Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Sun, Fun

Palm Springs, home of the popular Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, is only a couple of hours from Los Angeles or San Diego, and a savvy getaway for SoCal locals. Why go? For the sun, of course, and the clean dry air. And you can save time and 17 percent per person with a special offer of Tramway discount tickets with a new coupon code.

If nothing else, you can rag on the rich. Palm Springs stereotypes include lush golf courses, expensive condos, millionaires and movie stars escaping Hollywood between scripts. The California cliché: decadence and self-indulgence. I learned to play golf in Palm Springs. And I don’t golf, just saying. Anyone can get into the vibe around here if you try. Wanna try?

The sun shines more than 300 days a year in Palm Springs. You can swim in glamorous pools at 5-star resorts, visit the hot springs, go to the spa, ride the tram, shop, dine out, play golf, hike, take a desert hummer tour, and plenty more. The scene includes views of the majestic Mount San Jacinto Mountains, San Andreas fault, and the whole Mojave Desert oasis experience. The architecture is a mix of Spanish Colonial and mid-century modern.

My favorite activity is a trip on the PS Tram to catch the most spectacular view. It gets you out of the sweltering heat on the valley floor during the summer, and you’ll see snow (sometimes) in winter. Want Tramway deals? Read on.

Savvy 6 Palm Springs Activities

1. Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (with discount)

The PS Tram takes you up a 2 1/2 miles to the 14,000 acre Mt. San Jacinto State Park. See why the tram has been called the “eighth wonder of the world.” Take the tram to the Mountain Station at an elevation of 8,516 feet and you’ll pass through five unique life zones — from hot Mexican Sonoran Desert to Alpine Wilderness. Up top, you can hike in the summer snowshoe in the winter, dine in two restaurants, or visit a natural history museum.

1. BEST DEAL: Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Discount Tickets — Use Coupon Code PSAT55 (only valid here) for a total of $2.45 off per ticket (extra $1 off) and no added fees – total price $22.50.
   HOW: Use the code at checkout to get the additional dollar off the already discounted rate with this trusted ticket source. These are “Any Day” Print-At-Home tickets. (You’d pay full price and have to select your date/time if you got tickets on the Tram’s website.)
2. BEST FOR PEAK DAYS: A second trusted source lets you book specific days in advance for $24.95 with no added fees, which guarantees you’ll get in even on the most busy days.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

• SCHEDULE: Monday-Friday first Tram up 10am. Last Tram up 8pm Last Tram down 9:45pm. Saturday, Sunday and holidays first Tram up 8am.
• ADDRESS: Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, One Tram Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262 (just minutes from downtown Palm Springs and just a two-hour drive from Los Angeles or San Diego).
• SAVVY TIP: Palm Springs Aerial Tramway honors Military Days in July, so all active and retired military personnel with valid military IDs get a free ride.
• PALM SPRINGS HOTELS: Start your Palm Springs hotel search on TripAdvisor’s Top 10 list.

2. Wet ‘n’ Wild Waterpark Palm Springs (with discounts)

This 16-acre water park is a fun activity, especially for families. You can often grab a Goldstar or Groupon deal for Wet ‘n’ Wild discount tickets of nearly half off. Although it’s only open during the summer months (mid-March to mid-October), this is a great place to cool off in the hot desert. The park rocks a ’50s SoCal surf and beach town vibe, and has an 800,000-gallon wave pool, surf machine, water slides and tubes; water playhouse, a six-story funnel raft ride, and more. Address: Wet ‘n Wild Palm Springs, 1500 S. Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, California.

3. Go Shopping

At the center of the downtown you’ll find the shopping district with plenty of designer shops, boutiques, restaurants,  art galleries, and museums. Many of the shops stay open late, so you can shop until you drop, and then crawl to one of the local pubs or nightclubs, like The Hair of the Dog.

4. Take a Hike

• Indian Canyons — a 10-minute drive from downtown Palm Springs, the Indian Canyons are four canyons preserved by the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians and open – for a fee – to the general public for hiking, horseback riding and picnicking.
• Palm Canyon — Hiking the 15-mile-long is moderate, with a gradual inclines and a partially paved path that takes you down into the picaresque canyon. You ‘ll find good picnic spots and a Trading Post near the trail head.
• Tahquitz Canyon — An easy two-mile loop hike that includes a 60-foot waterfall during the wet season. Families could easily do this hike with children and it takes less than two hours.

5. Visit Museums

On a hot day, stay cool in on Museum Way. You can visit the Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs Air Museum, Cornelia White House, McCallum Adobe, and the Sheldon Storybook Land Doll Exhibit. My fave is the Air Museum.

• Palm Springs Air Museum — Huge collection of vintage airplanes from World War II, wartime memorabilia, combat photography, murals, documentaries and interactive exhibits that let you gorge on aviation history. Army and Navy aircraft is the focus, including the B17 Bomber, Spitfire and MIG21. The flight simulator is most popular with kids. Address: 745 N Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, CA 92262.

6. Palm Springs Tours

Several Palm Springs tours are available in the area (find tickets) from bike tours to jeep tours, hiking or rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park, biplane tours, Hummer tours, Desert Eco/Nature tours, and Movie Stars Homes tours. Here are five I’ve done personally and thought you might like.

• Biplane Tours — From the open cockpit of an authentic World War II plane (1942 Vultee BT-13 warbird or 1940 Stearman Biplane), 1,000 feet above the valley, over the foothills and canyons. Leather helmet and goggles included. Read reviews of people who did this.

• Nature Tours — Nature buffs might want to check out the Palm Springs Wildlands Preserve Nature Tour, or Joshua Tree National Park Van Tour, or Wildlands Preserve Nature Tour. Also for the short list: The Living Desert zoo and botanical garden {see all}.
• Hummer Tours — If you’d like a cross country cruise through the desert landscape, two popular options are the Joshua Tree Hummer Adventure {details} and San Andreas Fault Hummer Tour {details}, both around three hours long.
• Indian Canyons Jeep Tours — {details} A rugged, deep in the canyon 3-hour, small group Jeep and hiking tour to the ancestral home of the Cahuilla tribes. Includes a walk along a palm-lined stream to see the traces of historic Native American settlements, and a shady desert oasis walk to a seasonal spring.
• Hollywood Movie Star Homes Tour — A movie star haven since the 1920s, a popular celebrity crushy activity is to tour on your own (or book a guided tour) to see the old actors’ homes, including: Elvis Presley, Walt Disney, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Elizbeth Taylor, and Liberace.