The temperatures may be in the triple-digits, but the desert is still jam-packed with things to do, and a myriad of ways to beat the heat. Here is the lowdown – the FUNdamentals of enjoying the summer with the kids.
We did an unofficial poll of local moms to get the best ideas on summer fun, and public pools topped the list. They’re popular because kids can bring all their friends, and entry fees and snack bar prices are reasonable. The Palm Desert Aquatic Center has the most elaborate set-up, with two large twisting waterslides and multiple pools: one with a wade-in zero-depth area for toddlers, a big splash pad for preschoolers, a large pool that is ideal for elementary-age kids, and a huge Olympic-sized pool with a high dive and two lower diving boards. 73-751 Magnesia Falls Drive, Palm Desert (760) 565-7467
The Family YMCA of the Desert operates Fritz Burns Pool in downtown La Quinta. They are open for recreational swimming from 1-4:45 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Saturdays. It costs just $2 for kids 15 and under, and $3 for those 16+. A ten-punch card is $15 for youth residents, $17 for non-residents. And $25 for adult residents, $27 for adult non-residents. 78107 Avenue 52, La Quinta, CA 92253 (760) 771-4347
The Desert Recreation District runs multiple pools in Indio, Coachella and Mecca. They even have a grant from Kaiser, which allows them to offer FREE swim lessons for children 3-14.
The Pawley Pool Family Aquatic Complex in Indio has open swim M-Th., 12-3:30 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Fri.–Sun. 12-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. 46350 Jackson St, Indio, (760) 342-5665
Bagdouma Pool at Bagdouma Park in Coachella has open swim M-Th. 12:30-3:30 p.m. and 7:00-9:00 p.m. and Fri-Sun. 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. 84-599 Ave 52, Coachella (760) 275-5268
The Mecca Community Center Pool has open swim from 2-3:30 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. M-Th.; and 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Fri.-Sun. 91275 66th Ave, Mecca (760) 342-5665
The website for all three pools is: https://www.myrecreationdistrict.com/activities/swim-and-water-activities.
The Palm Springs Swim Center has an Olympic-size swimming pool and is open 7 days a week. It costs $3 for kids 4-12. Kids 3 and under are free, and adults who live in Palm Springs pay $4, and non-residents pay $5. Open swim is 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. M-Sun. They sell a punch card for 25 visits for $66 for residents, $82 for non-residents, but you have to pay an annual membership fee of $52 per family or $35 per adult and $19 per child 4-12. 405 S. Pavilion Way, in the Sunrise Plaza complex. (760) 323-8278
The John H. Furbee Aquatics Center in Desert Hot Springs has open swim from 12-5:30 p.m. M-Th., and from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It is very inexpensive, just 50 cents for adults, 25 cents for kids 3-17, and a dollar per family of four. 11-750 Cholla Drive, Desert Hot Springs (760) 329-6411
There are a number of splash pads across the valley in public parks, free to all, where kids can play in the water. The most impressive is the colorful Fountain of Life in front of City Hall on Highway 111 in downtown Cathedral City. You can also find splash pads at La Quinta Park on Blackhawk Way across from La Quinta High School, and at Rancho De Oro Park at 84-600 Avenue 50 in Coachella, next to Cesar Chavez Elementary. Pro-tip: there used to be splash pads at Joe Mann Park and Civic Center Park in Palm Desert, but they have been removed.
You also have the option of telling your kids to go jump in a lake – Lake Hemet, that is! The Splashing Eagle water park at Lake Hemet is now open, and it’s a blast – they anchor several HUGE inflatables about 30 yards offshore – and the kids can climb up and jump off into the lake. Their website says the lake is at capacity for the first time in many years. The high water levels mean the beach area is smaller this year, and there will be a maximum amount of occupants, so go early. The park is open from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Thursday through Monday until Labor Day, September 2nd. It’s not especially cheap, however. It costs $15 per person for the waterpark and swim area, or $10 per person for the swim area only. That is on top of the $25 per car entrance fee to the lake.
Pro-tip: word on the street is the fishing is outstanding at Lake Hemet right now, because fewer people are able to get up there from the Hemet side. Unfortunately, as of press time in late June, Highway 243 was still closed about 2 miles north of Pine Cove for repairs after a torrential downpour on Valentine’s Day left a massive hole in the road. Use Rte. 74 from Palm Desert to reach the area. Current fishing reports can be found at www.SportFishingReport.com.
Lake Cahuilla Recreation Area also offers fishing and their swimming pool is open Friday-Sunday. A day pass to the recreation area costs $6 per adult, $3 per kid – and then there is an extra fee to go to the pool: $4 per person per session. They have 3 sessions a day: from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. and from 4 – 6 p.m. 58-075 Jefferson Street, La Quinta (760) 564-4712
Fortunately, a number of local resorts welcome families to come for the day and enjoy the pools. You can call the resorts themselves or book through websites like www.dayaxe.com and www.resortpass.com. It’s fun to order lunch, drinks or snacks from the poolside wait staff. Many of the resorts have a separate spa pass, if you want to spend a relaxing day with your teen.
The Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage has day passes for $25 any day of the week. The pass gives you access to their three pools. The largest has a 75-foot waterslide. They also have dive-in movies every Saturday night at 8:15 p.m. 71333 Dinah Shore Dr., Rancho Mirage (760) 328-5955 Book via www.dayaxe.com
The Renaissance Indian Wells Resort and Spa has a very large pool with a sandy beach on one end that’s fun for the littles and is open 7 a.m. – 11 p.m . $40 per person at resortpass.com. 44400 Indian Wells Ln, Indian Wells, CA 92210 (760) 773-4444
The Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort and Spa is in the same immediate vicinity as the Renaissance. They have multiple large pools, some with a lively atmosphere, others more calm. Pool pass: $30 Spa pass: $35 44-600 Indian Wells Ln, Indian Wells, CA 92210. Non-hotel guests are admitted depending on occupancy. You can call (760) 776-1234 and ask for the spa – they can tell you if there are spots open on any given day.
Do you primarily have teens in tow? The brand new Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs has the only rooftop pool in the desert and is perfect for older children. It is a sophisticated poolside experience better for older teens who want that glamorous feel. It has beautiful views of the strip and the Indian Canyons. Plus it is right at Tahquitz and Palm Canyon, so there are lots of fun shops, cafes and restaurants nearby. Non-hotel guests can only get in Monday-Thursday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. for $15, which includes a towel and a lounge chair. You can buy the pool pass online at www.rowanpalmsprings.com. 100 W Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262 (760) 904-5015
The Desert Hot Springs Spa Hotel is a deal, costing just $10 to spend the day in their mineral water pools, or it’s free if you spend $30 at the spa. A towel or a locker can be rented for $5 with a $5 refundable deposit. http://dhsspa.com/day-pass/ 10805 Palm Drive, Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240 (760) 329-6000
Fun Activities
The valley’s bowling alleys are popular as well, featuring Palm Springs Lanes on Ramon Road in Cathedral City and Fantasy Lanes at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio. You may want to take advantage of the Kids Bowl Free program – Palm Springs Lanes is a participating location – all you have to do is sign your kids up at https://www.kidsbowlfree.com/, and they can bowl two games per day all summer long, for free.
You can always escape the heat with a day trip to Idyllwild or Oak Glen, but why go that far when you can hop on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and instantly get weather that’s at least 30 degrees cooler. They have a summer pass that pays for itself in no time – that costs $40 for kids 3-10, and $80 for people age 11 and up. It gives unlimited tram rides and free parking, and is good until August 31st. The tram also offers free children’s activities on Junior Ranger days, which take place from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on July 6, August 3, August 31 and September 1. They also offer guided nature walks at 1:30 p.m. on weekends. Pro-tip: you cannot see the fireworks well on the Fourth of July from the top of the tram, because you’re too high up.
Here’s a fun, inexpensive idea: go ice-blocking! You can buy a block of ice from any number of grocery stores (Ralph’s on Cook and Country Club in Palm Desert comes to mind) then wait until twilight, put an old towel on top and let your kid slide down the nearest grassy hill. University Park in Palm Desert has a hill that works well. If you’re really into it, you can make your own. Pro-tip: use a big rectangular Tupperware-type container or a basket, fill it at least six inches deep with water, and lay a 4-foot piece of rope in the middle length-wise, and freeze it. That way you have two rope handles to help “steer” down the slope.
Lots of moms like to take their kids to the cheap movie days at local theaters. The Mary Pickford in Cathedral City has a deal where older children’s movies are just $1.00, or you can get a pass to see one movie a week for 8 weeks, for just $4.00. The Regal Theaters in Palm Springs, Indio and Rancho Mirage have $1 kid movies every Tuesday and Wednesday morning during the summer. The Century Theaters in La Quinta and at the River in Rancho Mirage don’t offer the dollar kid movies – but the first matinee of the day is discounted, and all non-XD movies are $6.25 on Tuesdays, all day long.
Some moms take their kids to the Westfield mall in Palm Desert an hour before the shops open at ten and do some mall-walking while they run around in the air-conditioning.
If you are a member of either the Palm Springs Art Museum or The Living Desert, you are in luck. They have a new partnership – one that allows people who are members of one free access to the other, all summer. This includes the main art museum and the Architecture + Design Center in Palm Springs as well as the Galen in Palm Desert.
All the local libraries across the desert offer kids’ reading programs and special entertainment on a weekly basis. Lots of local moms are especially enthusiastic about the Rancho Mirage Public Library, which has summer programs – but also offers FREE tours at their new observatory each Tuesday-Saturday at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The Palm Springs Air Museum has kids’ activities each week, such as scavenger hunts and paper airplane contests, in addition to an educational workshop once a month. They will have a giant birthday card kids can color for America’s birthday, through July 7th. And on July 6th they have a Radio Control Club that will teach kids to build model airplanes. 745 N Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs (760) 778-6262
Laser Oasis on Highway 111 in La Quinta has laser tag, a ropes course, an arcade and a snack bar, and is open 2 – 9 p.m. M-Th., Noon – 11 p.m. on Saturdays and Noon to 9 p.m. on Sundays. It costs $9 for laser tag or $16 for two people, $22 for 3. 46805 Dune Palms Road, La Quinta (760) 777 4321
The Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert in Rancho Mirage caters to the pre-school and elementary school crowd. It costs $9.95 per person and is open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sundays 1 – 5 p.m. They have a new marine biology exhibit based on the show “Splash and Bubbles”. They also have STEM nights on Wednesdays that cost $5 and run from 5 – 8 p.m. 71-701 Gerald Ford Drive, Rancho Mirage (760) 321-0602
Boomers in Palm Springs has mini-golf and a mini-racetrack, which are fun once the sun goes down in the summer. They are open until 8 p.m. Sun-Th., and until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. They have a $17.99 deal on Fridays after 6 p.m. for unlimited rides and golf. 67-700 E Palm Canyon Dr, Cathedral City (760) 777-7522
Probably the fastest way to cool off is to strap on some ice skates at the Desert Ice Castle indoor ice rink in Cathedral City. It costs $9 for kids and adults per session; skaters have to be 3 or older. Skate rentals are $3. Open skate is 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. daily. On Tuesdays, they have an extra session from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. On Thursdays they offer two extra sessions, from 4:45 p.m. – 7 p.m. and from 7:15 – 9:15 p.m. On Fridays they have sessions every two hours starting at 2:30 p.m. A daily pass, which gets you into more than one session, costs $15. 68600 Perez Road, Cathedral City (760) 324-0400
Stay Active
If you and your kids are looking to get some exercise, there are quite a few options.
Get Air in Palm Desert is a good air-conditioned place for the kids to jump on trampolines and get some exercise. It costs $14.99 for one hour and $24.99 for 2 hours, for kids taller than 46”. Kids under 46” pay $9.99 an hour. However they have a Toddler Time deal where kids under 46” tall can jump from 10 a.m. – noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays for $10, and parents get in free. On Mondays, families of four or more get 20% off. On Tuesdays it’s 2 hours for the price of one for everyone. And on Wednesdays it’s 20% off with a student ID. 34450 Gateway Dr, Palm Desert, CA 92211 (760) 206-7211
Desert Rocks Indoor Climbing Gym in North Palm Springs is a fun option. They’re open from noon – 8 p.m. 7 days a week. It is $22 a day, $18 for kids 12 and under. Or you can get a one-week pass, including gear for $25. A one-month membership, without gear, is $55. Children 3 and under are free with an adult admission. 19160 McLane Street, North Palm Springs (760) 671-1101
Planet Fitness has a deal this summer – where teens can work out for FREE all summer long. Parents just have to go in there one time and sign them up!
The Thrive Forever Fit Gym in Palm Desert has a kids program – workouts are every Monday and Wednesday through August 7th, from 10 – 11 a.m. for ages 7-11 and from 11 a.m. – noon for ages 12-18. The kids will work out for the first half hour and then learn tips on proper nutrition and mindset during the second half. Drop-in classes cost $20.
