Palm Springs has long been a destination for the rich and famous, retired folks, and families looking to lounge by the pool, but there are a surprising amount of fun things to do in Palm Springs with teens.
I have visited the area several times over the years and as my children have grown up and their tastes have changed, we have learned to adapt. Some destinations, like The Living Desert, are timeless while other spots, like downtown Indio, we just recently discovered. Here is a guide to helping to make the best out of your vacation in the Palm Springs area, aka: Coachella Valley, with even the most jaded teens and tweens.
The Best Things to do in Palm Springs with Teens
Your visit to Palm Springs is going to vary quite a bit depending on the time of year you visit. If you visit in the summer, expect temperatures above 100 degrees during the day which will warrant early starts for outdoor adventures and plenty of time cooling off indoors or in the water during midday.
If you visit in the winter, early spring, or late fall, you will likely encounter plenty of sunshine but much more moderate temps. This is a great season for hiking, golfing, and other outdoor adventures.
Resort prices are lowest in the summer and highest during the winter and spring holidays. Whatever time you choose you will likely find sunny days and plenty to do!
Go on a Desert Adventure with Red Jeep Tours
I love Red Jeep Tours so much that I have been on three different excursions over the years and always learn something new. These tours are designed to help visitors gain a better understanding of the desert and the natural wonders of the Coachella Valley that Palm Springs calls home.
The most popular tour is the San Andreas fault tour which takes you into the San Andreas fault via the shaded canyons of sprawling Metate Ranch. During this tour you will learn about the geology, flora, fauna, and natural history of the region, but in a way that will keep your teens engaged.
Sample sweet date fruit from palm trees, check out a massive palm oasis, wander into a slot canyon that is inside the San Andreas Fault zone, and visit recreated Cahuilla Indians dwellings while being entertained by guides who pack in plenty of great information without allowing things to become dry or boring.
If you visit during the warmer season, definitely be an early bird and book the morning tour so you can enjoy yourself without getting overheated.
Hang Ten at the Palm Springs Surf Club
Palm Springs Surf Club is a newly opened experience that includes a water park, massive wave pool that creates real surfing waves, and dining. It is an awesome place to spend an entire day playing in the water and enjoying that legendary Palm Springs sunshine.
The state-of-the-art wave pool uses wave generation technology to create consistent, high-quality waves that can be adjusted in size and shape. This allows the resort to offer experiences for beginners as well as expert surfers who want to “hang 10” in the desert.
If your teens would like to book a surf session, be sure to book a reservation well in advance. If the sessions are booked when you plan to visit don’t worry- there is still plenty of fun to be had!
When the wave pool isn’t creating waves for a surfing session, Palm Springs Surf Club puts out paddleboards, kayaks, rafts, inner tubes, and even water towers to conquer. The pool is really huge, so you must wear a life vest if you are going out in the deep water.
The water slides are lots of fun, and when we visited mid-week, we barely had to wait in line in order to ride them. They do have minimum height requirements ranging from 42 to 48″ which is good to keep in mind if you have younger kids in your group.
The lazy river is a great place to relax on an inner tube and let the current take you on a leisurely ride. We found the current in this river to be stronger than other lazy rivers we have encountered, which added to our fun. There is also a smaller, hotel-style pool with a bar located on property. This is a fun place to just hang out in the water while enjoying a cocktail or mocktail.
You can rent luxury cabanas if you are looking for a shady spot to call home base while spending the day in the park, or just leave your towels and water at one of the many lounge chairs throughout the park. There are lockers available if you need a place to store valuables.
I highly encourage you to round out your day at the Palm Springs Surf Club with a meal at Amala. The food is really great and after a day of swimming and playing, trust me, you will be hungry! We loved their tacos, salmon, and short rib barbacoa. Teens will enjoy their specialty mocktails, including the hibiscus piña colada.
Trekaroo tip: If you get hungry during the day you can pick up casual dining at Drifters which is located inside the water park.
Feed Giraffes at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
Even your most jaded teens will crack a smile when a doe-eyed giraffe grabs a piece of lettuce from their hand using their long, appendage-like tongues.
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is one of the best zoos in California, with a focus on desert dwelling animals from across the globe. It is home to African mammals like cheetahs and rhinos, Australian critters like wallabies and kangaroos, and North American favorites such as Mexican wolves and bighorn sheep.
The grounds are wonderfully landscaped to showcase how lush deserts around the world can be. There is also a working veterinary hospital onsite which you can visit and perhaps even see a wild animal getting a checkup!
Don’t miss: My family especially loved the giraffe feeding, the Wild Prairies avairy where we could walk among adorable prairie dogs and burrowing owls, and the Australian Adventures area where we could visit with kangaroos and wallabies without barriers between us.
Trekaroo tip: Arrive early, especially in the warmer months, if you want to see active animals before it gets too hot. In the winter, make time to explore one of the Living Desert trails as well.
Experience Coachella Vibes in Dowtown Indio
If you have teen who isn’t living under a rock, they are surely aware of Coachella, a music festival that draws over 1000,000 people per weekend to the Empire Polo Club in Indio to wear boho outfits and enjoy music from some of the biggest acts in the world to the desert every April.
If you can’t score a ticket or don’t want to deal with the masses, you can still experience some hip Indio vibes downtown. Head to Happy Alley, between Towne and Oasis Street on Miles Avenue, to find Instagram heaven. There are murals on either side and a canopy of vibrantly colored murals above. There is even a mural, Practical Galactical, the uses black light elements which are cool at night.
There are a few other murals in the area, including one dedicated to Indio’s agricultural history, as well as the Colassal Cacti – colorful cactus installation by Andrew Kovacs from 2019 the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
There are some cool shops in the area that your teens won’t want to miss either. The Urban Donkey Collective is hip collection of vintage shops and Rock and Records is a super cool store filled with classic vinyl and music accessories and as well and rocks, crystals, and fossils. Both are open Thursday through Sunday.
If you are a music and food fan you definitely will not want to miss the Big Rock Pub. This place has one of the most imporessive collections of guitars autographed by rockstars that you will ever see. I walked around in awe of all the famous names scrawled across the coolest guitars. This place is way better than any Hard Rock Cafe I have visited!
As a bonus- the food is actually really great too! They have salads, pizza, burgers, carnitas tacos, and more. My son appreciated that there was a gluten free crust option so he could order a carnivore pizza of his own.
Shop the Downtown Palm Springs Street During Villagefest
There are plenty of great shops and restaurants in downtown Palm Springs, but the best time to visit is during VillageFest which is every Thursday evening. South Palm Canyon Drive is shut down to vehicles and and the street is lined with vendors selling art, Jewelry, food, produce, and so much more.
Live entertainment can be found throughout VillageFest, put on by musicians and street performers throughout the evening.
Good to know: VillageFest takes place 6 – 10pm for most of the year but runs 7 – 10pm during the summer months (June through September) due to the heat.
Visiting during the holiday? Check out our guide to Palm Springs at Christmas which is updated annually.
Learn About Native History and Hike in their Maginificent Canyons
The Coachella Valley has been inhabited by native peoples for over a thousand years and the Agua Caliente Cahuilla tribe is still very much an important part of the community. As a matter of fact, they own many portions of Palm Springs and are one of the wealthiest Native American tribes in the country.
Recently, the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum opened in downtown Palm Springs. It is a large building featuring a gallery filled with artifacts and history of the Native Americans who have called the region home. Visits are timed because you begin with a multimedia experience which gives a brief history of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.
In addition to the permanent gallery there is a temporary gallery with roatating exhibitions. When we visited it was For a Love of His People: The Photography of Horace Poolaw.
A visit to this musuem will likely only take an hour but it will provide great context for the next destination I suggest you explore, Indian Canyons.
Owned by the Agua Caliente Cahuilla tribe, Indian Canyons are lush, palm-filled canyons fed by a shallow aquifer. For a small fee, guests can gain access to these canyons which are great for hikes and picnics. This is an especially great destination when the weather is mild because the hiking is great.
If you a short on time, Andreas Canyon has a short, one-mile loop trail that follows a stream back into a canyon shaded by fan palms. If you have the time and the weather cooprtates, I recommend the 3.9-mile Murray Canyon Trail which leads to the Seven Sacred Sisters waterfall, a perfect spot to enjoy a picnic.
Palm Canyon is one of the largest palm oases on the planet. A trail leads 15 miles back into the canyon; follow it for as long as you would like or just enjoy splashing in the streams and having a picnic lunch under the cooling palm trees at the base of the canyon. You will be amazed at how lush and shady the palm oases is.
Enjoy Dinner and a Movie at the River in Rancho Mirage
The River in Rancho Mirage is a great place to have a meal, do a bit of shopping, and catch a movie. It has a beautiful indoor/outdoor setting with flowing water and fountains setting a tranquil scene. There is also a space that hosts live music on select days as well as special events.
Dave and Busters is a favorite spot for my family that loves to play games. There is a large arcade as well as several pool tables which are alwyas a hit with my teens. On our last visit I was happy to discover there were some tasty yet healthy options on the menu now, like the Southwest Salmon Bowl. Of course, there are plenty of classic bar eats like pizza and wings as well.
Other restaurants at The River include Yard House, Cheesecake Factory, and Babe BBQ. After you eat head to Century Theatres to catch a movie on one of their ten screens, all of which have stadium seating. This is also a great activity in the middle of the day when the weather is scorching because night swimming at your hotel is one of the great perks of visiting Palm Springs.
Escape Room Palm Springs
Escape Room Palm Springs is the largest Escape Room in Southern California and we had an absolute blast playing their Bank Heist game. During this game we have to break into the banks’ vault and find as much loot as we can along the way. This is a great way to work together as a family towards a common goal and cheer for each other when clues are solved.
In all there are seven different escape games to to play, and I plan on playing a new one each time I am back in Palm Springs. They are just so much fun! I suggest combining your time at the Escape Room with some time exploring downtown Palm Springs since they are close to one another.
La Quinta X Park
If you have kids that love skateboarding, BMX biking, or even scootering, you will definitely want to check our the La Quinta X Park. This huge, 31,000-square-foot venue has a concrete pump track course, three skateboard bowls, shaded seating, and a pro shop.
Day passes for visitors (non-residents) are just $5 per person.
Cool Off Indoors While Ice Skating at the Home of the Coachella Valley Firebirds
I was surprised to learn that the Coachella Valley has its very own hockey team and iceplex. The Berger Foundation Iceplex is located in the same building as Acrisure Arena, where the Coachella Valley Firebirds play and they offer public skate sessions daily.
The rink is very large and well maintained. You can pre-register online to check in right away and get on the ice. High schoolers can skare for free with Student ID on Saturday evenings and skate rental is only $5. Any other time your teens can skate for just $15 per session.
If you would like to go to a Firebirds game, the season runs October through April and the schedule is online.
Visit Winter Via the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Where else can you trade sun-kissed palm trees for snow-blanketed white firs in just 10 minutes? Located just six miles from downtown Palm Springs, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway takes riders on a scenic, 2.5-mile journey up the steep mountainside of Mt. San Jacinto.
Temperatures are often 30-40 degrees cooler at the tram’s Mountain Station, elevation 8,516 feet, and the views of the entire Coachella Valley are spectacular.
During the winter and early spring months, snowshoes and cross country skis can be rented from the Adventure Center. There is just something extra special about spending the morning sledding and the afternoon at a resort pool!
In the summer, heading up to the Mountain Station is a great way to escape the valley heat and discover a wildly different environment. There are 50 miles of hiking trails among ancient boulders and towering evergreens to explore.
Check Out the Palm Springs Air Museum
It seems every family has a plane or World War aficionado in their group. If you do, then you will defintiely want to visit the Palm Springs Air Museum which is located next to the airport. It has a great collection of over 70 historic aircraft from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the early years of aviation.
There are multiple hangers focused on different periods and in addition to aircraft they also include include artifacts, uniforms, weaponry, and personal stories from veterans.
They also have flight simulators which allow you to embrace your inner Maverick and experience flying a variety of aircraft from the pilots point of view.
Spend the Day Bouldering in Joshua Tree National Park
A Joshua Tree day trip is an escape to a landscape of towering boulders and twisty trees that look like they were dreamed up by Dr. Seuss. I prefer visiting this national park in in the spring, winter, or fall because the summer is just too hot to be climbing around on boulders or taking unshaded hikes.
A visit in mid-October through mid-April is a great experience that shouldn’t be missed, but a visit in the spring during a super bloom year is one that you will never forget.
Start your day early so you can avoid the day tripping crowds from LA and make the most of your time. I personally prefer enterin the park using the Twentynine Palms entrance and exit via the west entrance. This will give the opportunity to see many of the park’s highlights as well as its two types of deserts- high and low.
Here is a great Joshua Tree day trip itineray to use when you visit.
Play Golf at One of the Many Golf Courses in the Area
Palm Springs and golf go hand in hand, so if you have a teen who likes to swing their clubs, golfing is a must while visiting.
Tahquitz Creek has two 18-hole courses – the Legend Course and the Resort Course. Both are great for golfers of all skill levels, including teens.
Shadow Hills has an 18-hole championship course and a 9-hole, par-3 course. The par-3 course is especially good for teens that are newer to the sport since the holes are shorter and less intimidating.
If your teens are more of the “mini golf” type, head to Boomers in Cathedral City. they have mini golf, go karts, bumper boats, and batting cages to keep everyone entertained.
Frisky Business Cat Cafe
On our most recent trip to Palm Springs my animal-loving family discovered Frisky Business Cat Cafe. It is a place where you can grab coffee, tea, and snacks, and then head into their cat lounge, filled with toys and climbing structures, where you can interact with cats that are available for adoption.
We love being able to visit with cats looking for loving homes and help provide them with the socialization and love they crave. There are also some special events that take place here, like cat yoga.
Reservations are highly recommended and come with a drink of your choice.
Have younger kids? Here is our guide to the best things to do in Palm Springs with kids.
Where to Stay with Teens in Palm Springs
There is a reason why my family keeps coming back to Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage- Splashtopia!
Splashtopia!, is the resort’s filled with water slides, lazy river a beach area for tots, a splash pad, and a huge pool featuring summer Dive-In movies. Organized activities take place at the main pool, such as games or shirt tye-dying. This is definitely the place you want to be hanging out during those hot desert days.
The resort also has a 27-hole golf course which offers Junior golf lessons. There are several tennis courts for teens to play on as well. Guest rooms and suites typically have scenic views of either the pool, the lake, the golf course, or the mountains. This is Palm Springs at its finest.
A special thanks to Visit Greater Palm Springs which hosted my family on my most recent visit the area so that I could share my findings with Trekaroo readers. All opinions are my own.
