Palm Springs Family Fun Guide

Looking for some outdoor fun while visiting Palm Springs that is good for the entire family? Palm Springs’ family-friendly activities are more than just summer pool parties and dining out in the beautiful downtown area. Try these exciting tours showing there is more to Palm Springs than meets the eye!

Palm Springs Family Fun Tours

Desert Adventures Red Jeep Tours

Individuals and families can enjoy open-air Jeep Tours to the San Andreas Fault, Palm Springs Indian Canyons, or the majestic Painted Canyon in the Mecca Hills Wilderness Area. Climate-controlled tours to Joshua Tree National Park are also available. It is a perfect way to see the natural beauty of the Palm Springs area with the entire family. The minimum age for children is five years.

Palm Springs Windmill Tours

The Palm Springs Windmill Tours provide the only windmill tour that goes behind the gates onto a working windmill farm. It’s family-friendly because everyone can explore historical exhibits of past machines and a photo gallery exploring the evolution of wind energy in the Coachella Valley. The tour shows active windmills, solar projects revolutionizing solar energy in windy areas, and the newest natural gas facility in the Coachella Valley.

Stargazing Tours is another Palm Springs family-friendly activity that will lead you on an unforgettable star-gazing and storytelling tour. This unique and enriching program combines mythology and science with a splash of theatrics, giving audiences an incredible stargazing experience.

Family Fun Attractions

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

The world’s largest rotating tram car travels over 2.5 miles along the cliffs of Chino Canyon, transporting visitors to the pristine wilderness of Mt. San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness Area. During this 10-minute journey, tram cars rotate slowly, offering spectacular vistas of the valley below.

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert is a unique zoo and botanical garden that specializes in the world’s deserts and has a mission of desert conservation through preservation, education, and appreciation. While there, families can enjoy private or behind-the-scenes tours, hiking trails, giraffe feedings, carousel rides, camel rides, and lorikeet feedings. There is also a chance to see the Tennity Wildlife Hospital and Conservation Center, plus much more.

Walk of Stars

Discover the many Hollywood Stars who lived, loved, and played in Palm Springs! With over 400 stars bearing the names of well-known celebrities and notable local personalities, the Walk of Stars is a must see. Take one of Palm Springs’ many walking tours that stop by the Walk of Stars, or explore it on your own!

Moorten Botanical Gardens

The Moorten Botanical Gardens and Cactarium are favorite Palm Springs attractions. The gardens boast 3,000 examples of desert cacti and other desert plants grouped by geographic regions. It is a stunning and family-friendly location where everyone can wander the gardens and explore the Moorten’s Mediterranean style home, called “Cactus Castle”, often described as a haven of tranquility. The Botanical Gardens truly shares the charm of old Palm Springs.

McCallum Adobe Museum and Walking Tours

Run by the Palm Springs Historical Society, this museum offers a glimpse into Palm Springs’ old past. Families can learn about the history of the desert communities and what made Palm Springs the destination in the mid-twentieth century. The McCallum Adobe house was built in 1884 and is the oldest existing building in Palm Springs today. Inside the Adobe Museum, families will find exhibits displaying Palm Springs’ colorful life.

Palm Springs Art Museum

Located in downtown Palm Springs, the museum’s extensive permanent collection includes significant works by western, contemporary, and glass artists and features temporary exhibitions from internationally acclaimed artists. During the summer, there are Art Camps for children ages 5-12, where children will explore many exciting artistic journeys with creative hands-on projects and adventurous gallery experiences with a team of experienced museum educators and visiting artists. The third Sunday of the month is Family+ day at the museum.

Palm Springs Air Museum

Displaying one of the nation’s largest collections of operable WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War aircraft, the Palm Springs Air Museum is the perfect place to learn about airplane trivia and history. This Palm Springs family-friendly museum offers kids a chance to climb inside and explore an operational Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. They can also control their own flight in a simulator or a kid-sized control tower. The museum also has vintage cars, documentary screenings, and an on-site café.

Ruddy’s General Store Museum

In 1983, after decades of acquisition, Jim Ruddy decided to display his extensive collection of general store memorabilia, much of it dating back to the 1940s. These days, visitors can step into the past thanks to his re-imagined but authentic general store. Not only does it boast more than 6000 items, but many have never been used and are in pristine condition. Situated around the McCallum Adobe House, this is the perfect place for families to learn about the history of Palm Springs.

Palm Springs Family Fun Activities

Smoke Tree Stables

Smoke Tree Stables offers guided rides by the hour or for the entire day! Experience a few quiet hours of “getting away from it all” on over 150 miles of convenient riding trails, providing both solitude and breathtaking beauty. Children 7 years and older are welcome to join.

Boomers! has lots of family fun and excitement, featuring go-karts, two 18-hole miniature golf courses, bumper boats, a rock wall, and an arcade with over 100 state-of-the-art video games.

Hiking at Indian and Tahquitz Canyons: Located just outside of downtown Palm Springs, Indian and Tahquitz Canyons have over 60 miles of hiking paths through the mountains, ranging from beginner to challenging. From October to June, there are free ranger-led interpretive hikes or talks for families to learn more about the natural landscape and history of the Native American tribe responsible for managing the canyons.

Palm Springs Baseball Stadium

The historic Palm Springs Stadium is open winter and summer for competitive baseball, including the professional California Winter League and collegiate summer franchise, the Palm Springs POWER! This is a great place to enjoy baseball in the off-season with the whole family.

Palm Springs Skate Park

Considered one of the best skate parks in Southern California, the Palm Springs Skate Park boasts a Nude Bowl replica, a vast combination bowl run, and a massive tranny/street section. Skaters attest to the great flow of the skate park and smooth and fast concrete. Managed by Action Park Alliance, the skate park offers camps, lessons, clinics, events, and programs at the only supervised skate park in the Coachella Valley.

Escape Room Palm Springs

Guests have 60 minutes to search the room for clues and use the items found to escape and win the game! Please be assured guests are not locked inside and the game is appropriate for children ages 8+. There are six escape rooms to play in, making Escape Room Palm Springs one of the largest of its kind in Southern California.

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