Palm Springs is a great destination for families because it offers a variety of outdoor activities, cultural attractions, and recreational facilities for children. Popular activities for kids include exploring Joshua Tree National Park, riding the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, or playing at the children’s museum. Additionally, Palm Springs is home to numerous water parks, mini-golf courses, and zoos, making it an ideal destination for families with children of all ages.
Our favorites to do with our kids;
• Visit The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens – The Living Desert is a zoo and botanical garden in Palm Springs featuring over 450 animals and 1,200 different species of plants.
• Go On A Guided Hike – The Coachella Valley area is full of amazing hikes for all skill levels, and there are many guided tours for kids.
• Take a Trip to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway – The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is the largest rotating aerial tramway in the world, and offers stunning views of the valley.
• Have Fun at the Palm Springs Air Museum – The Palm Springs Air Museum is home to one of the largest collections of WWII aircraft west of the Mississippi.
• Play at the Children’s Discovery Museum – The Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert is a great place for kids to explore and learn about the desert environment.
• Spend a Day at Wet n’ Wild Palm Springs – Wet n’ Wild Palm Springs is a water park with over 25 water slides and attractions.
• Go Horseback Riding – There are several stables in the area that offer horseback riding tours and excursions.
• Enjoy a Round of Mini Golf – There are several mini golf courses in the area, including Boomers, which offers two 18-hole courses.
• Explore The Palm Springs Art Museum – The Palm Springs Art Museum offers a variety of interactive and educational programs for kids.
• Spend the Day at Knott’s Soak City – Knott’s Soak City is a water park with over two dozen water slides and attractions.
Where to stay in Palm Springs with kids
Updated September 2026. The activity list above still holds. What it was missing is the part that decides whether a family trip to the desert works: the house. With children, three things matter more than location — a private pool you can see from inside, a fenced yard, and enough bedrooms that bedtime is not a negotiation.
The homes we manage in Palm Springs
- Acacia Retreat — 4 bedrooms, sleeps 8. A heated pool and spa with mountain views, a fire pit, built-in hammocks, complimentary laundry and pool toys, and themed bedrooms that children genuinely like. Close to downtown in a quiet neighbourhood. 4.83 across 477 reviews.
- Oasis Del Sol — 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, sleeps 8. The pool runs 3 feet at the shallow end to 6 feet, with optional heating, and there is a game room with arcade games and foosball for the hour before dinner. Central air throughout.
- Ultimate Outdoor Oasis — 3 bedrooms, sleeps 8, five minutes from downtown. Pool, hot tub, mini putting green, BBQ, fire pit and a hammock. Family and pet friendly. The primary bedroom has a king plus a trundle with two twin mattresses, which is why families book it.
- Sip Sip Away — 3 bedrooms, sleeps 8, with a full-over-full bunk room. Best suited to 6 adults and 2 children rather than 8 adults. Pool, hot tub, putting green and a mural built for photographs.
Two honest planning notes
September is still hot. Genuinely hot, not pleasantly warm. If you are travelling with small children, aim for late October through early December or February onwards. We wrote up the full seasonal picture in Palm Springs in the fall.
Ask about pool heating. From November the desert nights get cold and an unheated pool is no fun for children. Heating is optional at Oasis Del Sol, Ultimate Outdoor Oasis and Sip Sip Away; Acacia Retreat has a heated pool and spa. Send us your dates and we will tell you what that week will actually feel like.
What we stock for families
Pack and plays, high chairs, kid plates and cups, pool toys and games turn up across the portfolio, but not identically in every house. We listed exactly what is confirmed where in booking a vacation rental with kids: what we stock — only the gear we can confirm, nothing aspirational. If there is one item your trip depends on, message us and we will go and check.
More desert options across the valley on the Coachella Valley page, including the best family rentals in Indio and homes for groups of 8 to 12.
Booking on our site rather than a platform means no platform service fee, about 10 percent less on a like-for-like flexible booking, and a 96 percent refund up to 14 days before arrival shown at checkout.
Because there’s no place you’d rather be.
