Things to do in Palm Springs
Palm Springs is a city in the Sonoran Desert of southern California, known for its hot springs, stylish hotels, golf courses and spas. It’s also noted for its many fine examples of mid-century modern architecture. Its core shopping district along Palm Canyon Drive features vintage boutiques, interior design shops and restaurants. The surrounding Coachella Valley offers hiking, biking and horseback riding trails.
In the 1920s, notable figures began escaping Hollywood for the desert, whether for a warm winter vacation, or even retirement. The Palm Springs Walk of Stars was established in 1992 to immortalize the various people who have lived there, and currently includes over 400 celebrities. Among those honored are Presidents Reagan, Ford and Eisenhower, show business personalities (Lisa Vanderpump, Debbie Reynolds, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor, to name a few), athletes, writers, Medal of Honor recipients and more.
There is much to enjoy in Palm Springs for art and nature lovers. The Palm Springs Art Museum serves many communities in the Coachella Valley through its compelling art exhibitions and wide range of community programming and activities. The Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium is a 1-acre family-owned botanical garden specializing in cacti and other desert plants. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is the largest rotating aerial tramway in the world. It was opened in September 1963 as a way of getting from the floor of the Coachella Valley to near the top of San Jacinto Peak and was constructed in rugged Chino Canyon.
Families looking for fun outdoor activities can head to Boomers in Cathedral City, which features mini golf, arcades, carousels and go-karts, or visit Cabazon Dinosaurs, a roadside attraction in Cabazon, featuring two enormous, steel-and-concrete dinosaurs named Dinny the Dinosaur and Mr. Rex. Also, the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, is a desert botanical garden and a zoo located in Palm Desert.
For those who love shopping, drive out to The Sliding Door Company’s Costa Mesa showroom to browse the full product line, including glass partitions, room dividers, swing doors, laundry enclosures, glass walls, barn doors, space-saving closet doors, and home office solutions. In commercial spaces, they provide the best balance of open collaborative spaces and sleek private offices that close and lock when needed. Who says you have to choose between form and function?