Great tour! Fantastic guide! Comfy van! Can't go wrong with this tour. You get all the highlights…read morein a short time.

When visiting Palm Desert in mid-February, the concierge recommended the Legends & Icons tour with…read moreFive Star. We met up with Annette and her sprinter van which was packed to the gills! We got the very last seats in the back with our friends. It was an unseasonably cold day with pouring rain. PS gets 1-4" rain per year, and received 1" of that on the day of our tour! Annette said the heat was on (and I did feel it further upfront when disembarking), but I was freezing the entire time in the last set of seats. The tour itself was good - Annette was full of stories and very entertaining. We were glad we opted for a guided tour like this versus a self-guided walking tour. It lasted close to 2 hrs and costs $130/person. Note that the tour did NOT include the tour of the Rat Pack Hideway specifically listed on their website tour description spelled out below. The asterisk they added just lists the people who partied and played, and the elongated plus sign was probably meant to be a disclaimer that we may not see this property, but there is no such disclaimer or explanation of that symbol anywhere that I could find on their site. "The Rat Pack Hideaway: Tour the private property of The Rat Pack Hideaway, where Frank, Dino, and Sammy partied and played.*† ( We are the only company given access to exclusive movie star properties.)" Regardless, the tour was good with lots of info and recommendations for places to eat and explore further (although covered so quickly the none of us could recall specifics after we left!) It was hard to see much of some homes, hidden behind gates/landscaping. A tour of an actual home, such as the Rat Pack hangout, would have been awesome.

Really enjoyed the Victorian home tour with a docent! We came here on Saturday at 12 and we had…read moreMichelle as the tour guide, she was very informative and articulate. Felt like we went through time travel because we were able to witness old fashioned interiors and antiques. Some of the furniture were still there since the 1800's. Amazing. Intrigued. Intricate details on the doors walls and furniture. Learned that Riverside was a very affluent city from oranges. Sugar was very valuable back then and Chinese servants worked at the Victorian mansion. Makes me appreciate how much technological advancement there has been to make the modern life more efficient and convenient.

Riverside historical heritage house hosts community events throughout the year. You can hang out on…read morethe courtyard and enjoy some live music with local musicians, ice cream and crafts for kids. The house tour takes a few groups at a time while you can learn about the history of the home. Will require stairs. There's also the back shed area with historical items and tools, vehicles. Welcoming and friendly staff. Parking lot across the street is usually open for community events.

The last time that we've been it was just for a walk around the garden and the museum area. If you…read morehaven't been, it's beautiful. Free to visit and you can enjoy the cactus garden and wander around the gardens. Museum and gift shop as well as cafe is on sites. But this visit, we took the tour of the Annenberg property. Tour is about 90 min and about 60.00 per person. They do recommend you come a little early to view and enjoy the main building where the cactus garden was but we were a little behind and made it right before the tour started. The tour host 7 person per guided tours. We start off at check in and then met with our guide, Hema. At the beginning you start off on the golf carts where your guide gives you an introduction to the family and the property. The gate into the main residence is around the corner from the public property. It's amazing to see how someone turned a barren desert landscape into an oasis. The brief cart ride to main door was quite nice. A massive golf property hidden in the desert. Once you approached the main property, it's welcomed by a massive water feature. A knock on the double doors lead you into the lobby of the house. Just walking into the property, it's a true MCM oasis. To find out the property only has just the primary bedroom was insane as it was massive. Theres no picture allowed inside but outside was fine. Hema, very detailed in everything she explained was very sweet and detail oriented. Walking through the different rooms and seeing all the amazing things collected by both Walter and Leonore Annenberg was quite interesting. The office which house all of Walter's work, pictures of family, friends and political figures. The different room that's in the main house, their amazing artwork which some are the original pieces. Then you have the way they lived, very elegantly. Each room had their own unique style. The designer and architect sure had their hands full with detail designed of everything on site. The furniture, one of a kind design with amazing embroidery. Walter had an amazing collection of artwork and sculptures. Seeing them throughout the house and the way it was displayed in different room of the house was spectacular. Even the kitchen was nice. Still fully functional as it's still used for summits. The outside alone is one in a million. The massive property with many lakes that is fully stocked for fishing. The golf course which is a golfers heaven. And then you have the pool with a million dollar view of the mountains as the backdrop. Not only the main house, there's the guest house which is utilized for guest. And they're know by different color rooms. And by that, it's fully decorated in the color palette. That building also all looks out to the pool and mountain. Leonore, with her favorite color yellow also had a rose garden designed in the property. The tour lets you inside the lives of the Annenberg and the amazing lives they've lived. Housing major political figures, celebrities and the amazing parties had. The massive art collection and endless photos of everyone, it was a sight to see. This is a tour worth checking out and learning about the Annenberg. Plus, Hema our tour guide was excellent.

We were in Palm Desert for 12 days. Upon arrival I tried unsuccessfully to get tickets for the…read moreHistoric House Tour and the Open Air Experience. The tours were either sold out or had one spot available. There were 2 of us. I would recommend purchasing tickets online before you arrive to Palm Springs because of the popularity of the tours. You cannot purchase tickets by phone, email or in person. There are no waitlists either. We walked among the garden area, visited the small but great gift shop, watched the movie about Sunnylands and viewed the current exhibition. The next time we're in the Palm Springs area I will definitely plan ahead and purchase tickets way in advance.

Annette is an extraordinarily gifted tour guide. My 92 year old aunt and I loved every minute of…read morethe information packed, Tour #1, "Legends and Icons" We saw Palm Springs through the eyes of longtime resident, Annette, who shares her deep affection for her town and its people, history, and unique geographic features. We actually felt genuine pathos as she shared the little known and very touching details of each location along the tour. The way it works is to travel in a super modern luxury van while Annette drives and comments and stops at points along the way. This is not a walking tour. This is not a go-inside-the homes/businesses tour. This is a thorough overview of the Palm Springs area including parts of adjoining locals. The brochure is clear and accurate. What I can add to it is that Annette makes the experience really special and makes you feel like she really cares that you have a great tour. It's proof of the old saying, "nobody cares how much you know unless they know how much you care." Annette cares a lot about Palm Springs and about her business of giving tourists an outstanding tour of the area. We are so glad we took this tour.

Great company! Five Star creates wonderful experiences for people...the tours are interesting and…read morehelpful and their dinner events are entertaining!! Great company with wonderful people.

Thanks to the research of Super Elite Yelper Gary I., we were able to tour the Phillips Mansion in…read morePomona prior to dinner nearby. The mansion, built in 1875 and maintained by the Pomona Historical Society, was the home of the one-time "richest man in LA County", Louis Phillips. Tours are conducted by reservation only and as of this writing, can be reserved here: https://www.pomonahistorical.org/phillips-mansion for $15. Our docent, pictured below, gave us many interesting details and pertinent history of the building. The grounds are lovingly maintained; the building itself could be called a "fixer-upper". It's good to see the work in progress and the building does seem to be in good hands. This tour is very highly recommended.

We enjoyed immensely the Phillips Mansion and Currier House tours yesterday afternoon. We…read moreappreciated our docents' enthusiasm and knowledge regarding the history and preservation of these buildings. The main goal for the Currier House currently is weatherproofing it from further damage. I hope that the Pomona Historical Society finds success in obtaining funding and the proper skilled craftsmen to restore it again someday.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about our experience here at Rubel Castle. Our host, guide,…read moreand local "Rubelligent" volunteer, Ms. Kathleen had all the intel about this historical property. She was so knowledgeable and helped set the stage for us to slip into a forgotten era and get a glimpse of how imagination met inventiveness with a DIY charm. ~ A LITTLE BACKSTORY FOR YOU ~ It's not pronounced Rubel as Barney from Flintstones. Rather, it's like Target is to Targét when we are trying to be fancy. So that's Rubel as in "Roo-bell." Unlike modern-day construction, Rubel Castle wasn't built overnight. It was made of collected recyclables and construction rubble that spanned many decades and took several friends and volunteers to build it. For Michael, however, the lifetime inspiration was first sparked at the age of 9. His love for canons was where it started and the rest is history you can hear about on the tour. But don't just show up like we did randomly one day. To book, visit RubelTours.org and make a reservation. ~ OUR TOUR EXPERIENCE ~ It's as if Michael Rubel, the creator and mastermind of this enchanted dominion had intended it to be--magical. Built in the castle period of wood and tin, every corner captured our interests, from antique cars to the 1890's Seth Thomas Tower Clock with a unique backstory (and only six in existence today). There were old vending machines, tools, trinkets, and machinery that time had long forgotten. Did I mention there was a drawbridge? Yes, and a dungeon too. I was just waiting for a dragon to come swoop down on us next. Walk in the footsteps of famous visitors like Alfred Hitchcock, Dwight Eisenhower, Jack Benny, and Bob Hope. It's a feast for the eyes no matter where you glance. I particularly enjoyed the bottle house that Michael built in 1968 as his "home" as a kid. That independent spirit was quite charming to see. ~ WATERCOLOR NATURESCAPE ~ We were fortunate to have our gracious host lead us on a tour and organize a special art crafting experience outdoors. It was absolutely lovely beneath the trees and between rusted vintage cars from the turn of the century. We each got a small canvas to paint our flowers in watercolor. (This particular experience takes place in the Spring and Fall, weather permitting.) We heard the squirrels rattling in the leaves and birds chirped and sang in the trees above. We discovered that peacocks apparently originated from this property, compliments of Michael Rubel. And did I mention that on the far side of the property, a custom garden was in full bloom? BOOK A TOUR Help support the Glendora Historical Society and keep this magnificently unique city-castle maintained. It's worth it.

A castle in Glendora? Yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you--Rubel Castle is real, it's magnificent,…read moreand it's gloriously eccentric. Thanks to the sheer persistence (and probably delightful stubbornness) of Michael Rubel, we now have this quirky, towering State Treasure sitting right in the middle of Glendora like a fairy tale that accidentally took a detour through a hardware store. This place is beautifully done, and part of its charm is that it's a full-on hodgepodge of relics, antiques, crystal trinkets, and "wait... what is that doing here?" moments tucked into every nook and cranny. You'll marvel, you'll laugh, you'll squint in confusion--honestly, it's everything you'd want in a castle built with love, imagination, and a dash of madness. And let's talk about the makeshift cemetery. Quirky? YES. Fun? Absolutely. Slightly spooky? Only if your imagination is over-caffeinated. But it fits the vibe perfectly--like the castle whispered, "You know what I'm missing? A tiny cemetery." The tours are fantastic, the guides are passionate, and the whole experience feels like you're stepping into a living scrapbook of California history and charming chaos. Overall: Amazing, amazing place. Book your tour. They only do tours every first Sunday of the month, so set your alarms, mark your calendars, tie a string around your finger--just don't miss it. Rubel Castle is truly a California State Treasure, and an absolute must-see for anyone who appreciates creativity, history, and a little eccentric sparkle.

To start I want to say we had a fantastic time, and the only reason for three stars is because of…read moretechnical issues that I think can totally be fixed. We did the Joshua Tree UFO tour outside the park. We even dressed up with tin foil hats and our dog in a ufo costume to really get into the mood. The first half of the tour was very very cool and we had a lot of fun. There were many interesting stops and we saw a lot of cool stuff. Here's where I think can be improved. The second half of the tour puts you way farther on a dirt road than feels comfortable. If you have an off road vehicle it probably would be way better. Unfortunately my car didn't fare so well. What really sucked is you cannot skip a clue unless you are basically on top of it. I would have loved the option to skip a clue entirely without having to be so close or travel to that spot at all. We weren't comfortable traveling further into the desert, and with no option to skip we ended up giving up. If that feature is ever fixed or allows you to skip entirely without having to travel to that spot, I would purchase another tour. Overall we loved it and had a great time

Wow! Joshua Tree has some great hidden gems. We had so much fun solving the all the clues and…read moreriddles. We get like we were in a treasure hunting movie Plus, we got so many great photos. 10/10 would recommend. P.S. We decided to take 'The Secret Tour' because it was their most popular. We went to a ton of really cool locations. There's a lot of weird culty/ufo culture. We loved the tour.

Great tour! So much history shared. Host was amazing and knowledgeable. Highly recommend!!!read more

From the owner: Yuma Uncovered is dedicated to the preservation of Yuma's unique history and culture through…read morehistoric tours and events.

Kat was my guide for gaslamp walking ghost tour experience. She was funny and very knowledgeable…read more Safety was her number 1 priority as she reminded us about road safety when we're about to cross the road. The amount of info she knows about the locations were incredible, considering that she remembered it without reading a script. Wonderful experience whether you're a believer or not in the paranormal. My partner and I captured a few orbs in the last location where we got to enter in the haunted home.

We just had our tour with our company and it was so much fun! The hosts were amazing, and the tour…read morewas so much fun and interactive. We experienced some interactions that were so awesome! Everyone in our company raved about it! I am excited to check out a night time tour.

Five years ago we were scheduled to visit Palm Springs and then covid struck. We canceled our trip…read moreand the walking tour with this group. To our surprise they refunded our tickets. We didn't expect that from a not-for-profit. Very nice. So five years later we are back and we booked the Rat Pack walking tour ($40/person) for a 2.5 hour tour. We met our excellent guide David in the Vista Las Palmas neighborhood. We go on many historic and architectural tours/walking tours at home and when we travel and this one was exceptional. David did a great job blending architecture, history and Hollywood glitz in his tour. He knew his stuff and he did it with great humor. The pictures also helped. He also did a good job of keeping us in the shade since it was zooming towards 90 degrees. We cannot recommend this tour enough especially if David is leading it. When we return I will look into other Historical Society tours and hope David is our guide!

What an asset the Historical Society is for Palm Springs. The small museum is packed with…read moreinteresting information . I went on a bike tour today and enjoyed the experience, Lisa, who is a volunteer, was informative and caring. I learned so much about Modernism. We even saw some celebrates homes ,past and present, Thanks for making your visitors feel welcome.