palm springs guide: where to go, eat & vintage shop

where to go: 

Cazaban Dinosaurs
50770 Seminole Dr, Cabazon, CA 92230
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I drove past the dinosaurs on my way to Coachella a few years ago but didn't stop, so I was glad I was able to make it there this time. These dinosaurs are right on the way if you’re driving from LA, so it’s really easy to stop by. There’s a parking lot, so it’s also easy to pull over, hop out, stretch your legs and snap a pic with the dinos. They’re located about 20 minutes outside of Palm Springs.

Ruddy’s General Store
221 S Palm Canyon Dr
Open Thursday-Sunday 10-4

This general store is actually a man’s personal collection of antiques from the 1900’s-1960’s set up to look like a store. It's just a $1 donation to enter and check it out. 

Palm Springs Historical Society
221 S Palm Canyon Dr
Open 10-4 daily 

Located right next door to Ruddy's General Store, this little museum is free and has different artifacts and information about Palm Springs. My favorite things in there was all of the Lucy and Desi paraphernalia.

Elvis' Honeymoon Hideaway
1350 Ladera Cir, Palm Springs, CA 92262

You probably know how much I love Elvis, so of course I had to stop by the Honeymoon Hideaway where he and Priscilla lived. Tours happen every day at 1:00pm and 3:30pm. It takes about 45 minutes for the tour and costs $35. You can purchase tickets online or walk up to buy a ticket.  

Palm Springs Walk of Stars
Palm Canyon Drive 

There are stars along the sidewalk for all the celebrities who owned homes in Palm Springs. The stars for Elvis and Frank Sinatra are right next to each other. If you want to find a specific star, there is a website that gives you the exact location for them here. 

where we ate: 

Great Shakes
160 S Palm Canyon Dr
Open 12pm-10pm everyday 

This milkshake place is so good we went twice! Not only are the milkshakes amazing, the decor is also cute and retro with photos of old celebs, like Frank Sinatra and Lucy and Desi on the wall. I got the mint Oreo milkshake both times.

The Reef
411 E Palm Canyon Dr
Open 10am-1am on Saturdays, 10am-12pm on Sundays and 1pm-1am on weekdays 

Our first night we ate dinner inside the Caliente Tropics Hotel. Their hotel bar, The Reef, serves tiki drinks and burgers. Both the food and drinks were awesome, definitely my favorite meal of the trip. I had the veggie burger and the painkiller to drink. The inside is kitschy and they also have a covered outside space to sit as well.

Elmer’s
1030 E Palm Canyon Dr
Open 6am-9pm everyday 
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Although our hotel served breakfast, we wanted to go out for diner food one day. We each got an omelet and split an order of pancakes as well. The food is solid and there are lots of black and white photos on the walls of celebrities in Palm Springs, like Frank and Sammy Davis Jr.

we also ate at...

Eight 4 Nine
849 N Palm Canyon Dr
Open Friday 11am-11pm; Saturday 9am-11pm; Sunday 9am-9pm; Tuesday-Thursday 11am-9pm
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We stopped here for lunch on our second day after a local tipped us off that there is a secret all day happy hour menu you can ask for where everything is $9. They serve upscale bar food here and we both ordered a quesadilla for $9. The decor here is more modern but still has a nod to the past as well.

Trio
707 N Palm Canyon Dr
11am-10pm Monday-Thursday; 11am-11pm Friday; 10am-11pm Saturday; 10am-10pm Sunday
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Another restaurant serving upscale bar food. We weren’t super hungry, so we split a few appetizers including a burrata salad, hummus and spinach and artichoke dip. The food was very good and the decor is also mid century modern style, the only thing we did not enjoy was the music. It was a Monday night and they were blasting electronic house music, I felt like I was in an episode of Jersey Shore. 

Birba
622 N Palm Canyon Dr
5-10pm Tuesday- Thursday and Sunday; 5-11pm Friday and Saturday; closed Monday

This was our last dinner spot and the hardest place to get in. Every other restaurant we were seated immediately. We showed up around 7-7:30 on a Tuesday night and they told us to come back around 9. It’s an Italian restaurant, I got gnocchi and Adam ordered pizza. I enjoyed my meal but Adam said the pizza was just ok (but keep in mind we are New Yorkers so we have high standards when it comes to pizza). We sat outside and there are fire pits that make a cozy atmosphere.

where we vintage shopped:

Gypsyland Vintage
2675 N Palm Canyon Dr
​Closed Monday-Wednesday; Open 11am-5pm Thursday- Sunday  

Dazzles
1035 N Palm Canyon Dr
Closed Tuesday & Thursday; open 12-5 every other day 

Iconic Atomic
1103 N Palm Canyon Dr
Closed Tuesday & Wednesday; Open 10am-6pm every other day 

We also stopped at Sunny Dunes Antique Mall, Aida's Place, Antique Galleries of Palm Springs and Little Shop of Treasures. All of these stops are right in the same area so you can park nearby and stop in all 4 of these stores. All of these antique malls had reasonable prices and seemed negotiable as well. I bought a 3pc 70's suit at one store, the price was listed at $50, but I negotiated it down to $35. Overall, with all the vintage stores, there was more home stuff, antiques and jewelry vs clothes.