What to do and see in Greater Palm Springs, California Desert: The Best History Museums

August 30, 2021 Merry Kessler

Greater Palm Springs is an oasis for art, culture, adventure and relaxation. Take in the views from the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, the world’s largest rotating tram car, before exploring exhibits at the Palm Springs Art Museum and its Architecture & Design Center. Visit the Empire Polo Club, home of the Coachella Music & Arts Festival and Stagecoach Country Music Festival. Dozens of spas in Desert Hot Springs let you soak in the healing mineral waters that flow beneath the city.
Restaurants in Greater Palm Springs

1. Historical Society Museum

72-861 El Paseo Drive Old Palm Desert Firehouse, Palm Desert, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92260-3374 +1 760-346-6588 [email protected] http://www.hspd.org
Excellent
83%
Good
17%
Satisfactory
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Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 6 reviews

Historical Society Museum

2. Museum of Ancient Wonders

69028B E Palm Canyon Dr Storefront Museum next to Big Lots in Cathedral Gateway Plaza, Cathedral City, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92234-1406 +1 442-268-5004 [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/Museum-of-Ancient-Wonders-151429658850355/
Excellent
100%
Good
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5.0 based on 15 reviews

Museum of Ancient Wonders

From treasures of the pharaoh to the mystical ritual of African masks to Mesozoic dinosaur skeletons, the Museum of Ancient Wonders awes visitors. More than 200 reproduction artifacts and laboratory fossil casts gathered from 30 museums worldwide.

Reviewed By JustKeepItMoving - Los Angeles, United States

A small but ambitious museum filled with impressive recreations of historical artifacts, each with a detailed description. Most items currently on display are Egyptian, with some African and dinosaur items also included in their own sections. Because they are modern recreations, almost nothing is behind glass. This allows a visitor to closely inspect the works (no touching though, of course). The owners are very friendly and knowledgeable. They explained that they have many more items in storage and hope to expand. I’m happy to contribute to help them meet their goals. I felt it was clear they had a passion for the museum and the work they put into it. The museum is not very large in its current location, and one can get through the whole thing in an hour or two. Still, I think it’s worth the price of admission for anyone with an interest in history, especially Egyptian history.

3. Cabot's Pueblo Museum

67616 Desert View Ave, Desert Hot Springs, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92240-4114 +1 760-329-7610 [email protected] http://www.cabotsmuseum.org/virtual-tours/
Excellent
59%
Good
35%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
1%
Terrible
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Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 361 reviews

Cabot's Pueblo Museum

The structure is hand-made, created from reclaimed and found objects. The Pueblo is four-stories, 5,000 square feet and includes 35 rooms, 150 windows and 65 doors. Visitors will notice many unique features: including windows and doors collected and reassembled from abandoned homesteads, old telephone poles, buck board wagon parts and many other materials used creatively.On the guided tour, visitors journey through the life of Cabot Yerxa and his family including artifacts collected from their adventures dating back over 100 years. Hear his story from the Dakota Territory to Mexico, Cuba, Alaska, France, throughout California and the Southwest, including the founding of Desert Hot Springs, California.

Reviewed By lindal369

If you find yourself in the Desert Hot Springs area this gem is a must-see. Wonderful pueblo, great history of the area, entertaining guides (definitely take the guided tour). We thoroughly enjoyed our visit!

4. Agua Caliente Cultural Museum

219 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92262-6310 +1 760-323-0151 [email protected] http://www.accmuseum.org
Excellent
43%
Good
46%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
3%
Terrible
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Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 72 reviews

Agua Caliente Cultural Museum

This museum traces the history of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.

5. Palm Springs Air Museum

745 N Gene Autry Trl, Palm Springs, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92262-5464 +1 760-778-6262 [email protected] http://palmspringsairmuseum.org/
Excellent
75%
Good
22%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
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4.5 based on 2,004 reviews

Palm Springs Air Museum

Rated by CNN as one of the top 14 Air Museums in the World. This facility Gives visitors an up-close look at the legendary fighters and bombers of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.

Reviewed By geoffreyh551 - Phoenix, United States

Everywhere we went in Palm Springs people told us to go here. You need to go here as soon as it opens ( open 7 days a week 10 Am until 5 PM). The Air Museum is very well set up . Airplanes are located in two hangars to the left as you enter and two hangars to the right. There are 9 people fully employed and 400 volunteers ( docents). All of the docents are veterans and have extensive information that they are ready to personally share with you. Plenty of on site parking. Admission is either $18 or $16 Senior/Military persons. You need to plan on spending many hours going from hangar to hanger-exhibitions of World War 2 and Vietnam. Many hands on exhibits that detail what specifics of the war was happening. Docents all over the area to assist and explain details as to what you are looking at. Don't forget to save time to go upstairs to the very extensive library. We looked up in the large collection of Life Magazines specific issues in our life time that were of interest to us. There is also a docent who will personally assist you on a Flight Simulator ' actually help you simulate a flight. Last visit an actual plane B-17 before you exit ( donation $5.00), but you can board it and walk through the entire plane. Highly recommend We spent 3 hours there .

6. Coachella Valley History Museum

82616 Miles Ave, Indio, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92201-4228 +1 760-342-6651 http://www.cvhm.org
Excellent
60%
Good
30%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
2%
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4.5 based on 53 reviews

Coachella Valley History Museum

Temporarily Closed The museum campus contains the Smiley-Tyler House, a 1926 adobe home which houses the main exhibits; the historic 1909 Indio Schoolhouse; and the Date Museum. Also, the spacious grounds hold a variety of gardens, including a Memorial Date Garden, a Japanese Garden, the Jardin Del Desierto, and the oldest Cork Oak tree in the Coachella Valley. Other highlights include our Submarine house, a Blacksmith shop, various farming equipment, and the Museum's archives.Visit us to learn about the history of the Coachella Valley from the story of early Native American communities to the present. The Coachella Valley History Museum is open the beginning of October to the end of May from 10am to 4pm on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and 1pm to 4 on Sunday.

Reviewed By Marty911 - Palm Desert, United States

Our Spanish club went to the museum and had a guided tour. We learned a lot of local area history and saw many artifacts. The guide was very helpful and knowledgeable. The date museum was also very interesting. This is certainly worth the visit.

7. Village Green Heritage Center

219 S Palm Canyon Dr # 223, Palm Springs, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92262-6310 +1 760-323-8297 http://pshistoricalsociety.org
Excellent
47%
Good
34%
Satisfactory
13%
Poor
6%
Terrible
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Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 32 reviews

Village Green Heritage Center

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