be explored.

As you head toward the Southern California desert you’ll find the laid-back town of Redlands. While the city is mostly residential and academic, there is a fascinating downtown area home to great food, great bars and quirky sites.

Orange Street Alley, in the city’s downtown district, is a mix of shops, cafés and artwork. Affectionately called Umbrella Alley, it features 420 colorful umbrellas creating a beautiful awning covering the length of the alley. Along the way are murals and street art reflecting the spirit of the local community and great places to grab a bite to eat or enjoy a refreshing drink.

The umbrellas, replaced each summer to keep them fresh and vibrant, come in beautiful shades of yellow, pink, blue and green. They are up and available to view 24 hours a day, although the best time to see them is during the day when the sun is shining and casting colorful shadows along the alley.

Places like Rok n Fondue provide an interesting meal option. While it may be hard to believe anyone does fondue anymore, Rok n Fondue does it well and pairs the experience with volcanic rock cooking, making the experience one worth checking out.

The Eating Room features classic afternoon tea with a twist — rather than the fancy and formal traditional British experience, Eating Room offers Rustic Tea and invites guests to come in casual dress for a laid-back afternoon of good tea and delicious bites. Rustic Tea is offered Monday–Friday for groups of two or more, and Saturday and Sunday afternoons for groups of 20 or more. Rustic Tea requires advanced reservations and costs $35 per person.

While you are in town, be sure to enjoy a drive around the area to take in the Victorian architecture, like Kimberly Crest House and Gardens, Lincoln Memorial Shrine and Historical Glass Museum.