Riverside’s Mission Inn Hotel & Spa is bringing back its popular tours of the catacombs beneath the hotel this Halloween season.
Through Nov. 2, the tours will bring curious visitors to the underworld of downtown Riverside in a 30- to 45-minute tour throughout the caverns.
The catacombs, an escape from the heat before the 1876 hotel had air conditioning, were engineered in part by the first Mission Inn hotel owner, Christopher Columbus Miller. Because the catacombs have been virtually off-limits to the general public in the 21st century, rumors of its hauntings spread like tuberculosis.
In 2024, the hotel extended the tours into December due to the wildly popular turnout, said Patrick O’Brien, spokesman for the Mission Inn.
The catacombs were closed to the public for so long that tales of eeriness and rumors of hauntings plague the Mission Inn. Some believe the catacombs to be the resting place for the bones of ages past. Others believe that a secret network of tunnels extends to Mount Rubidoux about a mile away, and further into the heart of Riverside.
A certain few even claim that the catacombs are haunted, reporting maiden screeches from the men’s restroom in the deep underbelly of the hotel.
Last year, the Daily Press went to check out the Mission Inn catacombs to debunk the myths and provide our readers with an exclusive first look of what’s really beneath Riverside.
The real story behind the Riverside catacombs
Contrary to popular belief, the Riverside catacombs did not serve a traditional catacomb purpose like its famed Paris counterpart.
No individuals were ever buried under the hotel, O’Brien assured.
Instead, the catacombs were an escape from the heat before the 1876 hotel had air conditioning, engineered by the first Mission Inn owner Frank Miller.
Miller was a collector who, over time, accumulated heaps of relics. He had about 800 bells, 600 of which can still be found around the hotel in a scavenger hunt fashion, tens of statues, and hundreds of canvas artworks.
Many of the rooms at the Mission Inn were built to store his possessions, including the 1917-constructed catacombs. Miller built the underground tunnels during the second construction phase of the hotel to serve as not only a cool place to escape the summer heat but also as an art gallery for customers to enjoy during their stay.
Chiseled-away stone in perfect rectangular shapes characterize most walls of the catacomb tunnels where art used to hang. Small platforms are carved into stone pillars that once held statues of saints. Where a Halloween scene of skeleton pirates sits at the end of a corridor now used to house statues of the pope dining with his fellow archbishops, all European-imported statues.
One of the most impressive features of the Riverside catacombs is the Roman architecture. Unexpected arches and spiraling columns set these catacombs apart from most other underground tunnels.
The cemetery myth may be debunked, but O’Brien couldn’t speak for the alleged hauntings at the Mission Inn: “there may be ghosts, we don’t know for sure about that.”
How to book a Mission Inn catacomb tour
The catacomb tours are being offered as a part of the Mission Inn’s “Spooktacular themed tours.”
“Step into the shadows as you descend into the mysterious catacombs of the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa,” the hotel said via social media. “Guided by our expert storytellers, this tour will uncover our subterranean passages. The perfect experience for history enthusiasts.”
Real water leaks add to the spookiness of the underground network and battery candles throughout set the uncanny tone.
Halloween gags are found around most corners until the end of November. Creepy dolls, a motion-sensor-cracking mirror, and other gimmicks add fun to the space.
To book the tour, call (951) 784-0300 or visit missioninn.com/events/catacombs-tour.
McKenna Mobley is a Daily Press reporter and can be reached at mmobley@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Mission Inn Riverside brings back popular catacombs tours this Halloween season
Reporting by McKenna Mobley, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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