San Bernardino sits at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains where Route 66 meets the pass between the desert and the coast. The city has a rough-around-the-edges reputation, but it rewards curious visitors with more than 280 acres of parks, lakes, and recreation areas within the city limits.
The California Theatre of the Performing Arts, built in 1928 in opulent Spanish-Moorish style, hosts the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra and touring stage productions. Car enthusiasts should not miss the Route 66 Rendezvous Festival in September, a three-day event that draws over 160,000 people to watch classic rods cruise the highway. The original McDonald's site — where the McDonald brothers invented the fast-food concept in 1948 — is a pilgrimage point for American commercial history buffs. East of downtown, the San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot, a fine 1918 Mission Revival building, still serves as the city's Metrolink station.
Above the city, the San Gorgonio Wilderness offers 100 miles of trail and the highest peak in Southern California. Nearby, the casinos at San Manuel and Morongo draw crowds for gaming and live entertainment. From here you can easily reach the mountain communities of Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead, or head east to the apple-orchard country of Yucaipa, Oak Glen, and Cherry Valley, where farms invite you to pick your own fruit, sip cider, and take a hayride.