The first time I visited Palm Springs on a non-work trip was several years ago when my family went over the Christmas holiday. We stayed at La Quinta, and quickly feel in love with the area – the lovely property, the dependable weather, and the lush golf courses. The travel proved delightful as well with a direct flight, tiny airport, and rental cars on-site. It wasn’t until several years later, after a dear friend moved to Palm Springs, that we truly experienced the area of Palm Springs proper. Since that time we’ve rented houses with the full family for golf vacations, Trevor and I have taken a trip together for a long weekend, and I’ve made a few trips solo for quality time with my girlfriend. Based on the number of new and delightful places I experience on each visit, there are no shortages of fun things to do and interesting places to see in Palm Springs, but listed below are some of my favorite spots to hit, with pictures from a recent trip in December.

The scenery. This is the view you have in much of Palm Springs. The palms and mountains are a beautiful backdrop for lounging, a leisurely walk, or a morning run before the sun gets too intense.
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The forecast for this past Saturday looked to be pretty fantastic, and since we weren’t headed to the cabin we thought we would take a drive to show the kids where their mommy and daddy went to college about a hundred years ago. Trevor and I both loved where we went to school, but we have made it back only on one or two occasions. The campus has changed a lot (as have we!) but its beauty remains. It was a perfect, pretty day and we seemed to have the grounds to ourselves. Trevor and I could walk around leisurely as the kids ran ahead to explore.

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I’ve never been a big fan of outdoor activities in the winter. Ice skating, snowshoeing, and skiing (cross country or downhill) all just seem awfully chilly to me. And ice fishing? Never has entered my mind as a possibility. My kids follow along that same line of thinking, although I suppose I haven’t helped matters by not exposing them to the arena of outdoor winter sports. My parents have long referred to Taylor and Ella as “indoor kitties.” So when my brother said he wanted to surprise Taylor with ice fishing this past weekend, I thought the idea was ridiculous. However, between the snow, the cold temps and the wind, I was confident there would be any number of things to derail his crazy plan. But we woke the next day to a crystal clear, warm (relatively speaking) day. Several hours of the day were filled with a little preparation and a whole lot of snacks and sliders.

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