DAY TRIP Victoria Gardens

With a classic downtown style with a mixture of hip and modern shops, Victoria Gardens combines the open-aired, community-type Main Street experience with an exuberant and youthful shopping district.

Plotted on 147 acres of land, the outdoor mall opened in fall 2004 and has been a hot spot for shopping and fun for the Inland Empire and desert communities ever since.

Some of the largest stores the shopping center has to offer are Macy’s — which has two locations, the regular Macy’s and a Men’s and Home Store — JCPenney and a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World.

The Bass Pro Shop is the first one to be built in California.

GETTING THERE

Take the 405 Freeway south to the 55 Freeway north for about 12 miles until you reach the 91.

Exit onto the 91 east and follow for about 17 miles.

Take the exit for the 15 north toward Barstow and follow for about 16 miles.

Exit Foothill Boulevard, also known as Route 66, and turn left.

Turn right at Day Creek Boulevard and another right at North Mainstreet.

If you want to avoid taking the 91 Freeway, you can instead take the 55 to the 5 north. Then exit onto the 57 north toward Pomona and follow that for about 18 miles.

Then you can exit either the 60 east or take the 10 east; both will take you to the 15 Freeway, where you can exit north toward Victoria Gardens.

HOURS

The center hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Hours for various stores, restaurants and some specialty shops may vary.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Wild Grape sells hand-crafted Italian ceramics and hand-blown glass from Naples.

The shop also features an assortment of various wine racks and other grape-themed items to decorate your home.

The center also features a recently opened Pinkberry frozen yogurt shop whose popularity has been on the rise.

There are also many familiar restaurants for dining, such as the Yard House, Cheesecake Factory, Corner Bakery and P.F. Chang’s China Bistro.

BASS PRO SHOPS OUTDOOR WORLD

About five football fields long, the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World hopes to inspire outdoor enthusiasts, or newcomers, with its wide-ranging diversity and atmosphere.

The store is complemented with an enormous fish tank filled with live fish, the Islamorada Fish Company restaurant, and offers special workshops for those wanting to learn more about fishing and hunting.

The store also has hundreds of artifacts and antiques available, as well as many trophy fish on display. Besides outdoor equipment, shoppers can also find men’s and women’s apparel, athletic footwear and a nature center.

— Daniel Tedford