Our group of six traveled from Australia to the US for a family vacation in California. We let the kids pick Disneyland or Palm Springs. We were pleasantly surprised they chose the latter. We had so much fun in the desert destination, which proved more exciting than any theme park. While planning our California family vacation from Australia, we asked our year-old twins and their two friends one question: After visiting Los Angeles, should we go to Disneyland or Palm Springs?
Given their love of Marvel movies and thrill rides, we assumed the theme park would win instantly. However, they unanimously voted to visit Palm Springs. We were speechless, and my wife was very excited. She'd always wanted to explore this desert oasis but had never imagined our teens would be the ones to make it happen. After just two days, the whole family agreed Palm Springs was an excellent choice.
After spending some time in bustling Los Angeles, we headed to the quiet streets of Palm Springs. The teens were fascinated by the area's mid-century architecture , and the laid-back atmosphere was a welcome change from the busy city. They loved tracking the town's famous statues of notable people when walking down Palm Canyon Drive.
While there, we tried date shakes โ one of Palm Springs' signature drinks โ at Great Shakes. The local dates create a rich, caramel-like sweetness that elevated each flavor combination we tried. Topped with its trademark mini doughnut, my peanut-butter date shake disappeared quicker than it should have.
Even my kid who usually avoids dates admitted his shake was surprisingly good. One of the trip's highlights was riding the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, the world's largest rotating tram car. Around this time is when we saw a different side of our children. Instead of dragging their feet or complaining about long walks, they eagerly led us on several trails.
