Free this Summer in SoCal’s Historic Redlands

About an hour’s drive from the Palm Springs desert, not far from the designer outlets and casinos, is a modest city brimming over in late-1800’s California architecture at every turn. Take a perfect summer daytrip to discover vintage California history, then toast the day with a concert under the stars. In Redlands, summer nights are intoxicating when the air is filled with music along with the aroma of citrus groves that originally lured settlers to the town generations ago.

Summer concerts under the stars

The historic Redlands Bowl, an outdoor venue surrounded by stately palms and a century of history, offers a summer music festival unlike others. It is your chance to enjoy world-class music—for free. In fact, the Redlands Bowl holds the distinction of being America’s longest continuously running summer music festival where no admission is charged.

Entirely donor supported, the concerts run from late June through August on Friday and Tuesday evenings beginning at 8 p.m. Since its inception in 1924, the Bowl has been a special place in Redlands for families, friends and music-lovers of all ages and backgrounds to gather and enjoy its superb programs.

Pack a picnic dinner (alcohol not allowed) and find a seat. No tickets or reservations taken, so come early and settle in for your choice seat. Most shows are 1 ½ hours long. Handicapped parking is available.

A few shows to tempt you

The season starts on Friday, June 24^th with “Swing This” an Evening with Debby Boone. In 1977, Debby Boone earned instant fame when “You Light Up My Life” topped the Billboard for ten straight weeks and she went on to sell over four million albums. She received a Grammy for Best New Artist and has since received an additional seven Grammy nominations, winning two more.  Her most recent album, Swing This, celebrates the exhilarating music and glamour of Las Vegas in the 1960s.

On Tuesday, July 5, head to the Bowl to see “The Righteous Brothers: Bill Medley & Bucky Heard”. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame duo, The Righteous Brothers, topped the charts in four decades.  Now, Bill Medley joins forces with one of the most versatile vocalists in America, Bucky Heard, to bring the Righteous Brothers to the Bowl for an unforgettable evening of classic hits. The Righteous Brothers concert experience features a string of their biggest #1 hits, including the most played song in radio history, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “Soul & Inspiration,” “Unchained Melody,” “Rock and Roll Heaven,” Medley’s Grammy-winning Dirty Dancing theme “The Time of My Life,” and much, much more!

On performance nights,  July 28 through July 31, the Bowl will be presenting Disney’s Little Mermaid, based on one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories and the classic animated film. With music by eight-time Academy Award winner, Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater and a compelling book by Doug Wright, this fishy fable will capture your heart with its irresistible songs, including “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl,” and “Part of Your World.”

On Friday, August 19, celebrate the Season Finale with The Redlands Symphony. The Bowl’s 99th season draws to a close featuring acclaimed violinist Aubree Oliverson performing Samuel Barber’s beautiful Violin Concerto followed by a celebration of the works of John Williams, including the “Olympic Fanfare” and otherworldly selections from Star Wars and Close Encounters. In the grand tradition of the Redlands Bowl, the evening will conclude with a brilliant burst of fireworks!

See the entire schedule here.

Day tripping

Redlands has increased in size as a modern-day city, but it has not lost its small-town appeal—if you know where to look—with hand-cut stone curbs, elegant tree-lined streets and more than 1,500 homes and storefronts that speak of gentler times when the city was a newly found haven of warmth and health for cold Midwesterners.  Take a free, self-guided tour through the gracious neighborhoods of Redlands.  Some highlights not to miss:

The A.K. Smiley Public Library (125 West Vine Street) was designed in the Moorish style of architecture by the Smiley brothers, considered the patron saints of the city.  The completed structure was dedicated on April 29, 1898, but additional wings were added throughout the years to meet the growing needs of the community.  The amazing interiors of the library are alive with gargoyles, griffins, stained and leaded glass and rich oak carvings and bookcases. 

To take in the “City of Beautiful Homes,” just take a drive west of the library through the Smiley Park neighborhood. Look for the Morey Mansion (190 Terracina Boulevard), which has been referred to as “America’s favorite Victorian home,” with distinctive Saracenan dome. 

The Lincoln Memorial Shrine at 125 W. Vine Street is the only museum, library and archives dedicated to Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War west of the Mississippi. Located at Smiley Park, the shrine contains interesting art, photos, relics and books on Lincoln’s life.

Mrs. Cornelia Hill, a widow from New York, arrived in Redlands in 1896 and built what is now the Kimberly Crest House & Gardens, patterned after a chateau in the Loire Valley of France.  Mr. and Mrs. J. Alfred Kimberly purchased the chateau in 1905; Mr. Kimberly, founder of the paper company Kimberly-Clark, and his family would inhabit the estate for the next 75 years. Today, visitors are guided through the interiors of the “living museum” filled with the original furnishings and art of the Kimberly family.  The half-hour tour and many annual special events give a glimpse into the life of prestige turn-of-the-century living. The grounds of the estate are palatial with a grand fountain decorated in mythological figures, a swirling staircase leading to the mansion, terraced Italian-style gardens and eucalyptus and orange groves.  Adjacent to the estate is Prospect Park, a 39-acre botanical garden filled with ancient walls and rare trees.

If you go

Get more information for your trip to Redlands here.

Courtesy photos