Entry No. 26 — the Los Angeles file — filed under: art-immersive

Tio's Tacos

Behind a working Mexican restaurant, Martin Sanchez has spent decades turning one acre into a dense folk-art environment built almost entirely from trash. More than 100 sculptures fill the grounds, including a 30-foot man and woman assembled from aluminum cans and machine parts, plus pyramids, fountains, and wire figures stuffed with shoes, shells and toys. The centerpiece is a small chapel Sanchez built for his wife entirely out of colored bottles and recycled materials. You wander the whole maze for free.

The move: Order enchiladas, then spend an hour wandering the recycled-art jungle out back and squeeze into the bottle chapel for a quiet moment.

📍 Before you go No admission fee; just walk the grounds. Open daily from 8:30am; it is a restaurant first, so weekends get busy. About 50+ miles east of central LA.

• 📍 Riverside
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 3948 Mission Inn Ave, Riverside, CA 92501

Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-23