Heritage House Marks America's 250th With Special July 5 Tours

The historic Heritage House is celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States of America with an event fit for the whole family. The big celebration will take place on July 5. The Heritage House will host special tours that spotlight items from another part of the museum's collection. Doors will open at 10 a.m. and close at 4 p.m.

The lawn of the Heritage House will host the Sons of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the American Revolution. The two organizations will be programming live history that gives visitors a peek into the personalities that inhabited America's early years. They will be fully in character 100 percent of the time, interacting with guests on the special tours. It's part of a fully immersive experience that takes you back to a specific point in Riverside and American history. Families are bound to learn something new that will help them appreciate Riverside's role in America's 250-year-long legacy. Most likely it'll be a hot day, but lucky for guests, Riverside Museum Associates will be stationed on the front lawn, handing out free cups of fresh-squeezed lemonade.

There will be period music playing on the lawn and inside the home. Inside, there will be a piano from the era on display in a music room that will hold period-specific books and, of course, play music that may have been heard in a Victorian home in the early 1890s. The museum's goal is to give you a peek at Riverside life during America's pioneering time. It gives you a snapshot of America's culture during that time and how it bled into Southern California.

The Heritage House holds ground as the cornerstone of Riverside history. The lavish Victorian home was built in 1891-1892 for Catherine Bettner, a widow whose family had invested in local citrus groves. During these times, Riverside was said to be the wealthiest city per capita in the United States due to its expansive citrus industry. The citrus investments she and her late husband had made allowed her to build the massive Victorian home. At the time, Bettner was considered among Riverside's wealthy elite. Throughout the home, there is furniture from that time, fine china, paintings, and original woodwork that make up the wood finishing found in various places within the Heritage House. Each room reflects the affluence of the Victorian era.

It's a special time to visit the Heritage House, as this will be the last day to visit before they close for the season. Tours won't be happening in the heat of the summer. However, on Friday, July 24, Riverside locals will have a movie night on the lawn. At 8 p.m., doors will open for a screening of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942).

More information: Heritage House, 8193 Magnolia Ave., is open July 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Yankee Doodle Dandy screening takes place July 24 at 8 p.m. For more, visit the Heritage House event page.

By Maxen Olvera