Museums in Palm Springs, CA

While Palm Springs may be well known as a golf lover's paradise, golf is not all that Palm Springs has to offer. The wide variety of museums in the local area offer ample opportunity to discover and explore. As they span a broad range of topics, the museums in and around Palm Springs offer something for everyone.

Palm Springs Art Museum

Featuring nationally accredited art and some of the top touring exhibitions in the country, the Palm Springs Art Museum is the perfect place to spend an afternoon browsing. Here, you will find sculpture gardens, numerous galleries and a vibrant theater.

Palm Springs Air Museum

Airplane buffs will certainly not want to miss the opportunity to explore this museum. The museum contains an extensive collection of memorabilia, including photographs and even a restoration center.

Children's Discovery Museum

This is the perfect place to take the kids for an afternoon of fun and discovery. 8,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits create a museum the entire family can enjoy. The 6.5 acre campus includes an outdoor amphitheater, multipurpose performance center, citrus grove and museum store.

Coachella Valley Museum & Cultural Center

The Coachella Valley Museum & Cultural Center houses a permanent collection of historical artifacts and is located inside an original 1926 adobe home. A tour of the structure alone is worth the trip.

La Quinta Historical Society Museum

The La Quinta Historical Society Museum features a wide range of Cahuilla Indian artifacts as well as movie memorabilia and artifacts and memorabilia from famous visitors. The museum is housed in the oldest commercial building in the city; constructed in 1937.

Agua Caliente Museum

Although small, this museum has been dedicated to the preservation of the Agua Caliente tribe. It was this band of Native Americans, part of the Cahuilla Indians; that first discovered the area surrounding what is now Palm Springs. Displays in the museum include early photographs, basketry items that have been created by both present and past artisans and a full size Cahuilla kish.

Ruddy's General Store Museum

Step back in time to a re-creation of a general storing during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Original fixtures, products and medicines from that period are on display.

Palm Springs Desert Museum

The mission of this museum is to help others develop a better understanding of performing arts, natural science and art. Exhibitions, field trips and programs in archaeology are offered.

General Patton Memorial Museum

Pay tribute to the legendary general with a visit to this museum which seeks to provide insight into the training conditions which hundreds of thousands of men who fought in World War II endured. The site was actually handpicked by General Patton as he served as first commander of the Desert Training Center. The site was chosen for its similarity to North Africa, where many of the men in training would eventually be deployed. Eventually the site became the largest military installation in the world, both in terms of population as well as size. The museum itself is housed inside a 7,000 square foot facility.