The 15 Best Things to do in Palm Springs

Palm Springs is a famous city in the Sonoran Desert of southern California. This famous weekend destination on the West Coast is known for its hot springs, great weather, scenic outdoors, stylish hotels for travelers, golf courses, and spas. You would also find many fine examples of midcentury-modern architecture. If you are a traveler looking for things to do in Palm Springs, CA, you surely need to visit the core shopping district along Palm Canyon Drive!

It offers vintage boutiques, interior design shops, and restaurants. If you are a sucker for adventure, you need to visit the surrounding Coachella Valley offers hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails.

Palm Springs has so many fun things to offer that it is indeed a traveler’s paradise. Want to see more things to do in Palm Springs this weekend? Keep on reading this article.

  1. Palm Canyon Drive: The main downtown area of Palm Springs is Palm Canyon Drive. You can find many of the city’s attractions like museums (the Aqua Caliente Cultural Museum, the Cornelia White House, and the Palm Springs Historical Society), galleries, restaurants, and shops here. Palm Canyon Drive is also the spot for the weekly Palm Springs VillageFest. If you are on a hunt for things to do in Palm Springs today, this is a great place to start exploring.
  1. Palm Springs Art Museum: The Palm Springs Art Museum was founded in 1938. It is located on North Museum Drive. Palm Springs art museum was formerly called the Palm Springs Desert Museum. The popular museum is an institution devoted to regional art, performing arts, and natural science. In this museum, you will find contemporary art, sculptures, and art glass, while the natural science collection displays items from various fields such as biology, archaeology, and geology. In the Annenberg Theater, music, dance, and theater performances are held.
  1. Palm Springs Tramway: If you wish to explore the area’s scenic beauty, you can try the Palm Springs Tramway. You can easily travel to the surrounding San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains via the tram. It starts its journey from Valley Station and ends at the Mountain Station. If you go there in summer, you can go hiking and camping or take a guided nature walk and find elusive wild animals. On the other hand, if you go there in winters, you would enjoy a wide range of adventures that you can take on foot, skis, or snowshoes.
  1. Coachella Valley Preserve: It is located on the thousand Palms Canyon Road in Thousand Palms east of Palm Spring. The Coachella Valley is a protected area just north of the Indio Hills of approximately 880 acres. This land consists of desert wetland and palm woodland oases and homes the endangered Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard.
  1. Palm Springs Weekly Villagefest: Every Thursday, a street fair is held in Palm Springs Canyon Drive downtown, known as Villagefest. You will find three city blocks of art, entertainment, food, and shopping. The merchants of the Palm Springs Street Fair/ village fest keep their shops open late during the street fair so that visitors and travelers can enjoy the vibe of the place and at the same time do some shopping.
  1. Moorten Botanical Garden: Situated at the South Palm Canyon Drive, Moorten Botanical garden is a one-acre garden that displays desert plants. It was established in 1938 by Patricia and Chester Moorten. Today, this botanical garden is home to more than 3,000 plants of various species arranged by geographic region. Group tours of the botanical garden are available. Also, you can rent the park for special events and celebrations such as weddings and parties.
  1. Tahquitz Canyon, Palm Springs: Tahquitz Canyon is located in the San Jacinto Mountains near Palm Springs. The Tahquitz Canyon trail starts at the Visitor Center and ends at the scenic Tahquitz Falls. The loop trail is rocky and steep and lasts for two-miles. You will be exposed to the sun and won’t find any restrooms on the track, so ensure to dress appropriately, wear sunscreen, and carry a water-bottle. The canyon is open daily from October to June and on the weekends from July to September.
  1. Power Yoga Palm Springs: On Saturday mornings Yoga in the Park classes are offered at the Wellness Park in Ruth Hardy Park located at 700 Tamarisk Lane. Practicing yoga while viewing the trees and other plants and the San Jacinto Mountain’s calming view is the perfect combination for maintaining yoga poses. Experienced yoga teachers conduct the one-hour yoga session, which is donation-based. The aim is to offer outdoor yoga classes that are accessible to every person.
  1. Palm Springs Air Museum: Opened daily is the educational institution the Palm Springs Air Museum. It is located on North Gene Autry Trail on the northeast side of the Palm Springs International Airport. The museum has one of the world’s largest collections of World War II and demonstrates the role of World War II warplanes, pilots and related personnel who helped win the war.
  1. Desert Adventurer: It is an eco-tour company offering tours in the greater Palm Springs area. It is located on Lennon Place and was initially founded in 1987. The times provided by them are in-depth, educational, fun, and location-specific.
  1. Ace Hotel, Palm Springs: Located near downtown Palm Springs is Ace Hotel & Swim Club. If you want to visit Joshua Tree, Salvation Mountain, or the Salton Sea, Ace Hotel is your right destination. The resort also has 176-rooms, all uniquely arranged and designed. You will find its garden patio in some rooms, while in others, you will find fireplace or record players and old records. You would also find2 huge pools, a vintage photo booth, fantastic room service, a gym, and free Wi-Fi. The Amigo Bar of the resort stays open late and offers live music and all sorts of daily activities.
  1. Bootlegger Tiki: It is a small and cozy speakeasy and tiki bar – a unique and rare combination. The dim lights and dark leather booths, along with the subtle Polynesian touches like a few torches and colorful posters, are ideal for the speakeasy atmosphere.
  1. Palm Springs Windmill Tours: It is located on 20th Avenue. Palm Springs Windmill Tours and provides visitors with a unique windmill farm tour. It is led by experienced guides who teach about windmills and how they are utilized as energy sources. While on the trip, visitors get to know about the history of windmills and are shown the historic pictures exhibited inside the tour building. The two-hour-long tour also includes a guided bus tour through the working windmill farm.
  1. Cheeky’s, Palm Springs: Cheeky’s is a very famous restaurant in Uptown Palm Springs. Tara Lazar is the restaurant’s young chef and owner, offering her guests healthy, fun, and creative meals. This place’s menu rotates every week, so be sure to try out the Roasted Yam Sandwich with feta cheese, mayo, red onion, cilantro, and tomatoes. You can even order refreshing alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks to go with healthy cuisine.
  1. The Purple Palm restaurant: It is located in the beautiful Colony Palms Hotel. This hotel once served as a clubhouse for the infamous Purple Gang members from Detroit during the 1920s.

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