- Our group with six traveled from Australia to SH.BA for a family vacation in California.
- We let children choose Disneyland or Palm Springs. We were pleasantly surprised that they chose the latter.
- We were so entertained at the desert destination, which proved more exciting than any thematic park.
As we planned our family vacation in California from Australia, we asked our 18-year-old twins and their two friends a question: After visiting Los Angeles, should we go to Disneyland or Palm Springs?
Given their love for Marvel films and exciting trips, we assumed that the topic park would win immediately. However, they voted unanimously to visit Palm Springs.
We were speechless and my wife was very excited. She would always like to explore this desert oasis, but never imagined our teens would be the ones who would do it.
After only two days, the whole family agreed on Palm Springs was a great choice.
The desert vibes won us immediately
We saw statues, cactus and more at Palm Springs. Jurberg
After spending some time in Los Angeles, we headed to the quiet roads of Palm Springs.
The teens were fascinated by the architecture of the mid -century of the area, and the paved atmosphere was a welcome change from the busy city.
They wanted to trace the famous statues of the city of prominent people as they walked down Palm Canyon Drive. Although they knew who Marilyn Monroe was, they needed some history lessons about Lucille Ball and Sonny Bono.
Date triaks became part of our daily ritual
Date jokes are a popular drink in Palm Springs. Jurberg
As it was there, we tried the dating oscillations – one of Palm Springs’ signature drinks – in the big shakes.
Local dates create a rich, caramel -like sweetness, which raised every fragrance we tried. At the top with its trademark trademark, my shock of the peanut butter date disappeared faster than it should be.
Even my child who usually avoids the accepted dates that his shake was surprisingly good.
Air tram turned our teens into mountain guides
One of the highlights of the trip was driving in the Palm Springs air tram, the largest tram in the world.
The journey took us over 2 ½ miles to Mount San Jacinto State Park, where we enjoyed the panoramic desert view below.
About this time is when we saw another side of our children. Instead of pulling their feet or complaining about long walks, they eagerly taken us to some trails.
We loved breathing very much in the sweet aroma, similar to the vanilla of the pine pine, and we marveled in the spaces below. For once, their phones stayed mostly forgotten – mountain views proved more convincing than their screens.
We had a sudden link session at the Joshua Tree National Park
The children were entertained by posing for photos on the rocks. Jurberg
Only one hour by car by Palm Springs, the Joshua National Park offered a wonderful contrast to the desert we would just explore.
We spent a whole day walking short trails no more than an hour, intertwining in twisted trees joshua and clashing over massive rock formations.
The lack of cell service in Joshua Tree meant to experience a rarity: prolonged, genuine conversation with our teens.
The main event came when someone jokes about the rocks that made the perfect backdrop for album covers. Within minutes, our teens were directing their photography, hitting dramatic pose worthy of the 90s boys’ gangs on the sun -roasted stones.
These shots later made them in their social media sources-a clear sign that the park had won them.
We also have to maximize our interruption time at the hotel
Even at the coldest temperatures of December, our hotel equipment kept everyone entertained.
The night pickleball matches returned more and more competitive, with teens thickening us talking about services, while glowing pools provided perfect evening relaxation.
The teens, who usually retreat to their rooms after dinner, stayed with us to plan the next day’s adventures until the desert stars appeared.
We had an explosion, and our teens have already sought to return
Two days barely scratched the surface of what Palm Springs offers.
As we left, the teens were already ranking what they wanted to do during a return visit: Visit extra walks, go climbing to the rock in Joshua Tree and drink even more dating.
Although we never expected our children to choose Palm Springs over Disneyland, we are very happy they did – and we all had a great time.