California Off The Beaten Path Tips by deecat Top 5 Page for this destination

Palm Springs' Area Museums Desert / Desert Cities Review

While in Palm Springs for three months, we had plenty of time to visit museums. Here are the ones that we visited and enjoyed:

1.Palm Springs Air Museum has a large collection of flying WWII airplanes. I loved this place because it is a tribute to American Veterans and their planes. There are photographs, artifacts, and tours. You learn a great deal there.
745 Gene Autry Trail
Palm Springs, CA
(760)342-6651

2. The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum is located on the Village Green in Palm Springs. It is dedicated to the history (past, present, and future) of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in Palm Springs. We saw artifacts, artwork, and photographs.
219 South Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA
(760)323-0151

3. Palm Springs Desert Museum
We went here twice because it has changing exhibitions. There is great art, natural science, and performing arts. Besides galleries, there is the Annenberg Theaters. The location of this museum is outstanding. It is at the base of the soaring Mt. San Jacinto in the heart of downtown Palm Springs.
101 Museum Drive
Palm Springs, CA
(760)325-7186

4. Moorten's Botanical Garden is an arboretum that is designed into geographical regions of native habitats displaying thousands of varieties of desert plants. I knew very little about desert plants, so I learned a great deal that day. Our daughter Jill was visiting us from Chicago, so the three of us enjoyed browsing through the exotic plants.
1701 S. Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA

5. Desert Holocaust Memorial
This is not a real museum; it is an outdoor memorial to holocaust victims. It consists of seven large bronze figures in a circular row of trees that symbolize life outside the concentration camps.
San Pablo and Fred Waring Drive
Palm Desert, CA

There are many more, but these are the ones we visited.

Phone: See text

A Natural Wonder: Joshua Tree National Park Desert / Desert Cities Review

If you have the opportunity, then by all means visit Joshua Tree National Park. It is open year round and most busy in April. The park is really two deserts that come together, The Colorado Desert and the Mojave Desert.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed it a National Monument in 1936; in 1994 it was named a National Park. More than a million people a year visit this park and no wonder. It is a place of immense beauty.

It was named after the Joshua tree commonly found in the Mojave Desert. It really has a "grotesque appearance", but many birds, mammals, insects, and reptiles depend on it for food and shelter.

Wildlife abounds in these deserts. The Kangaroo Rat, with its large hind feet and cheek pouches, is a sight to behold. Tarantuas live in burrows here. It is the largest desert spider and feeds on insects.

The funny-looking Roadrunner bird is designed for desert life. They do not use wings but, instead, their powerful legs.

The Bobcat with its short, powerful body pounces from ambush on birds, rabbits and other rodents. It is a shy cat.

Burrowing Owls can be seen frequently. It feeds on insects, reptiles, and rodents at dusk.
Of course, the skilled Coyote survives these deserts. It eats everything: insects, snakes, fruits, nuts, lizards, grass. turtles and carrion.
Golden Eagles, Jackrabbits, and the Sidewinder rattlesnake also inhabit this park.

It's famous for its awesome rock formations that attract hikers from all over the world. There is a wildlife sanctuary, campgrounds, horse and hiking trails, and much vegetation to enjoy.

Headquarters in Twentynine Palms. Take Route 62 through Morongo and Yucca Valleys. $10.00 per car 7 days a week.
Photo is not mine.

Phone: (760)367-5500

If You Are Not Claustrophobic, Visit Scorpion Sub

The same day that we visited the Queen Mary, we toured the Scorpion Submarine, which is docked next to the Queen Mary.
You are able to buy a package tour of the two sites.

This Russian submarine was built in 1972 and was active until 1994. The clerk at the Time Share where we stayed had served on an American Sub, and he told us that the Scorpion was a carbon copy of an American submarine which he was on. He feels that somehow the Russians got the plans to our sub and copied it vertabum.

The sub held 78 crew member (only 2 showers and 3 toilets!). They stayed at sea up to three months. After touring this CRAMPED interior, I cannot believe that they were able to endure. They had 27 bunks that were shared by 54 crew member in three shifts per day. Just imagine, all they did was their duty, maintanence of the sub, and sleep/eat.

WARNING

You have to be able to climb steep ladders, go through very small hatches, and walk narrow corridors with low ceilings. Keep that in mind.
There is a short movie that precedes the self-guided tour.

1126 Queens Hwy
Long Beach, CA
Hours:
Monday through Friday 12n-6pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am-6pm
Adults=$10.00
Children (6-11)=$9.00
Note: I have no photo of sub so used one of me at Long Beach

Other Contact: South end of the 710 Freeway

Phone: (562)435-3511