Corona Adult Literacy Services offers free classes with textbooks, workbooks and supplies included: English as a Second Language, ESL speaking and listening, ESL writing and grammar, citizenship preparation (N-400 forms and the interview) and basic computer skills. Fall sessions are running now; times are on the library's calendar (the class page still shows spring times). Start with the interest form, in English or Spanish. / Clases gratis de inglés y ciudadanía; formulario de interés en español.
Wednesday–Sunday, 8:30am–4pm (mid-September to early June)
Sunnylands Center & Gardens, Rancho Mirage · Riverside
The visitor center and desert gardens at Sunnylands, the Annenberg estate in Rancho Mirage, are free to visit Wednesday through Sunday, 8:30am to 4pm, from mid-September to early June. Guided tours of the historic house and estate are separate and paid. Garden walks, an art exhibition, self-guided audio walks and history displays are part of the free Center & Gardens.
The Lincoln Memorial Shrine in downtown Redlands is a small museum devoted to Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era. Admission is free, Tuesday through Sunday, 1 to 5pm. Closed Mondays and major holidays.
The UC Riverside Botanic Gardens is a 40-acre living museum with thousands of plant species in its curated collection. Open Monday to Friday 8am to 3:30pm (last entry 3pm) and the 1st and 3rd Sundays 8am to 2pm; starting in 2027 it opens every Sunday. A $5 donation per adult is suggested. Parking on campus needs a paid permit (Botanic Gardens lot from $2.50 an hour). Closed Nov 5, Nov 11, Nov 26–27 and Dec 24–Jan 1.
The City of Ontario's Museum of History & Art, in Ontario's former City Hall on South Euclid Avenue, shows regional history and art. Admission to the museum, its programs and events is free. Open Thursday and Friday noon to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm.
Friday–Sunday, 12–4pm; tours at 12:00, 1:15, 2:15 and 3:15pm (September–June)
Heritage House (Museum of Riverside)
Tour the Museum of Riverside's Victorian Heritage House and its gardens, Friday through Sunday, noon to 4pm. Tours start at 12:00, 1:15, 2:15 and 3:15pm; book a free tour online. A $5 donation per person is suggested but not required to tour. The house is open from the first Friday after Labor Day through the last Sunday in June. Through November 8, 2026, tours go 'Behind the Black Veil'.
Ryan Bonaminio parkrun is a free, timed 5K walk or run every Saturday at 7:30am at Ryan Bonaminio Park, at the foot of Mount Rubidoux. All ages and paces are welcome; it's not a race, and a volunteer tail walker makes sure no one finishes last. parkrun asks you to register once (free) before your first visit and bring your barcode if you want a time.
First Sunday of each month, 12–5pm (October through May)
The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture · Riverside
The Riverside Art Museum and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture are free on the first Sunday of each month, noon to 5pm, from October through May. One visit covers both buildings on Mission Inn Avenue, a block apart. Regular adult admission is $17.95.
Lawyers give free legal help with consumer law, housing, public benefits, elder law, simple estate planning and expungements, and refer you elsewhere for anything else. Thursday, November 12, 2026, 10am to 2pm (next session Tuesday, January 12, 2027, 1 to 5pm). First come, first served.
Downtown Riverside (Orange St. and Mission Inn Ave.)
Riverside's 34th Festival of Lights starts with the Switch-On Ceremony at 5pm at Orange Street and Mission Inn Avenue, followed right away by fireworks, plus food vendors and live entertainment downtown. Saturday, November 21, 2026; the city suggests arriving by 4:30pm. The lights stay up through December 31 (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day). Candy Land (ticketed) and the ice rink ($20 per skater) are separate paid attractions.
Practice speaking English at Ontario's free ESL pronunciation club: an interactive class for non-native speakers to refine their accent, improve clarity and build confidence in conversation. Tuesday, November 24, 2026, 5 to 6pm at Ovitt Family Community Library, for adults 18+; the city calendar lists other sessions too. ¡Gratis! Club de pronunciación para adultos que aprenden inglés, martes 24 de noviembre de 5 a 6pm.
Artists Lewis deSoto, Sant Khalsa and Thomas McGovern and novelist Susan Straight talk about making work rooted in the Inland Empire, tied to the exhibition Dispatches: The Photography of Douglas McCulloh. Thursday, December 3, 2026, 6 to 7:30pm (doors 5:30pm). It's also Arts Walk night downtown.
Organists David Christensen and Makena James play seasonal music on one of Southern California's finest pipe organs in the decorated sanctuary, followed by a meet-and-greet with refreshments. Saturday, December 5, 2026, 2 to 4pm.
Riverside Public Utilities teaches how mulch, compost and soil improvements save water and cut weeds, which lawn replacements and groundcovers work, and how to prevent pests, plus the residential rebates RPU offers. Saturday, January 23, 2027, 10am to noon at Arlington Library.
Verified Oct 27 · riversideca.events
No catch
Always free 3 listings
Classes & fitnessFree (worth about $40)Eligibility applies
San Bernardino County Library branches · Riverside
San Bernardino County Library's Adult Literacy Program pairs adults with trained volunteer tutors for free, confidential one-on-one help with reading and writing, with weekly sessions at local library branches. For learners 17 and older who aren't enrolled in school, speak basic English and read or write below a seventh-grade level. Contact the library to enroll.
Verified Oct 27 · main.sbcounty.gov
Catch: Enroll with the library first · Ages 17+, not enrolled in school, reading below 7th-grade level
Admission to the Palm Springs Art Museum's main building is free every Thursday from 5 to 8pm, funded by the City of Palm Springs (regular adult admission is $25). The museum is always free for under-18s and active-duty military families. It went cashless on October 15, 2026.
On the first Thursday of every month, downtown Riverside's Arts Walk runs from 6 to 9pm. Admission is free during Arts Walk at the Riverside Art Museum and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture (normally $17.95 for adults; one ticket covers both), and UCR ARTS on Main Street (normally $12 for adults) is open and free that evening too.
Verified Oct 27 · riversideartmuseum.org
No catch
Get my FreeBee list
A free account saves favorites and picks free things in Riverside for you, plus the best ones every Thursday if you want them. No payment, ever.
