What University gardens, museums, and exhibits can I visit?

UCR Botanic Gardens is nestled in the foothills of the Box Springs Mountains on the east side of the University of California, Riverside Campus, the Gardens covers 40 hilly acres. Wander over four miles of scenic trails or just relax on a bench and enjoy the beauty.

The Gardens is a living plant museum with more than 3,500 plant species from around the world for visitors and researchers to see and study. It was established primarily for teaching purposes. In a beautiful setting, the Gardens serve to provide a wide assortment of plant materials for courses at UCR and other local schools. Courses supported include anthropology, art, biology, botany, ecology, entomology, landscape plants, morphology, ornamental horticulture, plant pathology, photography and taxonomy. The Gardens also provides plant materials for various research projects and serves to test and exhibit plant species introduced from all parts of the world. The variable terrain and Riverside's subtropical climate create numerous "microclimates" which allow for the notable diversity of plantings. This wealth of vegetation creates a hospitable sanctuary for wildlife, where nearly 200 bird species have been officially observed.

Though maintained separately, the University of California Riverside campus grounds is also considered a part of the Botanic Gardens, and serves to demonstrate landscape plants that do well in Riverside's climate. To learn more, visit - http://www.gardens.ucr.edu/.

California Museum of Photography (CMP) is an off-campus department of the University of California, Riverside, Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. Located in Downtown Riverside, the museum promotes understanding of photography and related media through collection, research, exhibition, and instruction.

UCR / CMP is vitally concerned with the intersection of photography, new imaging media and society. It is the museum's goal to empower the museum's visitor with an understanding of the critical role photography and related media have had in shaping both society and the daily lives of individuals. UCR/CMP provides a supportive and challenging environment that stimulates discourse about issues relevant to the lives and interests of artists, scholars and the general public. For further information, visit - http://www.cmp.ucr.edu/photo/info.html.

Sweeney Art Gallery exhibitions integrate with the University curriculum when possible into their exhibit programs. It also serves the entire Inland Southern California region as a visual arts resource, displaying work that is sometimes provocative, stimulating, and always of a caliber that reflects the excellence of the University of California as an unparalleled educational institution.
With nearly a dozen exhibitions each year, the Sweeney Gallery leads its guests on a tour of the limitless expanse of the art world! As part of the celebrated University of California system, the Gallery partakes of the tremendous resources available through faculty research and interests, student and staff involvement, and the stimulation of an ever-expanding audience. - http://sweeney.ucr.edu/gallery/galleryhome.html.