Riverside has a proud history as a center for arts, culture, entertainment and related education programs. Downtown Riverside's concentration of unique, eclectic architecture and distinguished cultural institutions is unmatched in the Inland Empire and renowned in California. The City offers:

• An over 100-year old concert band
• A master chorale
• Riverside County Philharmonic
• Riverside Ballet Theater
• Riverside Community College's Civic Light Opera
• Riverside's Performing Arts Program
• Riverside Municipal Museum
• Riverside's Museum of Photography
• Riverside Art Museum
• Historic Mission Inn Museum
• Riverside Children's Theater
• Riverside Community Players, oldest continuously active theater group in the US

On First Thursdays, these and other art venues, downtown restaurants and shops participate in this monthly public event designed to showcase/celebrate the arts, cultural, and business resources within the Riverside Downtown Arts and Cultural District and the region. Other attractions include:

Riverside National Cemetery
Riverside National Cemetery, home to the National Medal of Honor Memorial and the fastest growing Military Cemetery in the Nation. The cemetery performs in excess of 7,000 interments per year, and is expected to provide interment space beyond the year 2030.

March Field Museum
This Museum serves as home to over 60 historic aircraft and many inside displays relating to the history of March Field, now known as March Air Reserve Base. At the museum visitors can watch modern military aircraft as they land and take off daily.