Disclosure: This trip and activities were hosted, but all thoughts, opinions, and images are my own. #PalmSpringsCA #VisitPalmSprings
Family Vacation to Palm Springs, and Tips For Going to Palm Springs With a Toddler
My family and I love taking a family vacation to Palm Springs, CA. This was my third time going to Palm Springs, and as always, the friendly people, the warm air, and the serene landscape immediately puts you in a mode of relaxation! Although not my first trip there, it was going to be my first trip to Palm Springs with a toddler . However, the activities we had lined up and the hotel we stayed at made travelling with a toddler a breeze!
Desert Tasty Tours
When we first arrived, we were hungry from our drive, so it was perfect that we kicked off our trip with a food sampling tour of Downtown Palm Springs with Desert Tasty Tours. On the tour, you go to seven different locations for food sampling. Some places though, you get full regular portions! Definitely filling, and a good value. For the first stop, we went to Kaiser Grille for a glass of delicious wine and tri-tip sandwiches. I let them know I was a vegetarian, and they didn’t hesitate to accommodate me – they brought out a beautiful plate of their house made hummus with pita bread and cucumbers.
Next, we went to Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt. Although there are many Tutti Frutti locations, the one in Palm Springs is particularly special since they offer date shakes, and only use natural flavoring in their frozen yogurts! This had to be my toddler’s favorite stop of the trip.
We then had some olive oil and balsamic tasting at the store Olive A’Sudden, and even were able to take home a mini bottle of our choice. Next stop was Palm Spring’s famous Brandini Toffee, where we sampled toffee, toffee popcorn, and toffee brownies. The brownies were my personal favorite! And of course, we were given a little bag of toffee to take home! Our tour then headed over to the Hard Rock Hotel – the lobby, restaurant, and bar of the hotel had an amazing atmosphere! We were served edamame and popcorn shrimp (I just had an extra helping of edamame), along with strawberry Moscow mules.
We then headed to Bill’s Pizza, which looks like any ordinary pizza joint. However, the pizza was some of the best I had ever had, with a perfectly crispy crust with cheese baked in! We were served a whole large slice! But we had to save room too for our last stop: Lulu’s California Kitchen (one of my favorite Palm Springs restaurants). We finished off with a slice of chocolate cake; which is part chocolate cake part chocolate mousse:
The Desert Tasty Tour was quite intimate, with just four adults and my toddler! To be honest, I was a little nervous to go on this tour with my two year old, but it ended up being super easy since she kept busy sampling all the food along with us! And everyone on the tour loved to have her along. While we walked from venue to venue, our tour guide and owner of the tour company was very knowledgable about Palm Springs history and pointed out different historical facts about the buildings and the city. He was very easy to talk to, and clearly passionate about the restaurant industry. You can find out more about Desert Tasty Tours by visiting their site here.
Wet n’ Wild Water Park
The next day, my family and I went to Palm Spring’s Wet n’ Wild Water Park! It was my first time ever going to a water park, and it was a plus going with a toddler since ages 2 and under are free! Although there are plenty of water slides that are more thrilling for older kids, teens, and adults, there was also a lot for kids my toddler’s age. There’s a very large shallow section of the wave pool, as well as a lazy river (she rode on our lap, and went around about three times), and also a large (and very wet) playground area.
It is definitely an attraction where you can spend all day! They make it very handy to go with children, as they also have different sized innertubes and life jackets. You can learn more about Wet n’ Wild Water Park by visiting their site here.
The Living Desert Zoo
Ask anyone who has been on a trip to Palm Springs, and they will say a visit to The Living Desert Zoo in Palm Desert is a must! I recommend going first thing in the morning, so that it’s cooler. The zoo’s schedule is filled with different animal presentations, shows, talks from the zookeepers, and even times where you can feed giraffes! Since it’s not very hilly, like many other zoos, it’s easy to have young children run around and explore without getting too tired. My daughter’s favorite parts of The Living Desert Zoo was feeding giraffes carrots, the kid’s play area, and watching cheetahs run! You can learn more about The Living Desert Zoo by visiting their site here.
Accommodations
Our hotel, Desert Vacation Villas, also was the perfect place to stay when visiting with a toddler. They are condo-style hotel rooms, so have a kitchen, refrigerator, cribs, TV with kid stations on demand, everything you need to keep a toddler happy! We of course had plenty of pool fun at the hotel – it was one of my family’s favorite part of the trip! If you are headed to Palm Springs with kids, I can’t recommend Desert Vacation Villas enough! A bonus, there are lots of great restaurants and convenience stores surrounding the area, and is only a mile from the main portion of the downtown.
Palm Springs with a toddler is fun and relaxing for both your kids and adults, when you have lots of pool fun, include a trip to the zoo, the water park, and lots of tasty treats on a food tour! To learn more about great family-friendly Palm Springs attractions, be sure to check out the Conventions and Visitors Bureau for more information.
