ICONIC

If you’re visiting a new place and want to explore a bit, you can’t go wrong with taking a tour. Tours have evolved a lot over the past few years, and now some of them do not even require a guide. From exhilarating to educational, tour guests can both learn a lot and have tons of unforgettable fun, all in one place. The Palm Springs, California area offers many excellent different tour options, but 5 of the best tours available are outlined below.

Best tours in Palm Springs

Windmill Tour

Who would’ve thought that windmills could be so fascinating? The Palm Springs Self-Driving Windmill Tours are undeniably a perfect way to spend an hour and a half looking at now-defunct windmills, some of which were a complete failure and others that were quite functional for a while, as well as an active wind turbine that allows visitors to get up close and take photos. A solar farm and a non-operational gas plant are also included on these self-guided tours, which are booked 15 minutes apart so each car’s group has plenty of time to look around at each stop. Upon arrival, guests are given a tablet with video and audio guidance for the $49, 10-stop tour. The Palm Springs Windmill Tours company also offers a bring-your-own-bike tour for $20 in which guests bring their own mountain bikes and see basically the same stops as the driving tour. The company encourages you and your friends or family members to become “wind energy nerds” and take one of their unique tours.

Best self-guided tours in Palm Springs

Modern Tours Palm Springs Driving Tour

Driving tours have become increasingly popular because groups can go at their own pace, skip certain stops if desired, and make longer stops at certain spots if they’d like. Some of the best options available in the Palm Springs area are the Modern Tours Palm Springs driving tours. Palm Springs is well-known for its architecture, seeing as renowned architects like Donald Wexler and E. Stewart Williams constructed many of the authentic mid-century modern style buildings. These tours all include multimedia resources including audio and photos along with thorough driving directions.

The three driving tours include the Celebrity Homes Tour that features 12 of the most popular celebrity homes in the area including Leo DiCaprio’s house and Bob Hope’s UFO-shaped house, a Modern Buildings & Homes 101 Tour that involves a 90-minute tour of hidden gems and iconic buildings, and a Modernism Top 10 Tour that is a thorough introduction to mid-century modern architecture for newbies looking to “oooh” and “aaah” at historic beauties. These tours cost $49 and there is also a Palm Springs Door Tour for $9 and a Seriously Selfie Tour for $4. The tours are all very well-researched and informative and truly give an in-depth guide to the rich history of Palm Springs and its mid-century modern vibe. Book a tour today here.

Architecture tours in Palm Springs

Sunnylands Tour

One of the most popular yet underappreciated places in the Palm Springs area is the Sunnylands Center & Gardens estate. Designed by A. Quincy Jones in 1966, the 200-acre estate has been the locale of many diplomatic agreements as well as celebrity gatherings. Frank and Barbara Sinatra even got married at the estate in 1976, and luckily for today’s visitors, Sunnylands now offers tours. The gardens are free to walk around in and the ground is mostly flat so it isn’t a difficult 1.5-mile trek. Outdoor tours are also offered including the historic walk, the landscape tour, and an “estate bird walk.”

The house itself costs around $50 to tour, but it is well worth the price as the 25,000 square-foot dwelling is fascinating and the architecture is the typical Palm Springs mid-century modern style with massive glass walls and clean lines throughout the design. Former UK ambassador Walter Annenberg and his wife Lenore once ran the place, which still houses some of the artwork that was there when they were in charge including incredible works of Van Gogh and Monet. There are also sculptures and trinkets from around the world such as artifacts from the Tang, Ming, and Ching dynasty. Tickets sell out fast, so be sure to get yours early.

Best adventure tours in Palm Springs

Jeep Tour

Up for some off-roading? Take a Jeep Tour! There are a few different companies but one of the Top 3 Best Adventures to go on in Palm Desert according to TripAdvisor is the Desert Adventures Red Jeep Tours & Events. Seven different jeep tours are offered, and several of these include hikes. These include four tours through the San Andreas Fault as well as a tour through the Indian Canyons, a painted canyons tour, and a Joshua Tree National Park tour. The guides are truly passionate about the area and its history, so expect a very educational and informative experience when you take one or more of these tours. Prices vary based on which tour is chosen, but they start at $125 for a 2.5-hour hiking tour of the San Andreas Fault. Of course, you can go alone or with a small crew, but group and corporate packages are also offered and these include even more options including a tramway sightseeing tour, a Palm Springs celebrity home tour, a craft beer tasting tour, and a “Desert Speakers” tour in which “professional interpretive naturalist guides” share knowledge about the desert.

Adventure Hummer Tours

In addition to the above-mentioned Jeep tours, Hummer tours are also available in the Palm Springs area. For example, offering both Hummers and Jeeps, Hummer Campers is unique in that the company provides guests with their vehicle of choice and allows them to go on a self-guided adventure throughout the Palm Springs region. The Hummers provided are true off-roading H-1 and H-2 Hummer vehicles with military-grade parts. Hummer Campers offers an H-1 Open Air Hummer, an H-1 Hummer Van, and an H-2 Hummer Camper, which can all be taken around Palm Springs and into Joshua Tree National Park. The vehicles are all thoroughly inspected and have new engines, tires, brakes, and so on, and the company offers full liability road protection. Depending on the availability, the vehicle type, and the desired time frame, the Hummers start around $275 per night and some have a minimum of three nights. If you’re in the Palm Springs area, the company will even deliver the vehicle directly to where you are.

If you’re looking for an amazing tour in and around Palm Springs, you can’t go wrong with the ones outlined above, so get touring!