The 16 best things to do in Palm Springs

12.09.2024 - 11:33 / lonelyplanet.com

Sep 11, 2024 • 6 min read

While deserts may be more closely associated with barren, dry characteristics, Palm Springs and the broader Coachella Valley are flush with things to do. In recent years, the region has attracted far more than retirees and Coachella fans.

Whether you’re wanting to slow down and unplug with a rejuvenating sound bath or race something fast, southern California’s Palm Springs and surrounding cities have got you covered. 

Explorers of all levels will find a trail to love in culturally significant Indian Canyons and Tahquitz Canyons. Indian Canyons has more than 60 miles of walking and hiking trails that include encounters with native plants like honey mesquite and yucca (once used by the Cahuilla Indians— the region’s original inhabitants — for food, medicine, and dyes). Tahquitz Canyon features a strenuous hike to get to a 60ft-tall waterfall. There’s room to picnic, meditate, and ride horses, too.

Daily admission fees range from $7–15, and daily interpretive hikes led by park rangers depart from the visitors' centers.

Tap into resonant, live sounds of quartz crystal singing bowls while sprawled face up in the acoustically impressive, dome-like structure of the Integratron. The wooden dome was built in Landers in 1958 by George Van Tassel using the joinery technique – without nails or screws – and features views of the desert from its windows. Supposedly, the structure also sits at the center of geomagnetic vortices.

Van Tassel believed in the metaphysical and built Integratron as an attempt to extend human life. These days, the dome is owned by three sisters. Their Sound Bath experience attracts curious and enthusiastic folks chasing relaxation and reflection most Thursdays through Sundays – head here for a brief pause to your frantic daily realities. 

Reserve a seat on WWII, Korea, and Vietnam War–era aircraft at Palm Springs Air Museum. The museum is arranged across four hangars, and many of its docents once flew the planes exhibited there, including the B-17 multi-engine combat plane and C-47 Skytrain used in military transport.

Palm Springs’ aviation history includes Palm Springs International Airport’s former life as an airbase. During WWII it was used for military training and aircraft maintenance before it was sold to the city following the war.

If you prefer your machinery on land, head to BMW Performance Center in Thermal. Its driving experiences range from two hours to full-day group or private instruction and time on the track. The Performance Drive experience gets you behind the wheel of several vehicles, such as the X and M series, to navigate tight corners and zippy straightaways, plus an opportunity for an accelerated lap with an instructor – drifting included.

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