FINDING STORIES... at a spot you're staying for the night can sometimes be a tad frustrating. You'd love to hear about some of the luminaries who've called upon the hotel over the decades, and maybe a tale or two of how the building came into being. But not every hotel has such history, and even if a place has some deeper background, it doesn't always put it out into the public sphere in a robust way. Then there's the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, which has so many notable nooks and crannies that figuring out where to start is really the hard part. A new designation from USA Today's 10Best.com, though, should help history buffs get jazzed for taking on the Riverside landmark's many facets in one fell, info-laden swoop. The honor? The Mission Inn was just recognized as the country's Best Historic Hotel by 10Best.com readers. There are numerous reasons behind the property's top-of-the-list status, including all of the...
PRESIDENTS WHO'VE STAYED... at the castle-like inn. Ronald and Nancy Reagan honeymooned at the Mission Inn, and President Taft's chair is the most famous piece of furniture in the large-of-scale structure. It isn't the only vintage piece of note in the hotel; the Rayas Altar hails from the mid-1700s, and its 18-karat gold leaf still shines brightly in the modern age. Tiffany windows can also be spied at the Mission Inn, as well as as paintings, statues, and artworks from another age. The best way to see why the Mission Inn was named a 10Best.com Historic Hotel is to hop on a tour led by a docent. They're free, they happen every day, and go behind the nooks and crannies of one of California's, and the country's, nooksiest and crannyiest properties. Sometimes literally behind, too; expect to see fresh areas of the hotel you haven't peeked at before, even if you've overnighted there on multiple occasions.
