By Crystal Harrell
The summer season has just begun, and temperatures will only continue to rise. As unbearable as the heat may be, there are even more ways to stay cool in the Coachella Valley. Check out these not-so-hotspots that will keep your summer fun and your days chill.
The Palm Desert Aquatic Center has everything you need to stay refreshed through the most brutal of temperatures. The eight-acre facility has an assortment of water activities for the whole family to enjoy, like a recreational pool, diving boards, water slides, and a splash playground. Admission prices vary, depending on whether you are a Palm Desert resident, but the price goes no higher than six dollars. Additional classes like swimming lessons and water aerobics are also available at the Palm Desert Aquatic Center. Special summer activities include the Dive-In Movie event taking place on July 19 with Bumblebee and August 2 with Lilo & Stitch. Tickets are $4 per person, with no charge for children under 2, and are now available for pre-purchase at the front desk window at PDAC or can also be purchased at the time of the event until sold out. Gates open for each Dive-In Movie event at 7 p.m.
The La Quinta Art Museum offers free admission Tuesday through Saturday at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum features the city of La Quinta’s history and cultural beginnings through displays on two floors. The La Quinta Museum is a Cultural Museum with two exhibit galleries. Gallery 1 is local history featuring the Cahuilla Indians, The Desert Club and The La Quinta Hotel. Gallery 2 features new revolving exhibits that change every 3 to 4 months. There is a diorama of a Cahuilla Indian village and another one depicting native animals to this desert city. Visitors also enjoy seeing the community room, which exhibits a 32 foot long mural of La Quinta city highlights painted by Andre Blanche. Some can’t-miss summer fun activities include the Road Trip Route 66 open exhibit featuring photographs to inspire your inner traveler, book club discussions with books like The Grapes of Wrath, a Ventriloquist show with Rob Watkins on July 18, and a bird show with Avian Behavior International on August 8.
Fantasy Springs Lanes, located at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, offers 24 state-of-the-art lanes with the latest scoring technology to make it a memorable summer outing. For $10 per hour, Fantasy Lanes also has laser bowling, which features fluorescent lighting reflecting spiderweb designs and wild patterns on the floor of the lanes as you bowl. Laser bowling sessions are held at 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Fridays and 9 p.m. to midnight Saturdays. Because it is a popular event, reservations are recommended. During the laser bowling sessions, retro music and new lighting effects are added Friday through Saturday late at night. An arcade is also open daily at 10 a.m. for kids to enjoy classic games as well. The Snack Bar & Lounge is open daily from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. Visitors are able to enjoy an extensive selection of sandwiches and snacks while bowling a perfect game at Fantasy Lanes. Cheeseburgers, pizzas, Buffalo wings, quesadillas, hoagies and more are also available.
For a destination that will take you to new heights, try the Palm Springs Air Museum. This Palm Springs tourist-favorite enables visitors to get up close and personal with vintage aircraft. 59 flyable planes are on display inside the museum’s four hangars, including World War II and Korea/Vietnam War-era aircraft. The Air Museum was even included on the list of the top 14 aviation museums in the world by CNN Travel. The museum also features the Buddy Rogers Theater, which plays historic, informational films about aviation, and a 9,200 volume research library and Education Center with literature available on the subject of aircraft. Young ones can even become junior pilots with the flight simulation sessions available to play on computers. Admission prices for the museum are $17.50 for adults, $15.50 for youth ages 13-17, $10.50 for children 6-12, and kids five years of age and under get in the museum for free.
