This beautiful area is comprised of eight major resort communities -- including Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, and LaQuinta. Here you'll find a host of wonderful hotels with great kids programs, lots of super golf courses, and many great attractions and activities for parents and children. Spring break is one of the best times to visit, as you'll find many of the desert wildflowers in full bloom. A local hotline (760-340-0435) will direct you to the best locations to view this desert splendor. Don't miss it -- the variety and colors are incredible!
Among the top family attractions: the Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert www.cdmod.orgin Rancho Mirage; Palm Desert's 1,200 acre Living Desert Wildlife and Botanical Park http://www.abacus-es.com/livingdesert/home.html with its exotic wild animals; the nature field trips at the Palm Springs Desert Museum ww.psmuseum.org; taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway www.pstramway.com to Mt. San Jacinto Wilderness State Park; and the Palm Spring Indian Canyons. Adventure lovers will enjoy going horseback riding, renting ATVs (all terrain vehicles) at Off Road Rentals, going on wilderness jeep tours, or taking one of the covered wagon tours at the Coachella Valley Preserve. There's so much to do in this area!
If you're looking for great, family-friendly places to stay, you'll have a number of options to choose from in the Palm Springs area. Many of the top resorts in this area have added excellent kids programs and family activities. Some of the best include: the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort grandchampions.hyatt.com(760-322-9000) and the Renaissance Esmeralda www.renaissancehotels.com in Indian Wells (760-773-4444); the La Quinta Resort www.laquintaresort.com(760-564-4111) and the Marquis Crowne Plaza Resort & Suites (760-322-2121) in Palm Springs; and the Ritz-Carlton Resort www.ritzcarlton.com (760321-8282) and the Westin Mission Hills Resort www.westin.com (760-328-5955) in Rancho Mirage.
