25+ Fun & Unique Things To Do In Palm Springs & Cool Places To Go

Planning a Palm Springs vacation and looking for the coolest things to do in Palm Springs and around?

Palm Springs is the ultimate desert oasis in Southern California and the perfect combination of style, palm trees, and art.

No matter if you are on a couple’s weekend, a girls trip, or a friends’ getaway there are a lot of fun things to see and do in Palm Springs, CA.

In our guide to unique things to do in Palm Springs, we want to show you fun places to go and cool things to see in Palm Springs and around.

Cool, Fun & Unique Things To Do In Palm Springs

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Cool Things To Do In Palm Springs

What To Do In Palm Springs?

There are a ton of fun things to do in Palm Springs, so lets start with the obvious ones. Stick around for the more unique things to see in Palm Springs further down below.

There are even some really quirky things to do and see.

1 | Immerse Yourself In The Mid-Century Experience

Stay In A Mid-Century House

Before even arriving to California’s lushest desert, we recommend to rent a mid-century house for the ultimate Palm Springs experience.

Booking.com is a great way to find cool and stylish mid-century houses for a good price. We always had really nice experiences with the houses we booked.

If you are a group of people, renting a mid-century house makes even more sense. You can split the costs and afford a really nice mid-century crib with a pool and all the extras.

Mid-Century Houses To See In Palm Springs

Besides staying in a retro-chic house, explore the neighborhoods of Vista Las Palmas, Indian Canyons, Twin Palms, and Deepwell Estates for some of the most famous mid-century homes.

2 | Stay In A Cool Palm Springs Hotel

If you are staying in Palm Springs as a couple or alone, renting a house may be a bit too expensive. Or maybe you just prefer to stay in a hotel. Either way, Palm Springs has some of the trendiest hotels out there.

A Palm Springs Must Do

If you are not on a budget, staying at one of those cool hotels in Palm Springs is kind of a must-do in order to not miss out on that Palm Springs experience that everyone is looking for.

Cool Places To Stay In Palm Springs

These are some of the most fun hotels in Palm Springs, which offer day passes to their pools: ARRIVE Hotel, The Saguaro Palm Springs, and ACE Hotel & Swim Club.

Unique Palm Springs Hotel Experience

Aside from these fun hotels, we loved staying at Palm Spring’s oldest hotel, the Casa Cody Bed & Breakfast.

Check out our post with the coolest and most unique hotels in Palm Springs.

3 | See The Iconic Palm Springs Windmills From Up Close

First Sights To See In Palm Springs

The first sights to see in Palm Springs are the famous wind turbines because they are practically impossible to miss. Right when you drive into Palm Springs you will be greeted by a landscape full of spinning wind turbines.

Some find them ugly and disrupting the surrounding landscape, but we actually find them quite cool. Especially during sunset, the windmills make a great photo opportunity.

Most importantly, though, these turbines produce renewable and sustainable energy.

Palm Springs Must Do For Photographers

A good photo spot for sunset is around the Palm Springs train station which is a bit outside of town, right next to Highway 10.

If you are into photography, it’s a photo spot you have to check out.

4 | Palm Springs Art Museum

Another cool place to visit in Palm Springs, if you want to learn more about the desert and see some interesting art is the Palm Springs Art Museum. The museum exhibits regional art, showcases natural science, and performing arts for Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley.

It is conveniently located in Downtown Palm Springs, just two blocks off Palm Canyon Drive, and is definitely worth a visit.

Pro tip: If you are looking for free things to do in Palm Springs, visiting the museum is free of charge Thursday evenings.

Palm Springs Babies Art Installation

Not only inside the Palm Springs Art Museum but also outside, you will find art installations scattered around town. Most famously the weird “Palm Springs Babies” who are crawling around in a ditch right in front of the museum.

5 | Find The Desert X Art Installations

One Of the Coolest Things To See In Palm Springs

Desert X is a contemporary art project with changing exhibitions throughout the Coachella Valley.

The first and most popular exhibition was in 2017 with art installations like the iconic mirrored house.

The exhibitions take place every other year from early to late spring. The art installations are scattered around the dessert of the Coachella Valley.

If you have a car hunting down the locations is a fun thing to do and a nice way to explore the area outside of Palm Springs.

You can find more information on upcoming exhibitions and exact locations of the installations on Desert X website.

6 | Hit Up The Farmers Market & Village Fest

On Saturdays hit up the farmers market in Palm Springs, for some amazing local produce and other treats.

Farmers Market

We went to the Palm Springs Farmers Market to get our favorite Joshua Tree Coffee Company coffee beans and left with fresh smoothies, a bunch of cheese, and delicious chocolate.

This is a rather unusual thing to do in Palm Springs when on vacation and not the typical must-do thing, but we found it pretty cool and felt a little bit like locals. Therefore, we can only recommend checking out the farmer’s market on Saturdays.

Village Fest

Similar to that is the Palm Springs Village Fest every Thursday night, featuring local arts, crafts, and foods.

7 | Palm Springs Aerial Tram

Ascend 8,516 ft (2595 m) up the San Jacinto Mountains with the Palm Springs Aerial Tram for spectacular views of the desert. On top, you will find two restaurants, observation decks with amazing views, a natural history museum, two documentary theaters, a gift shop, and more than 50 miles of hiking trails.

Contrary to the hot temperatures down at the bottom in Palm Springs, once you reach the top you will find yourself in a cool climate. In the winter, believe it or not, there is actually snow on the mountaintop.

If you want to escape the scorching desert heat, this Palm Springs activity is quite literally a cool thing to do in Palm Springs.

8 | Moorten Botanical Garden

The Moorten Botanical Garden is a family-owned botanical garden in Palm Springs. You will find lots of different cacti and desert plants there.

With its growing popularity, visiting Moorton Botanical Garden has become one of the top things to see in Palm Springs.

It’s a great way to spend some time in Palm Springs and learn about the desert plants. Also, the staff is super friendly.

Unique Things To Do In Palm Springs

What To See In Palm Springs And Beyond?

Some of these “Unique Things To Do in Palm Springs” are quite different from the chic vibe Palm Springs is otherwise known for. We find a combination of both makes a trip to the SoCal desert even more so interesting.

9 | Check Out The Cabazon Dinosaurs

Unique Palm Springs Roadside Attraction

The Cabazon Dinosaurs are two enormous dinosaurs next to freeway I-10 at Cabazon, CA, and one of the first things to see near Palm Springs before you even get to the desert town.

This rather unique roadside attraction is visible from the freeway and was created to attract passing travelers to come to the nearby Wheel Inn restaurant.

The roadside dinosaurs got famous for their appearance in the 1985 film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.

There are a museum and gift shop on site. In fact, the gift shop is inside the big dinosaur.

If you come from LA make a brief stop at Cabazon before you get to Palm Springs.

10 | Robolights Art Installation

Quirky Place To See In Palm Springs

Robolights is a quirky art installation by artist Kenny Irwin featuring recycled light displays combining sci-fi & religious holiday themes.

It is definitely a quirky place to see in Palm Springs. When you are in the area Downtown area, hop by there for a quick look.

11 | Cabot’s Pueblo Museum

One Of The Most Unique Things To See In Palm Springs

Cabot’s Pueblo Museum is an historic house museum located in Desert Hot Springs close to Palm Springs. The unique “pueblo revival style” house got built by Cabot Yerxa in the 50s. He was an early pioneer of the Colorado Desert.

Today, the museum exhibits artworks, artifacts of American Indian and Alaska Native cultures, and memorabilia of early desert homesteader life.

It’s a very unique thing to see when in Palm Springs. You can tour the grounds by yourself or take a half an hour guided tour through the main building.

12 | Galleta Meadows Metal Sculptures In Borrego Springs

Cool Thing To Do Near Palm Springs

Galleta Meadows is located in Borrego Springs and features over 130 large metal sculptures in the middle of the desert. The sculptures were created by Southern California artist Ricardo Breceda. The most famous sculptures are a gigantic dragon that comes out of the desert sand and the sculpture of a scorpion versus a bug.

The sculptures are pretty impressive, especially during sunrise or sunset when the sun is low. Rightly so, Galleta Meadows is at the top of our list of the most unique things to see near Palm Springs, CA!

Galleta Meadows is open to the public all year round. Check out our guide to visiting the Galleta Meadows sculptures.

Visiting The Anza Borrego Sculptures At Galleta Meadows In Borrego Springs

13 | Find A Splash Of Color At Salvation Mountain

One Of The Most Unique Things To Do In Palm Springs

This one is definitely one of the most unique things to do in Palm Springs. Driving South, passing the Salton Sea, you’ll find yourself in a more and more deserted no man’s land …until you see a colorful hill coming up on the horizon – Salvation Mountain.

Salvation Mountain is a hillside work of art created with gallons and gallons of paint donated by people. It was built over the course of 30 years by local resident Leonard Knight (1031-2014), who lived in nearby “Slab City”.

Greeted by the big red headline “God Is Love” Salvation Mountain shows many murals and areas painted with Christian sayings and bible verses. Though, not so sure about the religious part of it, we found the colorful hill and the caves and tunnels behind the mountain super impressive and a fun thing to do near Palm Springs. Salvation Mountain is definitely a must-see in Palm Springs.

14 | Slab City

The Quirkiest Place To Visit Near Palm Springs

Slab City is located right next to Salvation Mountain and is an unincorporated community of RV owners and squatters that mostly stay there during the winter months. People also call Slab City the lawless desert. Let that sink in!

There is no sewage, waste disposal, electricity, or law enforcement. Everything is off the grid and nothing seems to be off-limits. YouTube has quite some interesting documentaries about Slab City. Definitely recommend checking them out if you are interested.

Visiting Slab City is definitely the eeriest Palm Spring thing to do.

15 | Desert Art At East Jesus Sculpture Garden

Very Unique Palm Springs Thing To Do

While we didn’t explore Slab City much (we didn’t want to intrude and it’s also kinda eerie there), we enjoyed the outdoor art museum called East Jesus.

Similar to Noah Purifoy’s Desert Art Museum, East Jesus exhibits art installations made from discarded materials and junk.

If you are looking for cool things to do in Palm Springs, this is definitely a Palm Springs must-see.

East Jesus is definitely a very unique place to see.

16 | Visit The Eerie Salton Sea

California’s Biggest & Eeriest Lake

Due to toxic chemicals from agriculture, etc. flowing into the Salton Sea, the lake’s salinity increased dramatically, killing off almost all fish and birdlife in and around the lake. This made the Salton Sea nearly uninhabitable for animals and humans alike.

At North Shore Beach the historic 1950’s era Yacht Club was renovated and turned into a community center giving the dead Salton Sea at least some life back. It makes a nice rest stop along the way down to Salvation Mountain and Slab City.

17 | Discover Lost Places At Bombay Beach

More Strange Things To see Near Palm Springs

When you thought it couldn’t get any stranger, you will get to Bombay Beach.

What was once a booming resort town at the Salton Sea frequented by LA celebrities is now a deserted ghost town. Probably nothing else shows the rise and fall of the Salton Sea area more than Bombay Beach.

Despite this environmental disaster, Bombay Beach is having a small renaissance recently, drawing in artists and hipsters.

Bombay Beach inhabits now around 400 people who mainly live in RVs to hide out from the blazing desert sun.

We made a brief detour through Bombay Beach on the way to Salvation Mountain. There’s not much to see besides fallen-apart houses, graffiti, and trash. However, the art is pretty cool, especially the installations in the lake.

In some ways, it’s quite interesting but also a bit weird seeing this rundown place.

If you are into discovering lost places, Bombay Beach is a cool thing to do near Palm Springs and should definitely be on your list of Palm Springs things to see.

18 | Have A Delicious Date Shake

The Coachella Valley claims to be the Date Capital of the World. On the way from Palm Springs to the Salton Sea, you will see why.

There are tons of palm trees and date farms that you will pass by.

Oasis Date Gardens

Have a delicious date shake at one of the date farms like the Oasis Date Gardens. You can also buy lots of other date-inspired products there.

Shields Date Garden

Probably the most popular spot for dates is Shields Date Garden which is located in the town of Indio next to Coachella.

There is a cafe, a gift shop and a beautiful sculpture garden. You will get your date shake at the eye-catching 50’s diner counter.

Having a date shake is kind of a must-do in Palm Springs. We really like the date shake at both places. However, they are of course super sugary.

19 | International Banana Museum

Also along the way toward Salton Sea, you will come across the quirky International Banana Museum. If you didn’t have enough sweetness yet at the date farm, stop by to get some delicious banana desserts.

You can also buy all kinds of weird banana souvenirs. This is literally bananas!

Update: Unfortunately, the International Banana Museum has closed its doors.

20 | Palm Springs Air Museum

Educational & Cool Thing To Do In Palm Springs

The Palm Springs Air Museum educates about the role the US World War II combat aircraft and its pilots and American citizens had in winning the war. The museum contains one of the world’s largest collections of flying World War II warplanes.

Visiting the aircraft museum is definitely a unique thing to do in Palm Springs and is not just for people who are interested in aviation and history but also who want to learn about it and educate themselves.

Fun Things To Do In Palm Springs

21 | Stroll Around Downtown Palm Springs

Stroll around Downtown Palm Springs, get yourself a souvenir, check out some vintage shops and dine at one of the many Mexican restaurants.

Palm Springs Fun Thing To Do

For the ones looking for some fun in Palm Springs hit up the bars on Palm Canyon Drive. Especially during Spring Break, but not only then, Palm Canyon Drive in Downtown is a fun place to visit in Palm Springs.

Popular restaurants are Lulu’s, Las Casuelas Terraza, and The Tonga Hut Restaurant & Tiki Bar.

While you are there exploring the bars, restaurants and shops, look out for the unique rainbow-colored crosswalk on Palm Canyon Drive.

22 | Attend Coachella Music Festival

The most fun thing to do in Palm Springs for me was to attend Coachella. Of course, Coachella Music Festival is not a year-round thing to do, but when it happens on those two extended weekends in April it turns the entire Greater Palm Springs area upside down.

And as if Coachella wasn’t enough fun already, Stagecoach Country Music Festival is happening right after.

So, if you are into music, attending either one of the festivals is an at least once in your lifetime thing to do.

23 | Beer Tasting At Local Breweries

For beer lovers, a fun thing to do in Palm Springs is to go beer tasting. There are actually a bunch of local breweries in the Coachella Valley.

The most popular brewing companies are the Coachella Valley Brewing Company, La Quinta Brewing Company, the Desert Beer Company, and Luchador Brewing Company.

You can make it your mission to visit all for the local breweries.

Choachella Valley Brewing Company

We went to get local beers at the Coachella Valley Brewing Company in Thousand Palms. They have a vast selection of different kinds of beers with various exotic flavors too.

The cool thing about this brewery is, that they have a sound stage in the back where they brew their beer. From time to time the brewery hosts local musicians, which is pretty cool.

La Quinta Brewing Company

Another popular and fun place to visit in Palm Springs is the La Quinta Brewing Company.

The company actually has three locations – one in downtown Palm Springs, one in Palm Desert and the third in Old Town La Quinta.

The tap room in downtown Palm Springs doesn’t offer food, but the two other locations do and it’s pretty good. The actual brewery is located in Palm Desert. This is the location we have been to. Cheers!

24 | Hiking The Indian Canyons Palm Oasis

Popular Active Things To In Palm Springs

Indian Canyons is the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. The Indian Canyons consist of Andreas Canyon, Murray Canyon, and Palm Canyon.

HIKING ANDREAS CANYON

We did a hike in Andreas Canyon. It is an easy 1.2 mile scenic trail that leads through the lush canyon along Andreas Creek. You are passing lots of palm trees and unusual rock formations. The sound of the water flowing by in the little creek and the waving palm leaves is just so soothing. It’s a literal oasis in the desert.

The trail is partially shaded and partially exposed to the sun. It can get very hot, so definitely bring enough water. You should also wear proper shoes and watch out for rattlesnakes.

HIKING PALM CANYON

We did a quick stop at the Trading Post overlook of Palm Canyon but didn’t have enough time to explore more. The view of the palm trees down in the canyon was already very promising and a visit will definitely be on the itinerary for our next trip to Palm Springs.

25 | Coachella Valley Preserve – Thousand Palms Oasis

Lesser Known But Fun Thing To Do In Palm Springs

The Coachella Valley Preserve is a system of preserves that contain several palm oases. Thousand Palm Oasis was formed because San Andreas Fault lines allow the water that is flowing underground to rise to the surface.

Visiting the oasis is a fun thing to do in Palm Springs and a great activity for almost everyone. The walks around the oasis are mostly on boardwalks and are very easy to manage.

26 | El Paseo Shopping District Palm Desert

If you are looking for the ultimate shopping experience, El Paseo Shopping District in Palm Desert is your place to be. It is an upscale outdoor mall located on El Paseo Road, Palm Desert’s Downtown and shopping district.

Even if you are just window shopping, El Paseo is worth a visit. We liked to just stroll around and explore the desert mall and the shopping street which features a bunch of artwork from local artists here and there.

The hungry ones will find plenty of restaurants along the main road. There are good Mexican places with Happy Hours.

El Paseo is a great way to spend some time if you are looking for what to do in Palm Springs and around.

27 | Sunnylands Center & Gardens

The Sunnylands Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage is a desert art garden and contemporary building that houses a rotating art exhibition. You will also find a gift shop and cafe there.

The attraction near Palm Springs is open to the public and free to visit.

The center and gardens is one section of the Sunnylands, the other one is the historic Sunnylands estate which hosts high-level retreats for international world leaders and can be toured with a guide.

28 | The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is located in nearby Palm Desert.

It is a unique zoo and botanical garden focusing in the deserts of the world. The Living Deserts’ mission is desert conservation through preservation, education and appreciation.

Fun thing to do near Palm Springs for kids and adults alike

Especially for kids, but not only, visiting this special zoo is a cool thing to do near Palm Springs.

During the hot summer months, it is recommended to visit early in the morning.

29 | Make A Day Trip To Joshua Tree National Park

Must-Do When In Palm Springs

When you visit Palm Springs, you must see Joshua Tree National Park if your time allows.

Joshua Tree is about an hour’s drive away from Palm Springs. The national park is famous for its unique Joshua Trees, big boulders that draw in lots of climbers, desert camping, and cute but pointy Cholla cacti.

If you liked these unique things to do in Palm Springs, check out our post about Joshua Tree National Park & Beyond.

Best Things To Do In Joshua Tree And Around

More Top Things To Do In Palm Springs

Cool Hotels In Palm Springs

Find some of the coolest hotels in Palm Springs below and check out our Palm Springs Hotel Guide for hip mid-century places to stay in Palm Springs.

Guide To The Trendiest Boutique Hotels In Palm Springs

Roundup

What To Do In Palm Springs?

Since this collection of unique and fun things to do in Palm Springs became quite extensive, here’s a rundown of everything again.

Cool & Unique Things To Do In Palm Springs

We hope you found our guide to the coolest things to do in Palm Springs helpful and found some fun places to go in Palm Springs that you haven’t heard of before.

Palm Springs Packing List & Outfit Ideas

Julia & Felipe

Follow our adventures on Instagram! @piscoandbier

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