For over forty years, Smiley Heritage Tours has offered in-depth field trips of Redlands to the fourth-grade classes of our area. During the four-hour bus tour, we visit historical sites, talk about the first peoples of the valley and the importance of water, the navel orange and railroad to the development of the region. The narrative emphasizes stories about those who have given and continue to give so much to Redlands. Students get off the bus to visit University of Redlands, A.K. Smiley Public Library, the Lincoln Shrine, Smiley Park, the Fisk/Burgess grove home, the Burrage Mansion, and Kimberly Crest. Over the years, the program has expanded to include on-campus presentations of Realia, a Tour Coloring Book, and Virtual Tour. Heritage volunteers love hearing fond memories so many Redlanders still have of the day when they, as fourth-graders, joined us on the bus. We hope the experience helped motivate them to become citizens rather than just residents of Redlands.

As Deborah Fallows, co-author with James Fallows of the book and HBO documentary, Our Towns, observed:

“It’s rare when a community identifies its historical core values and finds a way to engage the next generation of citizens in preserving them. That’s what has happened with Smiley Heritage Tours….Understanding your town; making partnerships; taking creative action. Those are the keys.”