I’m so excited to share this Palm Springs mini travel guide with you! We just got back from an amazing weekend in Palm Springs for Coachella and to enjoy the warm desert weather. I’m always looking for amazing photo spots when I travel and I definitely lucked out this trip with some total gems! Check out my photo diary and recommendations below!
PALM SPRINGS TRAVEL GUIDE: PALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM
745 N Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, CA
We flew into Palm Springs from San Francisco on Alaska Airlines and it was such an amazing trip! I used to regularly fly from San Francisco to Seattle on Alaska Airlines so it’s definitely my preferred airline. Travel up and down the California coast is really easy so I’m thankful Alaska Airlines now features the SFO – PSP route with their Virgin America integration!
After our quick hour flight from San Francisco, we immediately popped over to the Palm Springs Air Museum to check out the over 40 vintage aircraft for our first photo location. And bonus that the museum was located right next door to the airport so it was easy to hop over.
The air museum has a number of different war time aircraft and was definitely interesting to check out. I have a general interest in airplanes and it was cool to go inside of them and experience them first hand! My favorite was the big silver Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar because we could actually go inside.
Tickets for entry can be purchased upon arrival at the giftshop.
PALM SPRINGS TRAVEL GUIDE: DOWNTOWN PALM SPRINGS
Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs CA
The main downtown strip of Palm Springs is Palm Canyon Drive and it has tons of restaurants, cafes, shops, and a general vibrance that makes it a cool place to hang out in the city. I particularly like the assorted retro architecture and paint colors in this area so it makes for great photo backdrops in Palm Springs.
If you’re heading to downtown Palm Springs to shoot, I recommend starting early in the morning to get a soft light with less foot traffic. You can pop into a local coffee shop, grab your morning cup, and have full run of the downtown to yourself.
PALM SPRINGS TRAVEL GUIDE: MOORTEN BOTANICAL GARDEN
1701 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA
Moorten Botanical Garden has been on my photo list for YEARS! I’ve always run across photos of this place and it looked absolutely magical. Upon entry the garden follows a winding path of various cacti and succulent plants and rugs, carpets, and benches along the way that make perfect photo settings.
As you keep winding through this beautiful garden you’ll stumble upon their “cactarium”–a greenhouse filled with the most incredible cacti I’ve ever seen. This space is truly unlike anything else I’ve ever seen so make sure to take your time in here. The greenhouse blocks out any bright sun rays so the photo lighting is perfect.
When visiting the Moorten I recommend arriving early when they open–again to reduce the amount of other foot traffic in your photos and have the place to yourself. They also have some really cute turtle residents at the property too!
PALM SPRINGS TRAVEL GUIDE: THE WINDMILLS
Along Interstate 10, Palm Springs CA
The windmill farms are one of the most iconic photo locations in Palm Springs because they represent the vastness of the valley and serve a great purpose in harnessing wind energy for the region. Fun fact: these are technically wind turbines, not windmills!
There are plenty of places to pull over and hop out of the car to snap some photos here so any spot is a good one. I recommend shooting here last if you’re doing multiple locations though–as the name suggests it’s crazy windy here. So be prepared for your hair to be looking like a hot mess by the time you’re done–ha!
These part of the desert has a great beauty to it so it’s best to enjoy the vast location and get creative with your shots!
Dreamy <3
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Palm Springs sounds so amazing. I think the whole city is one big instagrammable location.
I love the sights you took in all larger than life from airplanes to cactus and wind turbines. I would love to visit there one day and see a few of the special places you went to.
Wow, great photos! I especially love the one where you are kissing in the cockpit of the plane!
Palm Springs looks and sounds like a great place to travel. Your photos are spectacular! It seems everywhere you go, there’s a photo op!
We grew up going to Palm Springs. Back in the day there was an ice rink and movie theater. That was about it, but we adored every second. But the city is thriving and there’s so much more to see and do now.
Palm Springs is my absolute favorite. I had no idea there was an Air Museum there. I so need to check it out!
What a great location for a photoshoot! I really love your photos!!
You rocked those photos. I wished I could pull off wearing a short dress like yours. I’m too old though!!!
Lovely photos! Palm Springs CA does offer lots of unique experiences. I love the succulents. I grow a lot of them too so I really enjoyed your photos of them.
Those pictures are perfect!
Wow! Palm Springs looks amazing in all these photos! It would be so much fun to vacation there.
A friend just moved there – can’t wait to visit!
That looks like a trip I would like to take.
You are so photogenic I love Palm Spring
I have never been to Palm Springs but it looks great. I love your fashion, the dresses are great.
Oh, those photos of cactus are wicked cool, and you look mighty cool too!
The location and you look stunning! You can really rock that hat!
Palm Springs looks amazing. Your fashion photos are wonderful.
The dress your wearing with the brown boots is adorable
Your first shot in front of what appears to be a P51 Mustang is so cool….
That silver plane is so awesome I love the visible metal work on the airplanes skin… 🙂
I just have to let you know I love your greenhouse and I just love your hair !
Linda Marie Finn
Did you pay extra to kiss the pilot or was that an included perk? 😉
So there’s a wind farm there too that’s so cool? …
Morten Botanical Garden looks cool!
Do all those planes still fly?
Have you seen any famous houses there in The Springs?
Did you fly off into the sunset?
palm springs looks beautiful, am glad you had so much fun. all your outfits are supercute as well.
https://www.modlotus.com/chic-office-wear-j-crew-black-dress/
a life i can only imagine
So the gardens are in a huge greenhouse ?
Is everything retro there The Springs of The Palm ?
I would love to visit the Moorten Botanical Garden!!!
Lovely place
I like the outfit but I just absolutely love the boots.
The wind farm would not slow me down to look we have them in mountain areas here. BUT the gardens I could spend hours in their look and wishing that had the plants. The plane looked like a lot of fun