Witness A Desert Dawn

It seemed unlikely 125 years ago when an attorney from San Francisco named J.G. McCallum chose to trade his home in the chilly, damp, foggy Bay Area for a new one in the Mojave Desert, but the communities of Palm Springs and nearby Palm Desert are two of the most cherished and fastest developing areas in Southern California today.  Home to desert golf courses and convenient to historic Death Valley, Palm Springs and Palm Desert offer countless opportunities to vacationers and presently, there are some hot travel deals as well.

For example, these days tourists can get terrific romantic getaways. In addition, there are many activities for the family that are inexpensive, and in many instances, are free of charge. Those who are interested in outdoor activities, such as finding colorful native desert flora and the local ecology will come across a sufficient amount to interest them for weeks, if not months. Palm Desert has also encouraged a blossoming arts community, which is on-going throughout the year.

Human inhabitance in the Palm Desert-Palm Springs region dates back at least to the mid-1600s, and maybe as far back as 1500. The earliest people to live there were the Cahuilla Indians.  The Cahuilla Nation is still the largest landowner in the Coachella Valley. In the 1890s, the federal government divided the land between the Cahuilla Indians and the Southern Pacific Railroad, the latter as an incentive for development.

Since the late 1940s, when the initial commercial real estate development was planned, Palm Desert has been visited by celebrities that over the decades have included Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Bob Hope. Palm Springs took a little longer to catch up.  It was practically a ghost town until the early 1970s, but is now a year round vacation destination with numerous cabin rentals.

Because of its cloudless climate, with over 350 days of sun every year and a mere 5 inches of annual rain, golfing is one of the major activities in the area.  Numerous resorts in the area are providing golf rental deals for the summer.  Based on the day of the week and tee times, green fees start at below $20.

Of course, just because its summer vacation does not mean the kids have to stop learning. Palm Springs is also home to the Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium, which has exhibits of desert fauna and flora from all over the world.

Guests will also like the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway in which you and your family will ride from the Southwest desert to the Arctic tundra in what was once a hike that took several hours in under ten minutes. At the top of the San Jacinto Mountains, guests will find miles of hiking trails, spectacular views of 200 miles in all directions and even an opportunity to ride a burro. Afterwards, folks can refresh themselves at one of the two great restaurants at Mountain Station.