Regional Attractions
From Ontario, visitors can easily travel to Los Angeles, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Disneyland and Palm Springs, to name a few popular choices.
“And if you really get excited and want to see things, it is not really that far to drive in one day to Las Vegas or to the Grand Canyon or to San Diego,” said Oxarart.
Visitors can head in just about any direction and find a variety of scenic vistas and activities, such as California’s legendary Pacific beaches, desert landscapes, snowy mountains, wineries, golf resorts, casinos, historic sites and more of the best shopping in the West. “You are near a lot of the reasons why people want to come to Southern California for a vacation in the first place: all the iconic destinations,” Oxarart said.
Visitors can check out the wide-open spaces of the California high desert country during a day trip. People used to a city or suburban lifestyle will appreciate the unique and beautiful natural sites they will see. From Ontario, tourists also head east to shop, eat, play golf and otherwise enjoy all that Palm Springs offers. Others enjoy a visit to Joshua Tree National Park and its surreal geologic wonders.
“My parents are from Ohio, and I can tell you that when they came to visit me, all that my mom wanted to do was travel around in the desert,” said Oxarart.
A portion of historic Route 66 runs north of Ontario and inspires the annual Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion, where classic-car lovers from around the U.S. and the world flock to the area for several days of food, live music and entertainment and to gawk at more than 2,000 vintage automobiles.
The Southern California coastline has inspired many Beach Boys songs and attracted millions of visitors from across the country. Popular beach destinations in the area include Newport Beach, Santa Monica, Venice, Laguna Beach, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Malibu and Huntington Beach.
As a contrast to ocean and desert scenes, Big Bear Mountain Resort, just 45 minutes from Ontario, is a place where visitors can ski in winter and enjoy the alpine lake settings in spring, summer and fall. “It is a really gorgeous place,” said Oxarart. “Big Bear Lake is the largest in the area, and Lake Arrowhead is also very popular.”
Also in the mountains, the Lake Arrowhead Queen offers one-hour, narrated cruise tours of the lake area.
