Last Updated on July 1, 2026
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Many years ago, as a grade-schooler, I took a two-week Christmas trip to California with my parents, Carl and Marie (I’m named after them!) and brother Larry. I’ve never forgotten that trip, especially our visit to Palm Springs. Among many other things, I couldn’t believe you could swim in a pool in winter!
This past June, I returned to Palm Springs on a solo conference trip and looked forward to reliving those memories. However, I soon found more than I expected in this southern California Sonora oasis resort city… much more beyond the good hotels, inviting pools, and jacuzzis.
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A Wealth of Activities
While I loved lounging at my hotel resort, I soon discovered a wealth of other activities while exploring beautiful Greater Palm Springs.
I found fascinating cultural museums on day trips and enjoyed a majestic aerial tram trip high up in the mountains. I spent one evening at Village Fest, a fun weekly Thursday night street festival on Palm Canyon Drive.
The lively, year-round, traffic-free block party meanders through the main district, featuring artists, craft vendors, delicious food, and lots of great music (until 10 pm).
Hello Marilyn!
Walking along one side street sampling yummy eats, I was astonished to almost walk right into a huge statue of my movie idol, Marilyn Monroe.
In front of the Palm Springs Art Museum, “Forever Marilyn” is 26 feet tall and, as you might expect, attracts a lot of attention.
I joined the attracted throng and, of course, got a picture of her with me, as well.
“Forever Marilyn” is also well known worldwide. Not long ago, a new Guinness World Record was set when more than 1,000 Marilyn Monroe blonde look-alikes gathered here to celebrate what would have been the actress’s 100th birthday.
Enjoying Swanky Melvyn’s
Another highlight of my week in Palm Springs was splurging at the swanky Melvyn’s Restaurant & Bar. Located in the Ingleside Inn, it’s a place that was popular with movie stars, and no doubt Marilyn, as well. Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra definitely loved it, with Sinatra even having a special booth.
Today, you can still indulge in the glamour while handsome waitstaff in tuxedos take your order. They serve you in impeccable style as the piano player at the bar entertains with timeless tunes. Locals, retirees, and snowbirds still find it romantic and nostalgic, a taste of Beverly Hills magic in the land where movie stars escaped, loved, and played.
The Ultimate Celeb Getaway
Palm Springs gained a reputation as the ultimate celebrity getaway during the Golden Age of movies. At that time, major movie studios required their contracted actors to stay within a two-hour drive of Hollywood.
Since Palm Springs was less than a two-hour drive from downtown Los Angeles, it soon became the perfect place to abide by the “2-hour rule.”
Thus, actors could lounge by the pools at their deluxe homes and still return to the studios in time, if and when needed. Today, many visitors still enjoy taking tours to see the properties where Sinatra and other celebs lived and played. You can even see Elvis’s honeymoon hideaway.
Home of Indigenous People
In addition to seeing the city’s stunning midcentury-modern architecture and homes of the stars, you can also enjoy several other interesting day tours. One fascinating tour visits the areas where the Indigenous people have lived (and still do) for thousands of years. It was homesteaded by early settlers before Hollywood invaded the desert.
The roots of Greater Palm Springs still run deep and are shaped by the land, the water and the Indigenous people. Federally recognized tribes — including the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, and the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians – continue to guide the spirit here.
I was intrigued by the stories my guide told at the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza, the Museum and Spa. I took photos of artifacts that caught my eye, but found that some pieces are so rare that photography isn’t allowed. Nevertheless, you feel lucky just to have viewed the Indigenous historic collection.
You’ll find the Cahuilla connections to wellness, water, and sacred sites in the desert fascinating. The Spa at Sec-he is a modern, stunning complex with waters believed to have healing properties. It’s also available to visitors.
Cabot’s Pueblo Museum
From a cultural perspective, you may also find a day trip to Cabot’s Pueblo Museum quite interesting. Cabot Yerxa was a humanitarian, visionary, and environmentalist who homesteaded in the Greater Palm Springs area in 1913.
When Cabot dug a well with a pick and shovel, he discovered the now-famous hot mineral waters of Desert Hot Springs, one of the nine areas of Greater Palm Springs. In 1941, at age 58, the remarkable Cabot built his Pueblo Museum and home from railroad ties, telephone poles, and adobe bricks. I admired how he salvaged materials from abandoned cabins at this unique spot.
At the Pueblo Museum, you’ll learn about Cabot’s adventurous life as an early settler on a tour of the property. He loved to travel the world, but always came back here to this home he built.
Greater Palm Springs: One Fabulous Oasis
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is definitely an amazing, unforgettable attraction worth including in a Palm Springs trip. The sweeping views of the Cochella Valley are gorgeous. You can hike on any part of the 50 miles of trails at Mount San Jacinto State Park.
After taking the Tramway up to the top to admire the beautiful scenery, I took a short hike. I soon found benches where I relaxed and enjoyed the cool, refreshing air and scenery before visiting the nearby gift shop. You can also enjoy several restaurants near the Tramway, ranging from Pines Cafe (cafeteria-style meals) to Peaks (fine dining).
I hope to go back again someday and see more of the beauty and splendor of the nine cities that comprise Greater Palm Springs. And also visit nearby Joshua Tree National Park and the picturesque Living Desert Zoo and Gardens.
There’s certainly something for every traveler in Greater Palm Springs, regardless of budget or interest. Whether you enjoy inspiration, relaxation, history, or just indulging in glamour and shopping, Palm Springs may be the destination for you.
I loved every minute of it.
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