Rancho Cucamonga Things to Do

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Victoria Gardens is a area of high end department stores and eateries. They have laid it out like mini city with lots of wonderful plaza's with benches, tables, and lots of lovely landscapes. It just happened to stumble on it while I was exploring this area. There is lots of ample parking garages and metered parking along the streets. Just be careful of the brain dead shopper who do not pay attention while crossing the roads. There is plenty of cross walks and little light signals.

Hours may vary:
Sun 11am-7pm
Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm
Fri-Sat 10am-10pm

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The Victoria Gardens Cultural Center consist of the playhouse and library. The 90,000 square foot playhouse was dedicated in August of 2006, which has 560 seats that consist of two levels. It is state of the art theatre that offers all types of entertainment such as plays, live concerts, and comedy shows. What is so special about these centers is that it offers so many creative outlets for its community.

Box Office Hours:

Monday - Friday 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm, 
Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, 
Closed Sunday
Dedicated in August, 2006, the Lewis Family Playhouse is an intimate, state of the art, performing arts center with 560 seats on two levels.

Below is some really wonderful pieces of chalk art by some really talented local individuals!

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Foothill Boulevard in Rancho Cucamonga still echo's part of old Americana known as Route 66. It has often been called the Mother Road or America’s Main Street. Throughout the west, it still is known for its unique car culture and for its creative highway signage, motels, trading posts, tourist traps, and service stations. What is unique, is Rancho Cucamonga has renovated much of the boulevard with lots of wonderful markers that pay tribute to Old Route 66. Plus, there are lots of stores selling Route 66 memorabilia such Route 66 Memories is packed with lots of wonderful Route 66 gifts What is still unique is the Sycamore Inn 1848 was once a stage coach stop is still here, The Magic Lamp Inn 1957 that still has its huge neon Giant Aladdin's Lamp.

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Located in the Food Hall is this very lovely small carousel. I asked the young lady who was operating it if she knew the history of it. She said it was privately owned and they brought it from Italy and was all hand painted. I have never seen one so small, but it was so much more colorful than some of the bigger ones. Not big enough for adults, so kids only:)

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Located on a bench next to Victoria Cultural Center is a wonderful statue of Shakespeare. Its a great photo opt if you want your picture taken with Shakespeare. I shared a coca cola with Shake, looked like he needed it:)

The plaque on the wall:

"Shakespeare"
Presented Through a Diamond Donor Contribution to the Promoting Arts & Literacy Campaign by Chuck, Suzanne and Charlie Buquet. December, 2007.

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One thing I noticed right away was these plaques located all over the shopping area and I thought they are really neat. I gathered that not too many people were paying attention to them, which is sad. Each Plaques reads in order of the photo's:

Daily Chores:
A day in the life of Children in 1884 started their days cleaning the glass and refilling the gas lamps used to light their homes before electricity. The local school was in one room above McIntyre's Carpentry Shop. In the summer, the orchards and packing houses offered seasonal jobs. Cutting apricots for the cannery, a girl could make as much as 10 cents a day. This money could be used to rent a buggy from the livery stable for a secluded picnic or at the merchantile for candy, ribbons, and lace.

Marvelous!
The First Electric Light 3000 Watt Brilliance
The first electrical lights in Southern California was installed by George Chaffey in 1884 and lit Captain Garcia's adobe house. The same light bulbs in the house until 1927. George was the first engineers in the West to harness hydro-electric power from the mountains streams. His 3000 watt lamp was visible from as far away as Riverside. Word of the strange white light spread quickly. Los Angeles immediately hired George to install the city's first six street lights.

Tea Time
American Ingenuity, 1900 Portable Potables:
Cucamonga's vineyards depended on Chinese Americans workers who were displayed after the end of the Gold Rush. They lived in a row of wooden houses at the corner of Klusman and Hellman Avenues. The work was hot and dry. Water was needed to stay healthy. These workers made canteens from gourds, which were grown from seed, dried, cleaned, and transformed into perfect containers for the tea they drank as they picked 1,000 lbs.

Dedicated to An Innovator
Brent LeCount 1965-2004
An innovative professional with a huge heart and a caring spirit.
For his dedicated service to the city of Rancho Cucamonga.

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If you have never been to one of these stores you will be so surprised. They have everything you can think of if your a sports person or not. They have clothes, shoes, furniture, boats, sports gear, food, linens, bikes, and so much more. I just love exploring these stores. They have a even bigger one in Vegas, but this one is pretty huge too. They have these huge displays of wildlife and fish tanks. There is even a shooting arcade.

GPS Coordinates:
34.112782ºN, 117.52691ºW (WGS84/NAD83)

Regular Store Hours
Mon-Sat 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sun 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

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This site sits at the base of the prominent Red Hill Landmark. The early historic importance of the property stems from its proximity to a reliable water source, Cucamonga Creek, and to its location on the major roadway between Los Angeles and San Bernardino. By about 1200 AD, the Kukumonga Native Americans, part of the Gabrielino Culture, established a village near Red Hill in 1839. Tiburcio Tapia, a wealthy merchant and former Alcalde (Major) of Los Angeles, was granted 13,000 acres of land known as Rancho De Cucamonga. Using indian labor, Tapia built a well fortified adobe home on Red Hill, and raised great cattle herds. Tapia also began a successful winery known to us today as the Thomas Winery, John Rains, a former soldier from Alabama and rancher, married the wealthy Dona Maria Merced Williams, and together they purchased the ranch in 1858. The couple built a burned brick home, just to the north on vineyard which is now a San Bernardino County Museum before his murder in 1862. Rains had greatly expanded the vineyards and winery developed by Tapia. This site was part of the transportation system used by many generations including the Butterfield Stage Coach, the Pacific Electric "Red Car" Railway, and Route 66. The first post office in the area, commissioned by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864, was located here. The property also contained the Cutter Residence and Store, and the Riche Residence and Store, detailed archaeological investigations here performed to document these structures, which had been demolished many years ago.

Across the street from the Huge Route 66 Sign