What to do and see in San Bernardino, California (CA): The Best Free Things to do

June 19, 2021 Renato Branum

San Bernardino /ˌsæn ˌbɜːrnərˈdiːnoʊ/ is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area (sometimes called the "Inland Empire"). It serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. As one of the Inland Empire's anchor cities, San Bernardino spans 81 square miles (210 km) on the floor of the San Bernardino Valley and has a population of 209,924 as of the 2010 census. San Bernardino is the 17th-largest city in California and the 100th-largest city in the United States. San Bernardino is home to numerous diplomatic missions for the Inland Empire, being one of four cities in California with numerous consulates (the other three being Los Angeles, San Diego, and the greater metropolitan San Francisco Bay Area including San Jose and San Francisco). The governments of Guatemala and Mexico have also established their consulates in the downtown area of the city.
Restaurants in San Bernardino

1. Rim of the World Highway

San Bernardino, CA +1 909-382-2790
Excellent
67%
Good
28%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
0%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 39 reviews

Rim of the World Highway

A popular alpine drive route, 101 miles long, running from San Bernardino to Big Bear Lake.

Reviewed By outthere2017 - Los Angeles, United States

This was a fun drive from Hwy 15 at Cajon Pass to Big Bear. Folowed 38 to 18 to 30 in Big Bear. Beautiful Fall colors and huge breathtaking views of the valleys. Lots of tight curves and turns keep you at sightseeing speed with lots of turnouts. Several lakes along the way to see and visit. Arrowhead is almost impossible to see because of the buildings in the way, but, the other lakes are beautiful. End at Big Bear lake and drive thru Fawnskin for the best views.

2. San Bernardino National Forest

San Bernardino, CA 92408-2607 +1 909-382-2600 http://www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf/
Excellent
72%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 123 reviews

San Bernardino National Forest

This region encompasses 660,000 acres of the San Bernadino Mountains with elevations ranging from 1,000 feet to the highest at Mount San Gorgonio at 11,502 feet.

Reviewed By robgriffith5365 - Auburn, United States

Recreation, scenery, wildlife and wildflowers, wow! Great outdoors and great, helpful staff. Easy to visit after work or on weekends.

3. Kelso Depot

Mojave National Preserve Kelso, San Bernardino, CA 92309 +1 760-252-6108 http://www.nps.gov/moja/learn/historyculture/kelso-depot.htm
Excellent
43%
Good
42%
Satisfactory
12%
Poor
3%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 109 reviews

Kelso Depot

Reviewed By WebsterFoodie - Worcester, United States

Train buffs will be especially drawn to this place. It is a great diversion if you are traveling between Vegas and San Diego. You have to get off the interstate and drive thru the desert with great views and the station is restored and has exhibits to see. It takes a bit longer (1 hour approx) but worth the detour.

4. Cajon Pass

San Bernardino, CA
Excellent
69%
Good
13%
Satisfactory
13%
Poor
0%
Terrible
5%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 16 reviews

Cajon Pass

5. San Bernardino History & Railroad Museum

1170 W 3rd St, San Bernardino, CA 92410-1702 +1 909-888-3634 http://www.sbdepotmuseum.com/
Excellent
59%
Good
23%
Satisfactory
18%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 22 reviews

San Bernardino History & Railroad Museum

Reviewed By waynefromcali - Yucaipa, United States

The San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum located at the historic Santa Fe Depot and Metrolink Rail Station is an excellent museum of San Bernardino Rail history! This is a great museum dedicated as a historic landmark that immerses it's visitors in an educational and informative experience of the Inland Empires rail history!Great for young and old alike,family's and historians of trains,rail and transportation! They lots of displays,rail memorabilia,mechanical items and a great gift store! Loads of free parking,family friendly and you can drop in for a meal.or snack at Stevies Snack Shop inside the historic rail depot next door. A great experience! Check for times of operation for days that the San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum is open. . . . #ilovetrains #railroad #railroadhistory #metrolink #boxcars #santafe #sanbernardinohistoryandrailroadmuseum #historicallandmark #iloverailroads #unionpacific #trains #steviessnackshop #whistlestopsnacks #photografxworldwide #sanbernardino #ontherails #history

6. Santa Ana River Trail

San Bernardino, CA +1 909-794-1123
Excellent
54%
Good
19%
Satisfactory
16%
Poor
8%
Terrible
3%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 37 reviews

Santa Ana River Trail

Scenic ride through the San Bernardino Mountains, perfect for beginners into spectacular mountain views without the rougher terrain.

Reviewed By BSpatt - Placentia, United States

I was looking for a safe stretch of road to ride my new RadPowerBike (love those bikes!) and I didn't want to deal with traffic, lights, and cars. The Santa Ana river trail is the perfect solution. Two lanes wide, with great visibility in every direction. Its long enough - beach to the mountains... although I only did a 20 mile trek. What I wasn't expecting was the wildlife up around the Yorba Linda part of the trail. It was really fun to watch the various water birds as I rode by. At no point did I feel unsafe (I rode during the day). Highly recommended.

7. Original McDonald's Site and Museum

1398 N E St, San Bernardino, CA 92405-4529 +1 909-885-6324 http://juanpollo.com/route-66-attractions/mcdonalds-museum/
Excellent
34%
Good
41%
Satisfactory
18%
Poor
6%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 293 reviews

Original McDonald's Site and Museum

Reviewed By jennlovesfood - San Diego, United States

We didn't get to do all of Route 66 like we planned to because of the pandemic, however, we did a little bit of it on our way to Utah outdoor parks. I am so glad we chose to stop at this super fun spot in San Bernardino! This was seriously like taking a step back in to my childhood. This site is now a museum, it used to be a McDonald's and it is on the site where the very first McDonald's restaurant was. The museum is made up of collections that people have donated of McDonald's memorabilia. Holy cow! I had no idea HOW much McDonald's stuff was out there. I loved seeing the old plates and cups we used to collect and all of the old playground equipment we used to play on at our indoor play place in Ohio (what a gift during the cold winters). Such wonderful place of nostalgia...this is definitely worth a stop if you are nearby. Social distancing and masking was practiced (we were the only ones in the museum so it wasn't an issue at all).

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