Unique Palm Springs History and Celebrity Home Tour

Palm Springs is an international resort destination drawing visiting vacationers from all over the world. In addition to wonderful weather, natural beauty, and opportunity for outdoor adventure, many visitors are captivated with Palm Springs as the former “Playground of the Stars,” eager to learn a bit about our fascinating Palm Springs history, and see where Hollywood celebrities actually lived in Palm Springs.

If this interests you, there are several options. Narrated bus or van tours drive around neighborhoods where celebrities lived. These tours are easy; you sit in air conditioned comfort and are driven around with 8 (van) or 50 (bus) others. You get to see a lot of homes. Narration is usually good but pretty much a generalized overview. The downside is that you’re in a bus or van. There’s no chance to stop and take a closer look. You’re part of a group so the tour is not very personalized.

If you don’t want an organized tour you can pick up a map of celebrity homes from the Palm Springs Visitor’s Center and strike out on your own with a self-guided tour. The big advantage is that you can do this at your own pace, whether by bike, on foot or by car, stopping whenever you want for an up-close look. I think this approach gives a better feel for the neighborhoods than from inside a bus or van. However, you don’t have a guide to provide any history or back-story on the homes you are viewing – so it’s pretty much just a look at houses attached to a celebrity name.

Then there’s my alternative. Since this past April I’ve been providing guided, narrated walking tours of Old Las Palmas (the oldest and most notable Palm Springs celebrity neighborhood). My tours are small (no more than 4-6 guests per tour), casual, and personalized to the interests and desires of my guests. Not only do you have a chance to peek over walls and look through gates, if there’s an open house or estate sale you want to explore, we can do that as well. My tour covers about 1½ miles on flat city streets, and is a leisurely stroll taking 2-2½ hours, winding our way around homes built from 1925-2005.

  

When I begin each tour I ask guests what in particular they want to get from the tour. Often the response is, “How did Palm Springs become the city it is today?”

My tour uses the variety of homes in Old Las Palmas to show how various important events and decisions (from 1884 to present) have impacted the growth of Palm Springs. Our walk is much more than just a look at celebrity homes – it’s part area history, part celebrity background and back-story, and part architectural record, all geared towards explaining just how Palm Springs actually has become the diverse and vibrant city it is today. I tell you:

·         What it was like in early Palm Springs when “hotels” were just canvas tents built on wooden platforms

·         Why Palm Springs has always been a magnet for health and wellness seekers

·         The real reasons Palm Springs became “Hollywood’s Playground” for over 40 years

·         The lasting impact World War 2 had on Palm Springs

·         How two movies changed Palm Springs as a vacation destination

·         Why Palm Springs has such a large gay and lesbian visitor and resident presence

·         What it’s like living full-time in Palm Springs today

Over the years I’ve had opportunities to be invited inside Old Las Palmas homes, so I share my first-hand experiences. Along the way I also show photographs of historic hotels and attractions which no longer exist, as well as current pictures of some home’s interiors and back yards.

Rather than just hear about estates that were residences for over 30 celebrities I tell a story of Palm Springs, exemplified by the homes and people who have lived here, including: Liberace; Barbara Streisand; Mary Pickford; Lena Horne; Sir Lawrence Olivier, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor; Dinah Shore; Kirk Douglass; and Sidney Sheldon.

I enjoy sharing my passion for Palm Springs and Old Las Palmas, and am pleased that my guests like my approach. Some of their comments have been:

“We both loved the Old Las Palmas tour and have been talking about it ever since. Before we left Palm Springs we mentioned to the owner of our resort how impressed we were, and that we strongly recommend the tour to other guests. Best of luck, and we'll certainly recommend your tour to others heading to Palm Springs.”

“Scandal, rumors, fact and fiction are mixed with a thorough historic perspective to make your tour a must do while visiting Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. Your passion for the past, present and future make the tour unique, highly entertaining and enjoyable."

“You have no idea how much I enjoyed the tour of Old Las Palmas. I learned so much and got a great sense of history of the Old Hollywood and other Palm Springs eras! It was fantastic.”

I invite both Palm Springs visitors and residents alike to join me for a unique look into the incredibly diverse and exciting past and present of this amazing desert resort city. Send me an email at kirk@ps-research.com or give me a call at 760-668-2176 – I’ll tell you more and we can set up a convenient time to walk through Old Las Palmas.  

San Andreas Fault Desert Oasis Hiking Tour

Our Native American ancestors referred to the area surrounding what is now called Palm Springs as “the magic valley.” What continues to make it magic is a unique combination of three major geologic features:

The valley is surrounded by 4 mountain ranges including the 2 highest mountain peaks in southern California.

Under the desert floor is the 2^nd largest underground aquifer in the United States, providing water to the entire valley.

Running up the valley is the San Andreas Fault, probably the most famous and visible earthquake fault in the world, stretching 700 miles from the Mexican border to just north of San Francisco.

There is no better place to explore the impact of these geologic features than at the Coachella Valley Preserve, located 15 miles east of Palm Springs.

There are other oasis tours, but I don’t think any other hike provides the opportunity, in 2-2½ hours, to explore the rich diversity of 2 different desert oases, a close-up look at the San Andreas Fault, the unique eco-environment of a desert wash and a walk up a “living” sand dune to an impressive scenic overlook. And would you believe that this amazing area was purchased in 1905 by a cattle rancher seeking water for his animals for 2 mules and a wagon.

My tours are small (limited to no more than 6 people), personalized, and reflect my personal interests and passion. Honestly, I’m not big on plant life, but I know a lot about earthquake faults and oases.

Tour Highlights:

Thousand Palms Oasis – One of the largest groves of desert fan palms in California. Some of the trees may be over 150 years old.

San Andreas Fault – Walk on the fault, see the impact of the fault, and learn why earthquakes are necessary.

Desert Wash – A unique desert environment created by rain run-off from the surrounding mountains and home for many plants that require more water than those on the typical desert floor.

McCallum Pond and Oasis – Created by water seeping up through the San Andreas Fault from the underground aquifer. This pond is home to the endangered Desert Pupfish.

Living Sand Dunes – Wind creates these amazing sand dunes which will eventually cover over the McCallum Pond and Oasis. Home to the endangered Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard.

Vista Point – One can see the 4 mountain ranges surrounding and protecting “the magic valley,” a unique environment and home to over 500 species of native plants, 200 species of birds, 25 different species of reptiles and over 30 species of mammals.

This easy hike is mostly on sand packed established trails. A portion of the hike is on a board walk over Thousand Palms Oasis, and also includes a short climb up a “living” sand dune (kind of like walking uphill on a beach). The hike is geared for active adults who are comfortable hiking an easy, mostly flat, 2 miles. Wear comfortable walking shoes that may get a bit wet in the oasis areas, and I suggest you bring a hat, water, a camera and maybe sunscreen.

Contact me for more information and to schedule a convenient tour time.

Old Las Palmas Celebrity Home Walking Tour

Old Las Palmas isn’t meant to be seen from behind a bus or car window. Sense the incredible Palm Springs story on foot.  Walk the city streets. Absorb everything up close and personal. My tours are fun, casual, fully guided and narrated and an opportunity to get some great exercise out in our healthy Palm Springs sunshine.

Unlike van or bus tours with 15-50 people, my tours are small (limited to no more than 6 people), personalized, and improvisational (you never know what we may encounter; open gates, maybe an open house, perhaps even an estate sale. Additionally, my tours are scheduled at your convenience, not the convenience of the tour company.

Tours last 2-2½ hours, and yes, we will walk past over 30 celebrity homes where you can peak over walls and look through gates and fences. Some of the homes you may see include those of: Elizabeth Taylor; Liberace; Barbara Streisand; Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy; Ronald and Nancy Regan; Kirk Douglas; Dinah Shore; Clark Gable and Carole Lombard; as well as many others.

This walk stops often as I tell you about the celebrities, share some of my personal stories of being in some of these homes, and tell you a bit about how Palm Springs became the city it is today, share my passion for this unique community, as well as some fun facts and rumors you probably won’t hear anywhere else. I also have pictures to show, including some of the long gone resorts as well as interior photos of some of the homes we will see.

We begin at The Corridor Plaza on the corner of Palm Canyon Drive and Alejo Road and finish 5 blocks north on Palm Canyon Drive for an easy shopping walk back through the Palm Springs Uptown Design Boutique District.

This easy walk is totally on flat city streets and is geared for active adults who are comfortable walking about 1½ miles. Wear comfortable walking shoes, and I suggest you bring a hat, water, a camera and maybe sunscreen.

Contact me for more information and to schedule a convenient tour time.