List of museums in the Inland Empire (California)

The Inland Empire (colloquially known as the I.E.) is a metropolitan area and region of Southern California. The Inland Empire sits directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The term "Inland Empire" is most commonly used in reference to the U.S. Census Bureau's federally defined Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, which covers more than 27,000 square miles (70,000 km²). The metropolitan area consists of Riverside County and San Bernardino County and, according to the US Census, is home to over 4 million people and is the 13th most populous metropolitan area in the United States, and the third largest in the state of California.^[1]

This is a list of museums, defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are non-profit and university art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.

To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

Museums [edit]

See also: List of museums in California

Name	Town/City	County	Type	Summary
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Museum	Fort Irwin	San Bernardino	Military	information
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum	Palm Springs	Riverside	Native American	History and culture of the Agua Caliente and other indigenous peoples
Banana Museum	Hesperia	San Bernardino	Commodity	website, formerly located in Altadena
Beauty Bubble Hair and Beauty Museum and Salon	Twentynine Palms	San Bernardino	Commodity	information
Big Bear Valley Historical Museum	Big Bear City	San Bernardino	Local history	website
Cabazon Dinosaurs	Cabazon	Riverside	Religious	Dinosaur sculptures and Creationist museum
Cabot's Pueblo Museum	Desert Hot Springs	Riverside	Historic house	Hopi-style pueblo house with 35 rooms, 150 windows and 65 doors
Calico Early Man Site	Barstow	San Bernardino	Archaeology	Excavations of a Pleistocene stone tool workshop and quarry sites
Calico Ghost Town	Calico	San Bernardino	Open air	Ghost silver mining town park with Lane House & Museum of local & mining history, one-room school, blacksmith shop, several original structures
California Citrus State Historic Park	Riverside	Riverside	Industry	Visitor center includes a museum that presents the origins of citrus, how it arrived in the Americas, and the commercial development of the Bahia Naval orange in Riverside.^[2]
California Route 66 Museum	Victorville	San Bernardino	History	Route 66 and automotive history, cultural and economic impacts
CCCA Museum of Art	Rancho Cucamonga	San Bernardino	Art	website, operated by the Chaffey Community Art Association
Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties	Riverside	Riverside	Society	website, operated by the Riverside Community College District
Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert	Rancho Mirage	Riverside	Children's	website
Chino Youth Museum	Chino	San Bernardino	Children's	website
Coachella Valley Museum & Cultural Center	Indio	Riverside	Open air	website, local culture and history
Colton Area Museum	Colton	Riverside	Local history	website
Cooper Regional History Museum	Upland	San Bernardino	Local history	website
Corona Heritage Park & Museum	Corona	Riverside	Multiple	website, local history, art and culture
Barbara and Art Culver Center for the Arts	Riverside	Riverside	Art	Culver Center of the Arts, part of the University of California, Riverside. An interactive art facility housed in the renovated Rouse Building, an 1895 department store.
Desert Discovery Center	Barstow	San Bernardino	Natural history
Edward-Dean Museum & Gardens	Cherry Valley	Riverside	Decorative arts	website, features late 16th to early 19th century European & Asian Decorative Arts
El Garces Hotel	Needles	San Bernardino	Local history	Planned rehabilation of a historic railroad hotel with a proposed museum
Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway	Palm Springs	Riverside	Historic house	website, mid-century modern estate where Elvis and Priscilla Presley spent their honeymoon night
Entomology Research Museum	Riverside	Riverside	Entomology Research	Entomology Research Museum, University of California, Riverside
Fender Museum of Music & Art	Corona	Riverside	Music	website, part of the Fender Center for the Performing Arts, operated by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
Fingerprints Youth Museum	Hemet	Riverside	Children's	website, formerly KidZone Youth Museum
Fontana Historical Society Museum	Fontana	San Bernardino	Local history	website
General Patton Memorial Museum	Chiriaco Summit	Riverside	Military	Honors veterans, includes military equipment, uniforms, weapons, medals, artifacts, tanks, memorabilia from Patton's life and career
Gilman Historic Ranch and Wagon Museum	Banning	Riverside	Local history	website, information and photos
Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex	Barstow	San Bernardino	Science	Tours and museum about the radio telescope and astronomy
Heartland, California Museum of the Heart	Rancho Mirage	Riverside	Medical	information
Hemet Museum	Hemet	Riverside	Local history	website
Heritage House	Riverside	Riverside	Historic house	website, 1891 Victorian house museum, operated by the Riverside Metropolitan Museum
Harada House	Riverside	Riverside	Historic house	A National Historic Landmark recognizing one of the most significant civil rights cases in California, operated by the Riverside Metropolitan Museum. As of February 2013, not yet open to the public.
Hi-Desert Nature Museum	Yucca Valley	San Bernardino	Multiple	website, artistic, natural and cultural history of the area's deserts
Idyllwild Area Historical Society Museum	Idyllwild	Riverside	Local history	website, history of the San Jacinto Mountain communities of Idyllwild, Garner Valley, Mountain Center, Pine Cove, and Pinewood
Imagination Workshop	Temecula	Riverside	Children's	website, also known as Temecula Children's Museum
Inland Empire Military Museum	San Bernardino	San Bernardino	Military	information, WWII, Korea and Vietnam military memorabilia
Jensen Alvarado Ranch	Rubidoux	Riverside	Living	1880s period living history ranch
Joshua Tree National Park			Natural history	Three visitor centers and the Black Rock Nature Center contain exhibits about the natural and cultural history of the area
Jurupa Mountains Cultural Center	Riverside	Riverside	Earth sciences	website, a family-oriented non-profit earth science educational facility, located outside of Riverside city limits.
Kelso Depot	Kelso	San Bernardino	Local history	Railroads, local history, visitor center for the Mohave Natural Preserve
Keys Desert Queen Ranch		San Bernardino	Historic house	Historic ranch buildings located in Joshua Tree National Park
Kimberly Crest	Redlands	San Bernardino	Historic house	French château-style Victorian mansion
La Quinta Museum	La Quinta	Riverside	Local history	website, opened in 2008, features local and traveling exhibits
Lincoln Memorial Shrine	Redlands	San Bernardino	Biographical	website
McCallum Adobe-Cornelia White House Museum	Palm Springs	Riverside	Historic house	Operated by the Palm Springs Historical Society, two adjoining late 19th century houses
Malki Museum	Banning	Riverside	Native American	website, traditions and history of the Cahuilla Indians and other southern California Indian tribes
March Field Air Museum	Riverside	Riverside	Aviation	Adjacent to March Joint Air Reserve Base, historic military and civilian aircraft
Mission Inn Museum	Riverside	Riverside	Historic site	Cultural heritage of the Mission Inn
Mohave River Valley Museum	Barstow	San Bernardino	Local history	website
Mousley Museum of Natural History	Yucaipa	San Bernardino	Multiple	website, branch museum of the San Bernardino County Museum and the Yucaipa Valley Historical Society, natural history and local history exhibits
Museum Of History & Art, Ontario	Ontario	San Bernardino	Multiple	website, history, art, and cultural traditions of the greater Ontario area
Needles Regional Museum	Needles	San Bernardino	Local history	information
Oak Glen School House Museum and Park	Yucaipa	San Bernardino	Local history	information
Old Guest House Museum	Trona	San Bernardino	Open air	website, operated by the Searles Valley Historical Society, includes exhibits on local mining activities, Native Americans
Orange Empire Railway Museum	Perris	Riverside	Railroad	Heritage railroad and museum about Southern California's railroad history
Palm Springs Air Museum	Palm Springs	Riverside	Aviation	Specializes in World War II aircraft and aviation history
Palm Springs Art Museum	Palm Springs	Riverside	Art	Modern and Contemporary American art, natural history
Palo Verde Historical Museum	Blythe	Riverside	Local History	History of Blythe, the Palo Verde Valley, and surrounding areas
Perris Valley Historical Museum	Perris	Riverside	Local history	Located in 3 facilities
Planes of Fame	Chino	San Bernardino	Aviation
Poynter Golf Museum, Jude E.Jude E. Poynter Golf Museum	Palm Desert	Riverside	Sports	information
Rains House, JohnJohn Rains House	Cucamonga	San Bernardino	Historic house	website, also known as Cucamonga Rancho, branch museum of the San Bernardino County Museum, assisted by the Casa de Rancho Cucamonga Historical Society
Redlands Historical Glass Museum	Redlands	San Bernardino	Glass	website
Redlands Historical Museum	Redlands	San Bernardino	Local history	website, planned museum operated by the Redlands Historical Museum Association
Rialto Historical Society	Rialto	San Bernardino	Local history	information
Riverside Art Museum	Riverside	Riverside	Art	Over 20 exhibitions a year of traditional and contemporary art
Riverside International Automotive Museum	Riverside	Riverside	Automotive	Displays include California auto racing history, Dan Gurney, and the largest collection of Mazerati road cars in the United States.^[3]
Riverside Metropolitan Museum	Riverside	Riverside	Multiple	Natural history and Native American culture
Riverside Sport Hall of Fame	Riverside	Riverside	Sports	website, An outdoor display, in Newman Park, recognizing sporting achievements of Riverside citizens.
Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA)	San Bernardino	San Bernardino	Art	Part of California State University, San Bernardino, collections include Ancient Egyptian artifacts, world ceramics and contemporary art
Route 66 "Mother Road" Museum	Barstow	San Bernardino	Transportation	website
Ruddy's General Store Museum	Palm Springs	Riverside	History	website, 1930s period general store with original fixtures and contents
Salton Sea History Museum	Mecca	Riverside	Local history
Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts	Alta Loma	San Bernardino	Multiple	website, includes crafts gallery and historic home and gardens of Sam Maloof
San Bernardino County Museum	Redlands	San Bernardino	Multiple	website, cultural and natural history, operates many branch museums
San Bernardino de Sena Estancia	Redlands	San Bernardino	Historic house	Restored ranch outpost of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, including a chapel, branch museum of the San Bernardino County Museum; also known as San Bernardino de Sena Estancia
San Jacinto Museum	San Jacinto	Riverside	Local history	website
Sears Valley History House	Trona	San Bernardino	Historic house	website, operated by the Searles Valley Historical Society, furnished to appear as in the 1920s when it was occupied by one of the early managers of the Trona Plant
Special Place Children's Museum, AA Special Place Children's Museum	San Bernardino	San Bernardino	Children's	website
Sherman Indian Museum	Riverside	Riverside	Native American	History of the boarding high school for Native American students, culture
Alfred Shryock Museum of Embryology	Loma Linda	San Bernardino	Medical	website, housed in Shryock Hall at Loma Linda University
Southern California Medical Museum	Riverside	Riverside	Medical History	website, The only medical museum in Southern California. Displays include a 1900-1930s doctor's office, library, art, photography and over 20 display cabinets of medical items.
Stahl Center & Museum of Culture	Riverside	Riverside	Anthropology	website, part of La Sierra University
Sunnylands	Rancho Mirage	Riverside	Historic house	Winter retreat mansion of Walter and Leonore Annenberg
Sweeney Art Gallery	Riverside	Riverside	Art	website, part of the University of California, Riverside
Temecula Museum	Temecula	Riverside	Local history	website
Twentynine Palms Historical Society Museum	Twentynine Palms	San Bernardino	Local history	website
University of California, Riverside California Museum of Photography	Riverside	Riverside	Art	Photography, cameras, part of the UCR College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Victorian Bridal Museum	San Jacinto	Riverside	Textile	website
Victor Valley Museum & Art Gallery	Apple Valley	San Bernardino	Local history	website
Village Green Heritage Center	Palm Springs	Riverside	Historic house	website, two historic houses, McCallum Adobe and Miss Cornelia's "Little House", operated by the Palm Springs Historical Society
Walter M. Marks Gallery	Palm Desert	Riverside	Art	website, part of College of the Desert
Warbirds West Air Museum	Rialto	San Bernardino	Military History	website, located at Rialto Airport
Western America Railroad Museum	Barstow	San Bernardino	Railroad
Western Science Center	Hemet	Riverside	Natural history	Native American artifacts, Ice Age fossils, archaeology, paleontology
Wignall Museum/Gallery	Rancho Cucamonga	San Bernardino	Art	website, part of Chaffey College
World Museum of Natural History	Riverside	Riverside	Natural history	website, part of La Sierra University
Ya'i Heki' Regional Indian Museum	Perris	Riverside	Native American	Located in Lake Perris State Recreation Area
Yanks Air Museum	Chino	San Bernardino	Aviation
Yorba-Slaughter Adobe	Chino	San Bernardino	Historic house	website, branch museum of the San Bernardino County Museum, includes post office/general store with an exhibit of agriculture and animal husbandry
Yucaipa Adobe	Yucaipa	San Bernardino	Historic house	website, branch museum of the San Bernardino County Museum