Palm Springs, California is a beautiful city that is about a two-hour drive west of Los Angeles and two-hours northeast of San Diego. It’s a desert city known for tourism with many things to do. It’s the home of the great San Jacinto Mountain and many canyons and nature hotspots, which offer great trails for walking and hiking. If you’re a senior who enjoys nature and scenic views, this is a great place for you, but there are a multitude of other activities the Palm Springs area has to offer as well, and here are a few.
Seniors Will Love These Fun Activities in Palm Springs
1. Take a trip to the top of San Jacinto on the Aerial Tramway
The Aerial Tramway is arguably Palm Springs’ greatest attraction. If you’re a senior who doesn’t get scared of heights, this is a great option for you. It’s the world’s largest rotating aerial tramway, and it takes you in a totally safe glass window cable car 8,500 feet up on Mount San Jacinto. The ride isn’t long, only 10 minutes and it stretches 2.5 miles. On the ride you can see beautiful, scenic views of the mountains and the cliffs of Chino Canyon. At the top you can get out and explore a little and walk around and take some breathtaking photos and you can also dine at the beautiful Peaks Restaurant at the top or enjoy a quick meal at the Pines Café. It’s an amazing experience for all and it offers discounted ticket rates for seniors as well.
2. Visit the Palm Springs Air Museum
The Palm Springs Air Museum is one of the best of its kind in the world. The 65,000 square-foot museums offers rich history with vintage World War II and Vietnam War aircrafts with 40 planes on display in three different themed hangars. With climate-controlled hangars, it’s also a great place to beat the heat. Tickets for seniors are just $14 making this unforgettable experience very affordable as well.
3. Spend a Thursday night at Palm Springs’ VillageFest
Every Thursday night in downtown Palm Springs is a lot of fun with VillageFest, also known as the Palm Springs Street Fair. It’s a very fun, unique atmosphere with great art, entertainment, flowers, jewelry and great food on display. It’s a wonderful time for all ages, but can get a little crowded later in the night, so it’s best for seniors to go early and enjoy a wonderful time exploring and tasting all it has to offer.
4. Explore the Indian Canyons
Another fun activity for nature lovers would be to explore the Indian Canyons on its wonderful trails. This is specifically senior and family friendly especially on the Andreas Canyon Loop Trail where you can take it slow, with many places of rest that offer shade, so you’re not in the sun the whole time. You can look in awe of the amazing rock formations and take in views of the valleys all while being accompanied by the rushing water of the stream that runs along the trails and the many cacti as well. The Indian Canyons are known to have great trails especially for those that are not typically hikers, making it a perfect, scenic destination for those of all ages and abilities.
5. Go Golfing in Palm Springs
Palm Spring, California offers a multitude of beautiful desert golf courses in the Coachella Valley that offer stunning views and were designed by household names like Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Robert Trent Jones and more. If you have a good budget and love golf, the best courses to check out include the Mountain Course at La Quinta Resort, the Gary Player Signature Course at the Westin Mission Hills Resort, the courses at Desert Willow Resort, and the courses at Indian Canyons Golf Resort.
6. Stroll through the Moorten Botanical Gardens
For another very interesting nature venture in Palm Springs, check out the desert Moorten Botanical Gardens. It’s not a very large garden and you can walk through it in about 30 minutes to an hour, making it great for seniors. Within the garden you’ll see a huge variety of desert plans and very interesting cacti formations that you’ve definitely never seen before. There’s lots of shade and it’s filled with spectacular trees as well as plants and wildlife and is definitely a nice little activity seniors would enjoy.
7. Visit the Palm Springs Art Museum
In the heart of downtown Palm Springs, you can find the unique Palm Springs Art Museum, founded in 1938. There’s a wide range and variety of art from well-known artists around the world as well as local treasures, specific for the desert region they sit in. There are large collections of modern and contemporary art as well as class, photography, architecture and traditional Western art. It’s a great way to beat the heat and look and learn about beautiful art specific to the region.
This article was written by Cameron Lafontaine.