17 Things to Do in Palm Springs

what's up guys this is Josh from California through my lens comm today I'm going to show you 17 things to do in Palm Springs recommendation number one is the palm springs aerial tramway the palm springs aerial tramway features the world's largest rotating tram car and it takes you on a journey of over 2.5 miles and 8,000 feet of elevation when you reach Mountain station at the top you'll be treated with some amazing views of the valley below you here you can grab some food at the restaurant check out the small Natural History Museum or go hiking my favorite trail takes you to the San Jacinto Summit a 10-mile hike to one of Southern California's best views if you want something more relaxed there are shorter loop trails that are great for the whole family here as well recommendation number two is the Palm Springs air museum the Palm Springs air museum is a great place to get up close and personal with some awesome airplanes the museum has four large hangars each from a different war or a different part of a war and the planes are in beautiful condition there's lots of information on the war and on the planes and I found the docents to be some of the most helpful at any museum I've ever been to often you'll find that some of the people working there even flew on the planes that are in the museum in one of the hangars you can climb into the cockpit of a b-17 and if you're there on the weekend you might even see one of the planes take off as well I have been a couple times this museum and I always enjoy visiting it again and taking more people to experience it recommendation number three is Morton Botanical Garden I really love exploring this garden in Palm Springs and you can tell others do as well with how frequently it shows up on social media instead of the traditional Botanical Garden with lots of colorful flowers this garden just has desert plants the one acre property is full to the brim with cool cacti aloe plants and succulents just to name a few you can walk the preset trail or just wander around and go up and down the different paths be sure to go into the kacct area and while you're there as well which is a beautiful collection of all sorts of cacti inside of a greenhouse also there's a desert tortoise in the back that I always enjoy checking out recommendation number four is to explore downtown Palm Springs in the Walk of Fame Palm Springs is a great town to walk around in with a popular downtown street that includes restaurants shopping and their own Palm Springs Walk of Fame I don't know a lot of people that have stars on the Walk of Fame but there are a few that I always recognize like Marilyn Monroe Adam West Frank Sinatra and Elvis there are also bronze statues of Lucille Ball from I Love Lucy and Sonny Bono plus there's lots of great shopping to explore all over the downtown area recommendation number five is Reddy's general store roadies is located in the south part of downtown Palm Springs and it's a small museum slash old general store with hundreds of different items collected by one man over the last few decades some of the items are as old as the late 1800s and 95% of them have the original packaging that's never been opened the museum is laid out like a general store and it cost $1 to visit the museum recommendation number six is the Palm Springs Art Museum if you're a fan of modern contemporary art and sculptures then the Palm Springs Art Museum is right up your alley this is the type of art that I enjoy most so I've been a few times to this unique Museum in the heart of the city many of the exhibits do rotate but there are two permanent sculpture gardens downstairs that I always enjoy checking out the museum itself has 3 floors of exhibits featuring different types of art glass photography architecture and Native American art I always plan at least an hour to spend here recommendation number seven is Elvis honeymoon hideaway this mid-century modern home is famous because it's where Elvis and Lisa Marie Presley spent their honeymoon night while they didn't spend a lot of time here other than that night it's still a fun connection and a beautiful house to tour the tours happen twice daily and they take you all over the house with guides explaining the architecture and the connection to Elvis it's a lot of fun and a tour I really enjoyed while I was in Palm Springs recommendation number eight is the waterfall and tahquitz canyon tahquitz canyon is a nice short hike basically right in the middle of Palm Springs which is located on the agua caliente land it does cost to hike here so know that going in but if you're looking for a great hike that's close to the city this is one of the best the hike takes you back into the canyon and ends at a seasonal waterfall last time I was there there was no water but on my first trip it was a pretty cool waterfall to see out in the middle of the desert even when there's no water the entire hike is around 2 miles roundtrip and it provides some beautiful views of the canyon and Palm Springs in the distance recommendation number 9 is just to sit by the pool at one of the hotels notice the Palm Springs is legit if it doesn't recommend time by the pool most people come to this city for the restaurant and bar scene and to relax poolside in the desert heat that's not really my favorite way to travel but hotels like the ACE and the Saguaro do make it pretty fun the Saguaro especially is a great place for photography as it has those bright colors that have become so famous in Palm Springs style recommendation number 10 is the Palm Springs windmills Palm Springs is basically famous for its windmills that dot the landscape as you drive in there are tours that take you up close to them and give you more information but I haven't personally done any of those myself most of the time I just drive down a few of the roads like Indian Canyon and find places to pull off and photograph these cool windmills I especially like going there at sunset is you can get some great pictures and you can really see how massive these things truly are recommendation number 11 is to visit Joshua Tree National Park if you have a few days to spend in Palm Springs then you really need to go out and explore Joshua Tree National Park it's one of my favorite spots in Southern California and there's just so much to do here from hiking and rock-climbing to exploring the area's history you can watch a video of all of my favorite recommendations in the park in the description recommendation number 12 is Robo Lights which is my last recommendation before talking about food Robo lights is a very unique Christmas attraction in Palm Springs and one that people either love or hate I find myself in the love category is it's a blast to see the millions of lights strung up all over these artistic creations it's an incredibly popular spot during Christmas time and there's a ton to see on the property so you want to plan at least 30 minutes to an hour here if you're not there during Christmas you can still drive by the house and see some of the robots out on the corner which is worth the quick excursion alright for my last five recommendations I want to jump into some of my favorite food spots food recommendation number one is chi-chi's for the bacon flight chi-chi's is one of my go-to breakfast spots when I visit Palm Springs and it's really popular so get there right when they open on the weekend or be prepared to wait the restaurant has a nice outdoor seating area when it's not a hundred degrees outside and the menu has lots of fun options that change weekly one thing that's always on the menu is the bacon flight which is five slices of bacon each prepared in a different way but you won't be disappointed by the rest of the menu either my second food recommendation is Ellmers restaurant Ellmers has been a Palm Spring staple for over 30 years this diner serves some of the best breakfast in town with the famous German pancakes being a crowd favorite the thin pancake is served in the traditional style with whipped butter powdered sugar and lemon wedges to squeeze on top the pancake basically covers the entire plate and it's hard to beat is it's one of my go-to spots in the city my third food spot is Starbucks reserve the Starbucks reserve is their fancy type of store that I've only ever been to in Seattle outside of the Palm Springs location this Starbucks has all sorts of unique drinks you won't see in other locations different coffee brewing methods and even milkshakes I usually get the Melrose which is like a Manhattan cocktail but with cold brew coffee instead of alcohol it's a beautiful storefront and a great place to sit for a few minutes in downtown Palm Springs food recommendation number four is Bill's pizza Bill's pizza is my favorite spot for a quick lunch or dinner in Palm Springs they have an assortment of fun pizza options that you can buy by the slice my personal favorites are the Elton John if you want to meet free option the John Henry with his pepperoni and jalapenos and the works but honestly you can't go wrong with any of the pizza they have out to purchase buy the slice and let me know what your favorite is in the comments my last recommendation is twofold and it's either to get a milkshake at great shakes or a dull whip float at lapid's first off I'm sure I'm not the only one who loves a good milkshake and great shakes has been a popular Palm Springs establishment for years they make some of the best milkshakes around with over 25 different flavor combinations and a mini donut included on every straw it's always busy but it's worth the wait if you want something a little lighter then head over to lappets and get another popular Palm Springs treat the Dole Whip float like the famous Disneyland dessert many people including myself consider this a must stop in town if you're a fan of pineapple then you're definitely gonna like this dessert but honestly you can't go wrong with either great shakes or lappets there you have it my favorite places to explore in Palm Springs hopefully you've found some new spots to check out let me know if I left off your favorite in the comments you can head over to California through my lens comp to read more about Palm Springs and other spots in the state we'll see you guys next week [Music]

Channel: California Through My Lens

Views: 512,217

Rating: 4.8824496 out of 5

Keywords: palm springs, things to do in palm springs, palm springs attractions, palm springs art museum, palm springs aerial tramway, palm springs air museum, what to do in palm springs, things to do palm springs, palm springs things to do, amazing things palm springs, palm springs activities, palm springs vacation, palm springs (city/town/village), things to do in palm springs video, things to do in palm springs ca, top things to do in palm springs

Id: zf2IX37gr3w

Length: 9min 47sec (587 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 29 2018