I was recently in Palm Springs for a look-around. I told a friend I was going and he said the most…read moreimportant thing I could do was to go on the Modern Tour, to see the wonders of Palm Springs architecture from an insider's perspective. So I joined the caravan, piloted by Michael Stern, a scholar and expert on the subject. He guided us on a curated tour of fascinating places that made me realize Palm Springs is unique in the American experience, a world unto itself. Seeing the design sophistication of these homes was life-changing for me; I felt Palm Springs was the place I'd been looking for, and have begun looking at homes there. Michael's tour inspired me, and made me see the world differently. Don't miss it.

It was very enjoyable tour. It started in their office. Water and snacks available gratis. One…read morelovely book for sale if you want. Copies of the books go with you and are referenced during the trip. There is a car caravan and Bluetooth commentary by a knowledgeable Micheal. A shared transport vehicle is also available. He discusses different neighborhoods and points out notable homes. We signed up for the 2 home tour. They were beautiful and we learned so much during our tour. Pro tip. Wear shoes easy to slip off in case you tour a home where you need to remove your shoes. He will answer all your questions and is obviously passionate about the subject. Was it cheap, no. Was it worth it? Yes. Money well spent.

I've ridden the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway more times than I can count and almost every trip has…read morethe same goal: hiking to San Jacinto Peak. It's one of my favorite hikes in Southern California and the tram makes it possible without having to climb thousands of extra feet from the desert floor (though I have done that, too). The ride itself never gets old. In less than 10 minutes, you're whisked over 8,500 feet up the side of Mount San Jacinto aboard the world's largest rotating tramcar, giving everyone onboard panoramic views as the floor slowly turns. It's a pretty incredible engineering feat and one of the coolest ways to gain elevation. Not too mention, the sway as we pass the towers! What a ride! What I love most is how accessible the tram makes Mount San Jacinto State Park. Whether you're heading out for a quick nature walk, an overnight backpacking trip, or the trek to San Jacinto Peak, it opens up an alpine environment that seems worlds away from the desert below. My biggest gripe is the cost (of course). The price has steadily increased over the years and now parking is an added expense, too. As of June 2026, my AAA-discounted adult ticket was $31.60, plus parking (I believe it was around $10). It definitely adds up, especially if you're visiting with a group. One final tip: don't underestimate the temperature difference. It can be 100°F+ in downtown Palm Springs and 40-50 degrees cooler at the Mountain Station. Dress in layers and check conditions before heading up. Despite the increasing cost, this is still one of Southern California's most unique experiences and one I'll continue returning to year after year!

Thank goodness for the summer season pass. Helps with the parking, free with membership and…read moreunlimited rides up to the top. Plus the perks of 10 percent off for additional tickets for friends and family and 10 percent off at the bar on top. With the heatwave that's happening, it's nice to beat the heat and escape up to the top where it can be 30 percent cooler. Beat the heat but go for a hike. First tram of the day is at 10:00 am I believe. From there it runs about every 15 minutes or so. With your departure time, do come a little early as most likely there'll be a line. If you miss it, you'll have to wait for the next. Tram takes about 10 minutes or so to the top which the cart rotates so you can get a full 360 view the whole way up and down. Once to the top, you can check out your group picture that can be purchased. Theres the museum, shops, cafe, restaurant and bar as well as lockers. But most people like coming for the hiking and camping. I've never done the camping thing but have seen people who did. Also loads of people with their rock climbing gear. We like to come up to escape the heat and do some hiking. A couple hours in natures and the fresh air. Before any hike, you have to go to the ranger station to get a permit. That's for your safety incase anything happens, you get lost or miss the last tram down. It's a form that ask the basic information. Name, address, phone, car info, time your starting the hike and what hike you're doing. They want to make sure you're safe. After you complete the hike, drop off your copy of the permit into the mailbox and you're done. We've done the hike a few times already so we know what to expect. It's alway beautiful just taking it in and enjoying nature. It's still pretty warm but nothing compare to the triple digits that's happening down in the valley. Trails are pretty moderate so it's pretty nice by yourself which we've seen so many single person or with a group. The higher the elevation, you can get a nice breeze. Also more than likely you will not have cell service but certain spot along the trail, signal will come through here and there. This was our first time actually seeing any kind of animals in the wild. Beside the ground squirrel and lizards of sort. Coming down one of the trails, we caught some deers stopping by the creek for some water. The one did noticed us and starting galloping away which there was two others. A family I believe. That was a first and such a cool experience to see while hiking. I've seen deers loads of time at other trails but to see it here, for a first time it was nice. Afterwards we ran into one of the ranger, Nick who is a major sweetheart. If you ever happen to take one of his guided tour, it is worth it. He's great with nature. Plus, there's a bar at the station where a nice cold one is the perfect treat after a hike. It was a little of an ordeal with the tram heading back down but we managed. The first time , there was 5 minutes left before they started loading people on so we decided to do a quick restroom run but when we got back, they were at full capacity. Second round, there was a guided tour group which they took the whole tram. So that was a second time missing the tram down. We finally got on with the third try. Of course it was a blast the whole way down. Gil who was in charge of our tram down literally was the best. It was a party going down with the best song choices and everyone getting into it and singing along. Made the ride down much more exciting and enjoyable. If you haven't been up, it's worth it for the views and the hikes. Of course nature.

Not much on display. A few fashion photos, no architecture. Cheeky volunteer. No place to sit…read more Bathroom was fine fine

As a valley resident, I had a wonderful time on our tour learning about modern architecture. There…read morewere locations that I never even knew existed, let alone the history of those buildings. Our tour guide Tommy made the experience one of a kind. His passion and expertise kept me engaged throughout the 2.5 hour tour. I want to thank our driver Tammy as she made sure we all stayed on course and on time. I would highly recommend everyone to try this tour and see what Palm Springs has to offer.

My husband and I decided to try Tours by Locals of Palm Springs because neither one of us had ever…read morebeen to this town. We are glad that we were able to find this service because we did not want to be on a bus tour. We like the idea of being able to have a private tour. We took the Mid-Century Modernism Tour. Our guide, Jack, was very professional and courteous. He was very informative and humorous at the same time, speaking in a dulcet tone; would be great in broadcasting. We liked that the tour was very interactive and we could ask Jack questions and he glibly answered them. We enjoyed checking out all the landmarks and various neighborhoods to get a sense of what Palm Springs was about (a really interesting and welcoming desert oasis for sure!). When we come back to Palm Springs, we are going to check out Jack's other tours.

Tours by locals is a tour site that advertises that you can "go at your own pace" and private tours…read morefor singles or small groups that are completely customizable. Our group of 3 tested their limits and found them fully satisfactory in all areas. My wife and & had a friend from New Jersey who unexpectedly had one half of a day free and had never been to Palm Springs. Jack A. would be our guide for a 2 1/2 hour tour of celebrities homes and local places of interest. The problem was that we did not know when we would get into town. Jack A was completely flexible with the times and ended up giving us a night tour. Jack was knowledgeable with not only the homes but also the stories of celebrities' true experiences. His information flow was non-stop and very interesting. Also, he had a professional quality voice. He allowed us to dally or get out of the car he provided. He was patient and accommodating. The cost was very, repeat very, affordable for our group of 3 and I highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to learn about Palm Springs. I doubt most of the residents know what we do. Thank you, Jack, for a great tour!

Scott is an excellent guide. We arranged everything through email correspondence which I prefer for…read moresimplicity. We met near the trail and followed him into the park. He had everything we needed: water and hip packs to carry the water, trail snacks, hats, etc. we started down the trail and he provided lots of information about the flora along the trail. The hike itself was fantastic along the creek and crossing it was fun. Scott was upfront with us about getting feet wet but it was a lot of fun jumping rocks across the creek. The waterfalls were awesome as well as the extra trail to a scenic overlook where you can see all the way to Palm Springs. Scott also took numerous pics for us along the way. Overall this was a fantastic experience. Thank you Scott!!!

I came with a group of 14 people from Google Inc. for a guided tour at Mount San Jacinto. FYI the…read moreState Park doesn't provide guided tours and the Palm Springs Tram recommended Scott. Scott was amazing! He was able to accommodate a tour within the hour time we had. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed Scott's knowledge of the area. He is seriously the sweetest and the right energy you want to have on a hike. Within the hour we had some really great views. Would do again and recommend going with Scott.

Great learning experience and amazing artifacts. Native American cultures have so much for use to…read morelearn from. Go get educated my Anglo friends.

I visited Tahquitz Canyon Waterfall with my friends, and unfortunately, the experience was…read moreextremely disappointing because of how we were treated by the staff. At the toll gate, we politely asked if it was possible to complete two separate transactions for our entrance fees. The employee responded in a rude and disrespectful manner and told us that because we asked the question, we would not be allowed to enter. We were confused and asked for the reason. At that point, she threw our credit card and ID back at us, told us to leave, and called a ranger. When the ranger arrived, he immediately told us to leave. When we tried to explain what happened and ask questions, he became aggressive and told us to "shut the [expletive] up." He stated that he could do whatever he wanted because it was his territory and that it was not U.S. territory. I went to the main office to file a complaint, but the same ranger followed me there and continued repeating that he was the one in power. This was one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever had. I came to enjoy a beautiful natural location with friends, but the way we were treated by the staff was disrespectful and unacceptable. I hope management reviews this situation and provides better training for employees on how to treat visitors.

I've booked trips with Great Safaris 3 times--twice to South Africa and Zimbabwe, and this most…read morerecent trip to Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. The first 2 trips were put together by an employee who has since retired; she was incredible, very responsive, had everything squared away for us. This 3rd trip was put together by Guillaume Van Wyck at Great Safaris. The accommodations were excellent and we'll be returning to Kenya to several of them. The overall trip was really great, and was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as we anticipated. HOWEVER... communication from Great Safaris was not good. I had to email repeatedly to get answers to questions. Information about obtaining visas was non-existent, and when we had issues, we got a last-minute email that would have been helpful earlier. A hot-air balloon excursion in the Serengeti wasn't scheduled for us (even though we paid for it), so we didn't get to take it; Great Safaris did refund our money, but we wish we could have taken the excursion. Serious mistake on their part. Questions about scheduling went unanswered; we didn't get itinerary times until we were in Africa, and only by asking the people at the lodges. Great Safaris should have provided all of that to us. All in all, we would recommend a safari trip for anyone loving animals and a truly amazing experience. BUT WE WOULD NOT RECOMMEND GREAT SAFARIS.

We just returned from a 40 day trip to Africa completely arranged by Dave Herbert and Great…read moreSafaris. We were completely satisfied not only with the accommodations and assistance provided and arranged by them but also the very complete itinerary they provided. Mr. Herbert takes personal interest in your travel and it shows. Highly Recommended

One of the best experiences of my life. Do not listen to the poor reviews. Remember that most…read morepeople that write reviews are doing so to complain, and you also have to realize that hot air ballooning is extremely dependent on the weather so what is possible is always changing. That being said, these guys were extremely friendly, knowledgeable and absolute pros at what they do. At no point did I feel unsafe or scared. And it was very exciting, they did low flybys near houses, ponds and golf courses, as well as reaching 2,000 ft altitude. Not just a lift off and fly straight to your landing zone. It was a surreal, euphoric experience and do NOT hesitate in booking this experience. Worth every penny. Looking forward to coming back next year.

These guys are great. Total pros that have been doing this forty years and racing all over the…read moreworld. There are some bad reviews here, but I can't relate. Our experience was great, start to finish.