10 Things To Do In Palm Springs California

The people are the city

A perfect round up of the best things to do in Palm Springs, California!

1. A walk down Palm Canyon drive

It is no doubt that while in Palm Springs you will be on Palm Canyon Drive at some point, whether for transportation, bites to eat, or of course site seeing! It is the “Main Street” here and defiantly worth a walk along. There are tons of great places to eat and get coffee along the way. Here you can also see the walk of Stars, inspired by Hollywood of course, where over 450+ STARS are placed. The Forever Marylin Monroe statue is the iconic Photo Op in Palm Springs just off the main road across from the Art Museum! You will find tons of murals, sculptures, shops and quirks of Palm Springs all up and down Palm Canyon Drive!

2. A day Trip To joshua tree

Whether you are a National Park Junkie or not, it is a no brainer to take a day Trip up to the town of Joshua Tree, California! This quirky town is known for its good energy and fun experiences like the Noah Purify Museum, the World’s Largest Crochet Museum, and tons of other art installations. Of course, Joshua Tree National Park see millions of visitors every year too. It is an epic location for Star Gazing, Hiking, Camping, and of course seeing the famous Joshua Trees. I have a full guide HERE!

3. Palm Springs Art Musem

A fun way to take in any city is experiencing their culture through Museums and Exhibits! We got to take advantage of the free Thursday nights and walk around the museum at our leisure. They feature a multitude of rooms with the different styles of art and artists.

There are three floors to explore and outdoor spaces as well. There are stairs connecting each floor or two elevators. As you can imagine it is a very hip building. It is a great adventure, especially if you can take advantage of the free night!

Hours of Operation:
Thursday Noon -8pm
Friday- Sunday 10am to 5pm
Tuesday - Wednesday: CLOSED

Cost: 18 and Under are Free, Adults $16 and Seniors $14

Website and more info: https://www.psmuseum.org/

PRO TIP: Free on Thursday Nights from 5pm - 8pm! You can register for your spot here, you maybe asked for your reservation upon entry!

4. See the Carbonzo Dinosaurs

Palms Springs and the surrounding desert towns are filled with tons of quirks and fun pull offs! If you are on your way to visit Coachella or willing to make the 15 mile adventure then you can come see the Carbonzo Dinosaurs! These larger than life dinos make for the perfect photo op. The pink and green dinos are available to you for your walk up and photo pleasure. There is a museum for $15 including more than 100 other dinos! The day we went was SO WINDY - which is not uncommon for the valley so check the weather before you go! Since the chill and gusts made it impossible for Marli to get out the car, we did not go walk around because it is all outside! Regardless, if you see all the dinos or just the two largest it is defiantly worth seeing in Palm Springs.

Check out their official website and info here: https://www.cabazondinosaurs.com/
Address: 50770 Seminole Drive, Cabazon, CA 92230

5. see unique animals at the palm springs zoo

I will admit, there was a time in our lives where Rashawn and I boycotted zoos and aquariums because it made us sad to see after experiencing swimming along sea turtles in real life! After having Nyla that of course changed because she wanted to see the animals and we wanted to teach her. After some $5 nights at our Denver Zoo, we had a new appreciation for them again!

Palm Springs makes my list of top 5 zoos for sure! We saw so many unique animals I had not seen before in real life like naked mole rats, wort-hog, emu, camels, and even kangaroos. Not to mention the backdrop of the mountains and palm trees everywhere just set out for a very good vibe.

The zoo is a part of some awesome conservation initiatives and programs. If you walk the whole zoo it will take you about 2-3 hours depending on your speed. We saw just about every exhibit. Keep in mind the time of year you visit and how hot it can get under the desert sun! I will say it is one of the more expensive zoos, but worth it in my opinion! Check out the website before you go to ensure you have the perfect plan in place.

PRO TIP: You can bring in your own food and drink! We always bring an empty water bottle but here you can bring your own and some snackies.

Hours of Operation: 8am - 5pm daily
Cost: $39.95 per adult
Website: https://www.livingdesert.org/

6. A door Tour

One of the coolest things about Palm Springs are the houses. Chances are if you come to Palm Springs you will be renting out a house with an epic pool! Houses here are Ranch Style one story homes. Collectively, the door is the shining star of these homes. Anywhere you drive through a neighborhood you will be sure to see some epic doors, but there are some known for their style. This blog really helped me plan a few doors to see and then we would just drive around the neighborhoods admiring the homes. We stayed in the same neighborhood as the Elvis Honeymoon House so we had to check it out too!

7. the famous palm springs windmills

Chances are if you have seen Palm Springs on Instagram, you have seen some epic windmill pics. Palm Springs is home to some of the largest windmill farms in the US. They create renewable energy from the wind and trust me this valley gets a lot of wind! You can see windmills in almost any direction you look while exploring Palm Springs. You can easily pull off the highway to a side road to get a closer look, or book a tour at one of the farms to get the full scoop and up close experience. If you choose to explore on your own, find a safe pull off and do not get to close or trespass. These windmills are larger than life so use your best judgment while exploring!

8. Enjoy a Date Shake

Palms Springs climate is one of the most ideal places in the world to grow dates! Medjool Dates are grown right in the Coachella Valley. So, it’s no wonder why the unofficial drink of Palm Springs is the date shake. There are many places to enjoy a date shake especially up and down Palm Canyon Road. We opted in to try Lappert’s Ice Cream because their Authentic Hawaiian vibes and their Vegan Date shake option for my brother! We had a few date shakes to share and other delicious ice cream treats. No matter where you go, just make sure you have at least one Date Shake while in Palm Springs!

9. Vistit Coachella

When my mom told us we were going to Palm Springs I jumped at the idea of getting to see the famous Coachella, California! This town is known for the biggest music festival, Coachella. In college Rashawn and I would dream of getting to be there among the rich and famous. The town of Coachella is very indie of course, all communities are gated and it’s very hipster like. You can see the ground of Coachella at the Empire Polo Club. To actually see the grounds was very surreal and defiantly showed us what it would take to come one day! We also went to the Coachella Valley Vista Point lookout and saw there are some great hiking opportunities here.

10. Palm Springs Walking Tour

One thing to love about my mama is her love for walking! She found a great Walking Tour of Palm Springs through the Palm Springs Historical Society. They have a wide variety of tours walking and biking, available. We opted in for the Heart of The City tour which took us along Palm Canyon drive and the history of how Palm Springs came to be. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and fun! Getting to know more about the places we travel is one of the best reasons to travel. Amazing stories lie within the cities we go to, I challenge you to go hear them everywhere you go!

There is so much to see and explore in this amazing desert city! The people, design, and overall vibe make Palm Springs the wonderful place it is. This city will welcome people with arms wide open to experience life here.

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