Tourist Spots in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs has been one of the must-see attractions in the United States for its wonderful landscapes, beautiful mid-century vacation homes, golf courses, and excellent restaurant scenes. While many visitors would rather stay in their fancy hotel and lounging by the pools, there are plenty of amazing things to see and to visit in Palm Springs.
In this piece, we will cover some of the best tourist spots you should visit, whatever may be the weather in Palm Springs, California. From visiting botanical gardens to embarking on breathtaking yet fun on one-of-a-kind tram rides, we sure have them all cover for your next holiday getaway!
1. Visit the Palm Springs Art Museum
If you love art, culture, and history, stopping by the Palm Springs Art Museum might just be a good starting point in your Palm Springs, California trip. It is one of the main cultural stops in Palm Springs; the Palm Springs Art Museum is a sleek yet fabulous cultural and art museum that exhibits thought-provoking art collection that mainly includes western, contemporary, and glass artist, such as the works of Warhol and Chihuly. The collection features works by Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, and Ansel Adams, among others.
Onsite are two outdoor sculpture gardens. Permanent collections include paintings, photography, glass, pottery, and architecture and design. The museum has been in existence since the late 1930s and formerly focused almost exclusively on the desert, but over the years the direction has shifted to modern and contemporary art, including Native American art. The attraction spot is also a good must-see location for travelers looking for cheap things to do in the state. The Palm Springs Art Museum is free every Thursday from 4 PM to 8 PM and all day every second Sunday of the month. The Palm Springs Art Museum also caters art classes and workshops — making it a great adventure for kids and adults alike.
2. Check Out Cabazon Dinosaurs Museum
If you have ever wanted to experience fifty (50) lifelike dinosaurs statues, such as a giant T-Rex that you can climb up inside and look out its mouth, the Cabazon Dinosaurs is a perfect roadside attraction you can visit in southern California.
Featuring two massive dinosaurs named Dinny the Dinosaur (a 150-feet long) and Mr. Rex (a 65-feet tall), your Palm Springs experience will surely be a wonderful experience, especially to your kids. Inside the Cabazon Dinosaurs is a dinosaur-themed gift shop and a dinosaur exhibit, making it one of the strangest museums in the country.
If you have limited time, but the museum is on the way to your next destination, try to strike a pose with Mr. Rex or go for a quick tour inside Dinny the Brontosaurus’ belly!
3. See Cactarium at Moorten Botanical Gardens
If you have ever wanted to see a cresting cactus or a rare welwitschia up close, a great thing to do is to pay a visit at the cactarium at the Moorten Botanical Gardens. Opened in 1938, the Moorten Botanical Gardens houses around 3000 different types of cacti from the United States, Africa, and Latin America.
In fact, some of the cactus varieties tower over travelers, while some are really tiny and rest inside a cactarium greenhouse for they are so fragile and require more attention and nursing. Moorten Botanical Gardens likewise offer the opportunity for visitors to see various other types of desert tortoises up close. What is really good about this tourist spot is that the fee is very low at five bucks.
If you are a traveler on a budget, hitting this spot is a real win as the garden offers an amazing display of cacti and desert plant you would not be able to see anywhere else. In the spring, when the desert is coming into full bloom and trees start to turn green, the gardens are at their best. Moorten Botanical Gardens is open to visitors year-round but during cooler months, which is from fall until spring, visitors are advised to take a guided tour of the garden which is offered free with admission!
4. Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Behold the largest rotating aerial tramway in the world! Topping the list of must-see and must-do Palm Springs activities is the Aerial Tramway, which carries visitors from the desert floor up to an Alpine forest at an elevation of more than 8500 feet. The slow, ten-minute ride takes visitors over 2.5 miles along the Chino Canyon and a chance to take in the Coachella Valley from above.
The ride also gives you great views of the vistas, cliffs, and valley below. Once you reach the top, the temperature drops to as much as 40 degrees from the desert floor. The location also offers various restaurants, viewpoints and more than fifty (50) miles of trails to explore. Camping overnight is also an option for travelers who want to experience more of what the location offers. The area has some bouldering where you can camp overnight, provided that an advanced registration has been arranged!
Pro tip: The Aerial Tramway costs for about US $25.95 adult while it is for US $16.95 child). If you go past 4 in the afternoon, you can buy a Ride ‘n’ Dine ticket that includes the tram and a meal at the Pines Cafe up at the Mountain Station for US $36 (US $23.50 child). Is not that a sweet deal to complete your Palm Springs adventure?
5. Visit Elvis Presley’s Old House
If given a chance, who would not want to see and have an actual physical tour at the King of Rock and Roll’s former Palm Springs home? Known as the “The House of Tomorrow,” or “The Robert Alexander Estate,” or “The Honeymoon Hideaway,” or “The Robert Alexander Estate,” or the mid-century modern home at 1350 Ladera Circle is where the house of Elvis and Priscilla — this is where they spent their honeymoon!
In fact, The King leased this house for a year from the year 1966 to 1967. Today, the house is currently for sale with a whopping asking price of $2.7 million, and there is no guarantee that a future owner will continue the tours being offered today. Indeed, the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway is another Palm Springs tourist attraction that you everyone should visit sooner rather than later whenever you are in Palm Springs or anywhere near the location!
