Travelling with Kids: The Ultimate Family Travel Guide to Palm Springs
Jan 22, 2020
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My In-laws have a house in Palm Desert and because of that we have been fortunate enough to spend time in and around Palm Springs on several occasions (including one Christmas Day spent golfing!). Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indio and La Quinta all make up the Coachella Valley (yes, that Coachella is there as well) and while the area is perhaps most famously known for Palm Springs, the entire area is great to check out.
While our experience isn’t exhaustive, we’ve experienced enough of Palm Springs to put together this ultimate family guide to Palm Springs.
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is the world’s largest rotating tram car. It travels over two-and-a-half miles along the cliffs of Chino Canyon, transporting riders to the wilderness of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park. During your ten-minute journey, tram cars rotate slowly, offering picturesque and spectacular vistas of the valley floor below. If you’re scared of heights or easily get motion sickness then I wouldn’t recommend this trip. Don’t believe me? During our ride back down a boy of about 7, threw up all over our tram car. Yikes.
If you DO make the trip however, once you reach the Mountain Station—elevation 8,516 feet— you can enjoy two restaurants, observation decks, natural history museum, two documentary theatres, gift shop and more.
We made the trip up on a day when temperatures in the parking lot were in the high 20s. By the time we got to the top we wished we had brought more clothes than just our sweaters and pants. It was surprisingly cold! Temperature aside, it offers stunning views and is definitely worth the day trip.
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Views from the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Hiking at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway at Mount San Jacinto State Park
The cool thing about taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is that once you’re at the top you can take advantage of the more than 80 kilometres of hiking trails in Mount San Jacinto State Park.
Do to a serious lack of planning on our part we didn’t even know this was an option when we took the tramway so were drastically unprepared to do a hike. BUT if you do decide to venture out the Long Valley Discovery Trail is an easy 1.2 km loop that you can do with young kids. There’s also an aptly named Desert View Trail that’s about 2 km and has several scenic view points. You can check out all the hiking info you need, here.
Tips For Flying With A Toddler
Joshua Tree National Park
Despite having driven through or by Joshua Tree National Park, and despite it being home to several cool stories in Rock and Roll history, we have yet to venture into Joshua Tree National Park. It is, however, high on our list for the next time we’re in Palm Springs which is why it had to be included in this family guide to Palm Springs.
Joshua Tree National Park is a vast protected are in Southern California that is characterized by rugged rock formations and stark landscape. It gets it’s name from the Joshua tree which you can find dotting the landscape everywhere. Viewpoints look out over the Coachella Valley and hiking trails weave through Hidden Valley.
You can find a full list of hiking trails here. But whether you’re there for a full day or just passing through you can stop and check out the beauty of Joshua Tree National Park at various roadside turnouts.
Can you camp in Joshua Tree National Park?
If you’re interested in camping, then this is a pretty cool spot to take advantage. There are a number of campsites available, however some campgrounds are first-come-first-served and others require reservations during peak season.
You can find a full list of campsites and booking information here.
Joshua Tree National Park
Hiking With Kids In Palm Springs
Admittedly, hiking in a desert can be a tough sell for some people, BUT there are some truly amazing hikes and some are so easy you can do them in sandals while carrying a baby. Our personal favourite is the Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve.
This easy walk takes you through an entire oasis, complete with unmanicured palm trees. If you so choose it then stretches out into the desert with a couple of different routes you can take. For our time there with young kids we’ve mostly taken to exploring the oasis section which comes complete with boardwalks, making it possible to bring a stroller if you so choose.
Be sure to check the hours before you go as they are closed Monday’s and Tuesdays.
Find more kid friendly hikes here.
Dashing Mom strolling through Thousand Palms Oasis Reserve in Palm Springs with a tiny furnace strapped to her
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is a perfect addition to this family guide to Palm Springs. When we made our trip to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens it was a scorching hot day as Palm Springs, along with most of Arizona, were going through a heat wave. Temperatures reached the mid 30s and I’ll admit that was maybe too hot for me. Luckily, The Living Desert has plenty of shade, indoor air conditioning and tasty ice cream treats that kept Clara, Dashing Mom and I cool (Ryker hadn’t arrived yet).
At the Living Desert you can find a variety of animals as well as an amazing large train display. You can feel good knowing that The Living Desert’s mission is desert conservation through preservation, education and appreciation.
As an added bonus, if you’re a Calgary Zoo member you get a discount on tickets and food! This was a pleasant surprise for us as we went to pay for our tickets and it made the day that much more enjoyable.
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
Boomers Palm Springs
We haven’t personally gone to Boomers, however it’s easy to see why it would be a hit. Boomers Palm Springs features go karts, two miniature golf courses, bumper boats, a rock wall, a batting cage and an arcade. It would be easy to spend a whole day here. One thing to note about Boomers is that as of the time I wrote this it doesn’t open until Noon, however it looks like there may be updates coming on that front.
Palm Springs VillageFest
The last time we were in Palm Springs Clara’s sleep schedule didn’t really allow us to check out VillageFest but it is high on our list of things to do in future visits.
VillageFest takes place in downtown Palm Springs on Palm Canyon Drive every Thursday night. The street is closed to vehicular traffic and is transformed into a festive, pedestrian street fair.
Featuring live musicians, street food, vendors and a fresh farmers market it’s easy to see why VillageFest has been voted one of the best events in Palm Springs for the past 20 years.
Read more about VillageFest here.
Wet and Wild Waterpark Palm Springs
If you’re talking to friends or family that have been to Palm Springs in the past, or even reading some outdated guides to Palm Springs you’ll find Wet and Wild Waterpark mentioned . It is, however, closed. BUT, the property has been bought and is currently being transformed into the Palm Springs Surf Club.
Palm Springs Surf Club
Palm Springs Surf Club will feature a wave pool that can be controlled to feature waves of varying sizes and strengths. The facility will also house a lazy river, cabanas, a sound system and a nearby bar and grill.
The ANA Inspiration
No family guide to Palm Springs would be complete without some golf. There are a TON of golf courses in the Palm Springs area, in fact there’s more than 100. Taking place at the end of March/beginning of April, the ANA Inspiration is the LPGA’s first major tournament of the year and a fun and affordable way for kids to see some of the best golfers in the world. We went and loved it!
Hanging out at the ANA Inspiration. Shop our hats at Golf Is Mental Blog
In addition to the ANA Inspiration, the Palm Springs area also hosts the PGA Tour’s, American Express Championship at several courses throughout the area in January of each year. We’ve never personally been to this event, but I have played the PGA West Championship course that two of the four rounds are held on and can confirm that the pros make it look WAY easier than it is.
The BNP Paribas Open
Every year Palm Springs plays host to the worlds best tennis players at the BNP Paribas Open. This is where Bianca Adreescu got her first win on route to her historic US Open title. It makes another amazing opportunity for your kids to see world-class athletes up close and personal including the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Genie Bouchard and more.
The BNP Paribas Open even features a Kids Day where you can go out and enjoy Indian Wells Tennis Gardens with fun activities that are free to the public.
Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert
Started by a group of citizens that wanted to provide an environment where children’s intellectual curiosity and self-expression could be freely expressed through play, the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert is a fun place for kids to play and learn. Bonus, on the SUPER hot days it’s a great place to beat the heat!
This children’s museum was designed with the goal of providing incentive and interactive exhibits and programs which encourage children to learn about themselves and the world around them.
Find out more about the Children’s Discovery Museum here.
Street & Art Fair at College Of The Desert
The Street Fair at College of the Desert is one of the top things to do in Palm Springs and a great way to spend a morning or afternoon wandering around a market. Located at the College of the Desert, this open-air, shaded market features vendors for all ages and budgets including: home goods, fashion, furniture, vintage cars, a farmers market as well as live entertainment, gourmet food and tons more. We’ve spent many hours wandering around this fair and even purchased Clara’s first guitar there.
Day Trips From Palm Springs
The location of Palm Springs makes it the perfect home base to try out a variety of different day trips. We’ve personally been to San Diego, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Anaheim from Palm Springs. San Diego, Los Angeles and Anaheim are all about 2 hours away depending on traffic, while Phoenix and Las Vegas are about 4 hours drive.
We love the San Diego area and will definitely be going back. The last time we were there was when I was caddying on the LPGA tour, and we had a stop at the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, just north of San Diego. When my player missed the cut I got to spend a lovely birthday weekend with my family on the beaches in and around San Diego.
There’s tons to do for families around San Diego including the world famous San Diego Zoo and Legoland.
How To Take A Road Trip With Kids
I can’t think of much for families to do in Anaheim however ……. KIDDING.
The main attraction there is, of course, Disneyland. We already have plans of heading there but want to make sure the kids are old enough to enjoy it before we go.
No matter what direction you head, even if it’s just for a drive through the desert, there’s a ton of options from Palm Springs.
Clara’s first dip in the ocean. It did not go well.
Best Family Restaurants in Palm Springs
In-N-Out – as Canadian’s that rarely get this, we always make a point of going to In ‘n Out
Tommy Bahama’s Restaurant – Is it weird eating in a store? Not when the patio is this amazing
Jackalope Ranch – 2019 Restaurant of the year
Best Places to Stay in Palm Springs for Families
We’re fortunate enough that we have family that live in Palm Desert, so we always have somewhere to stay. Because of that I can’t recommend AirBnb or VRBO highly enough. Having a home to stay at offers you so many options. Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Indio and La Quinta all have SO many communities to choose from, with a lot of them being gated. These gated communities are like mini-cities with golf courses, clubhouses, pools, community centres and tons more in each one of them. As an added bonus lots of rental places come with the use of their golf cart, which is the main mode of transportation around many of these communities. It was also Clara’s FAVOURITE mode of transportation.
I would recommend checking out the age restrictions on the pools in the community you look at however. In the community we stay in, kids aren’t able to use the pool until they’re seven or older.
If you’re thinking for more of a resort/hotel for your stay in Palm Springs, there are lots to choose from at all price points.
Palm Springs hotels
More Pictures From Our Adventures in Palm Springs
To finish off this family guide to Palm Springs, here’s some more pictures of our adventures!
Staring at trains at the Living Desert Zoo
Palm Springs has the best airport ever, including this outdoor playground for kids. Perfect way to tire them out before a long flight home.
Is there anything this family travel guide to Palm Springs missed? What’s your favourite thing in the area to do? Let me know!
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