The Moorten Botanical Garden in
existence for almost 70 years, displays over 3000 varieties of desert plants from
around the world. This garden is also a bird sanctuary. They are located
at 1701 South Palm Canyon Drive - right at the corner of El Camino
Street - about a mile in from the state route 111. They are open Monday through Saturday
from 9 to 4:30, and Sunday from 10 to 4. NOTE: They are closed on
Wednesdays. Weddings, Group Tours, and other Events can be pre-scheduled
here. Adult admission for self-guided tours is $3. Children
ages 5 to 15 are $1. Be sure to visit the "world's first Cactarium" an
enclosed greenhouse that contains many rare and exotic cactus species.
Near the entrance, is a cactus garden in which all the cactus plants are
for sale. You can pick up some real nice small cactus here. Sometimes if
you are lucky the owner may be giving away free grapefruit. For more
information call PHONE NUMBER: (760) 327-6555.
www.moplants.com/moorten_botanical.php
The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum preserves the past, present,
and future history of the Aqua Caliente Indians. It is located at 219
South Palm Canyon Drive on the Village Green. Exhibits include
artifacts, photographs, and artwork. PHONE NUMUBER: (760) 323-0151.
Camelot Family Park is entertainment family fun park. If you
become tired of all those 18 hole golf courses in the Coachella valley
you can always play a round of miniature golf here at Camelot. They also
have go carts, batting cages, bumper boats, and a video game pavilion
with over 200 video games. They are open daily. PHONE NUMBER: (760)
770-7522 The Desert Holocaust Museum is located at the corner of San
Pablo and Fred Waring Roads just north of the 111 close to Palm Desert.
This is a small bronze memorial - 7 larger than life bronze people stand
in the memorial. This memorial was created by the Jewish Federation of
Palm Springs. For more information call PHONE NUMBER (760) 324-4737
Horseback Riding can be experienced on trails that wind through
the mountains and canyons of the desert. Try either Smoke Tree Stables
at PHONE NUMBER: (760) 327-1372 or Ranch of the 7th Range at PHONE
NUMBER: (760) 777-7777.
There are Hot Air Balloon Flights given in the Coachella valley
usually only between mid September and May due to the extreme summer
heat. Some of these companies are 1. American Balloon Charters (760) 327-8544 or 1-800-359-6837. 2. Desert Balloons (760) 346-8575, 3.Dream
Flights Hot Air Balloon Adventures (760) 321-5154 or 1-800 933-5628,
and 4. Sunrise Balloons (760) 345-4253 or 1-800-548-9912.
La Quinta Sculpture Park is 20 acres devoted to contemporary
sculptures. Located at
57325
Madison St - Admission is FREE. PHONE NUMBER: (760) 564-6464
The Living Desert is a 1200 acre wildlife park located in Palm
Desert which is east of Palm Springs. The park is located 1.5 miles
south off of highway 111 at 47-900 Portola Avenue. This park features
rare plants and animals from the worlds deserts. Some of the animals are
the bighorn sheep, zebras, mountain lions, hawks, and Mexican wolves.
There are tram tours given and hiking trails are also available. The
botanical gardens replicate ten major North American desert regions.
Each year over 300,000 people enjoy the unique exhibits that this
wildlife park has to offer.
The Mary Pickford Movie Theatre is located in Cathedral City next
to City Hall about 20 minutes south on the 111 from downtown Palm
Springs. It opened in mid 2001. Normally movie theatres are not museums
- but this is a rare case. There is a side room dedicated to the life
and times of Mary Pickford, the famous silent movie starlet of the early
1900's. Old photos, her signature, some of her clothing and other
memorabilia are displayed behind glass windows. You need to buy a movie
ticket to enter the theatre. If available, you can park along the curb
that leads in front of the actual theatre, just not right in front of
the theatre as that is a red zone. Often times movies at this theatre
will be different from what is showing at the two movie theatres in Palm
Springs. For more information on this movie theatre
visit:
www.marypickfordtheatre.com
Note: there are two movie theatres in Palm Springs. The Camelot Theatre
often hosts the Palm Springs International Film Festival and specializes
in Independent, Art & Foreign films. They are located in the Von's/Ross
Shopping center at
2300 E Baristo Rd - just a few minutes from
downtown Palm Springs. Website:
www.camelottheatres.com
The other theatre Signature Desert Cinemas doesn't have the greatest
parking in the world and is located at
789 E Tahquitz Canyon Way. A variety of new
mainstream movies play here. For my money I would drive to the Mary
Pickford theatre in Cathedral City or check out a "non" mainstream movie
at the Camelot.
The McCallum Theatre is part of the Bob Hope Cultural Center.
This theatre is home to performing symphonies, musicals, operas and
visiting performers. Located on Monterey Avenue in Palm Desert near the
highway 111. PHONE NUMBER: (760) 346-6505
The Oasis Waterpark is located at 1500 Gene Autry Trail. The
road, the Gene Autry Trail, connects the interstate 10 to highway 111.
The water park is near the southern intersection of the Gene Autry Trail
and East Palm Canyon Drive. There are 13 waterslides, a wave pool, a
river, a spa, and an outdoor pavilion. Open daily from 11 to 7 PM from
early June through Labor Day. Open daily 11 to 5:30 from mid March
through early June. Open daily the day after Labor day through October
31 from 11 to 5:30 PM. Admission for adults is $16.95. Children are
$11.50. Reduced rates are given at 3 PM and also at 3:30. PHONE NUMBER:
(760) 325-7873.
The Palm Springs Desert Museum is located at 101 Museum Drive.
This museum displays art, natural science and the performing arts. Their
exhibitions concentrate on Western and Contemporary art, and also on the
human influence on the Coachella valley. The Museum is open Tuesday
through Sunday from 10 to 4, Fridays from 4 PM to 8 PM. Admission for
adults is $5, those over 62 its $4, military and students with ID $2
(students aged 6 to 17). The first Friday of the month except during
special exhibitions is free to everyone. PHONE NUMBER: (760) 325-0189.www.palmsprings.com/points/museum.html
The Palm Springs International Film Festival is held every year
usually in January. It was founded in 1990 by Sonny Bono who was the
Mayor of Palm Springs at that time. This is a neat event that shows many
films from around the world. Often famous actors and actresses are
highlighted for their contributions and are in attendance. For more
information visit:
www.psfilmfest.org
The Salton Sea is located about 80 minutes south of downtown Palm
Springs - simply follow 111 all the way down south - you can either
drive on the east or west side of the sea. There is a visitor's center
on the East side of the lake - several miles from where you first see
the sea. This is a good stop, although you will have to pay $5 to enter
and park you car. There is a nice beach here - the beach is made up
entirely of small shells from the dead sea life - there is no sand
whatsoever present. The Salton Sea formed in 1905 with heavy floods that
broke through an irrigation canal on the Colorado river letting water
flow in the the valley for 18 months before it was stopped. By then the
Salton Sea had formed - however, note that the Salton Sea valley had
flooded from the Colorado river overflows several times before this, and
there is evidence that shows Indians made use of a lake's resources at
the current day Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is California's largest
natural lake wholly contained within the California borders. One of the
problems facing the Salton Sea now is evaporation - there are many
salinities in the soil and in the lake and the more the water evaporates
the more saline the sea becomes. This is detrimental for the large fish
population in the Sea.
Bombay Beach is about 12 miles south on the 111 from where you first see
the Salton Sea. It is on the east side of the lake. Aside from the fancy
name, this is not a large town - and there isn't a whole lot to do here.
A dirt road leads to the Sea. When you tell your friends you have been
to Bombay Beach, they will never know where you have been!
Village Fest is held every Thursday night from 6
to 10pm in downtown Palm Springs along Palm Canyon Drive from Baristo to
Amado Streets. Eat at many sidewalk cafes and visit more than 175 booths
offering art, handcrafted items and food. Most businesses stay open late
in this area. For more information visit:
www.palmspringsvillagefest.com
Windmill Tours - there are several companies
offering tours in and among the giant windmills located a few minutes
somewhat north of Palm Springs. One such company is:
www.windmilltours.com A tour company will give you good information
about wind power, how it is converted to electricity and other related
information. You can also drive out among these windmills yourself.
