Previously known as South San Jacinto, Hemet is a thriving city in Southern California’s San Jacinto Valley. It famously hosts annual stagings of “The Ramona Pageant”, which was first performed in 1923 and is often referred to as a Wild West version of Romeo and Juliet.
Things to do in Hemet
In the heart of the city is the Hemet Museum, which showcases the rich history of the San Jacinto Valley. Its exhibits include Native American objects, railway artefacts and agricultural tools, as well as ancient fossils discovered in the area. The Hemet Museum is operated by the Hemet Heritage Foundation, which also manages the historic Santa Fe Depot.
Travelling with kids? They’ll love spending an afternoon at the Western Science Center, where you can get up close to artefacts and fossils unearthed at Diamond Valley Lake. Highlights of the collection include one of the largest mastodons discovered in the United States and a Columbian mammoth known as “Xena”. The complex also includes a simulated archaeology and palaeontology site that hosts an active dig.
Sprawling east of Hemet is Mount San Jacinto State Park, which encompasses one of the highest peaks in Southern California. Its hiking trails take in weathered granite mountains, fern-fringed mountain meadows and high-altitude subalpine forests. The 3,302-metre-high summit of Mount San Jacinto can be accessed along the long-distance Pacific Crest Trail or aboard the famous Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.
Getting around Hemet
Hemet is around 45 minutes’ drive from San Bernardino and one hour from Palm Springs International Airport, which has flights to destinations across North America. The much larger Los Angeles International Airport is 2.5 hours away. Buses connect from destinations across Los Angeles to Hemet and travel throughout the city.