Palm Springs is a compact jewel in the Californian desert. Popular with the Los Angeles crowd, particularly millionaire Hollywood types, it is well known as a gay-friendly tourist destination. Featuring lots of accommodation options and outstanding restaurant choices, Palm Spring is the perfect setting to enjoy its golf courses, antique and art shops, and gardens and museums.
Although set in the middle of a desert, Palm Springs itself is an appealing mix of lush gardens, lovely homes and upscale hotels, spas and hot springs. In stark contrast to the desert are the healing waters of the resort’s hot mineral pools. If you’d prefer to cool down rather than get a sweat on, a visit to the water slides at Oasis Waterpark may be just the thing. If you need an even greater level of rejuvenation, the Betty Ford Center is on hand and attracts many A-list celebrities.
A number of local attractions other than the rich and famous make visits here enjoyable including the Agua Caliente Museum, chronicling the culture of the Cahuilla Indian tribe. Meanwhile, the Desert Museum features an interesting collection of fine art and archaeological finds and the Moorten Botanical Gardens boast more than 3,000 fascinating examples of desert plants.
Palm Springs attractions
Palm Springs Art Museum: established in 1933, the museum houses a wide-ranging collection of Native American and Mesoamerican art, as well as some fine examples of works by Frederic Remington.
Moorten Botanical Gardens: is dedicated to the culture of desert plants which are grouped by various geographic regions.
Palm Springs Desert Museum: has a vast collection of archeological artifacts, fine art and natural history exhibits.
Palm Springs Air Museum: was established to educate and remind people of the role of WWII combat pilots and their aircraft in achieving victory in the war.
Living Desert Zoo and Gardens: comprises an educational center, museum and a zoo on a 1,200 acre reserve aimed at acquainting visitors with the area’s unique desert habitat.
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum: interprets the culture and history of the area’s Native American civilization: the Agua Caliente branch of the Cahuilla Indians.