Things to See in Coachella Valley : Visitors Can Spend Hours at Varied Points of Interest

When you visit Indio and the Coachella Valley, there are several points of interest.

The Coachella Valley Museum & Cultural Center, 82-616 Miles Ave. (at Deglet Noor Street), Indio, (619) 342-6651. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sundays noon to 4 p.m. Admission: $1 adults, 50 cents for children 11 and younger and seniors 60 and older.

The museum is housed in a 1926 adobe home that had only two owners: a doctor and a dentist. Displays focus on the local history and culture of American Indians and valley pioneers. Railroad exhibits, antique farm equipment, photographs and art collections are on exhibit and there is a gift shop. A docent gives free tours. A rose garden, an authentic Japanese garden and a desert garden are on the grounds. The museum is run by the Coachella Valley Historical Society and the Coachella Valley Museum and Cultural Center League.

Shield’s Date Gardens, 80-225 California 111, Indio, (619) 347-0996. Open daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Christmas. Free admission.

One of several commercial date farms in the Coachella Valley; dates are grown, packaged and shipped worldwide from here. A rose garden in back of the sales building has several date and citrus trees with unharvested fruit, so visitors can see them before they’re picked. At an old-fashioned counter inside the sales building, visitors can buy black-date ice cream (the only flavor they sell) or a date or citrus shake. A theater room has a continuous 20-minute slide show on date cultivation.

Lake Cahuilla Park, south of Indio, 9 miles south of California 111 on Avenue 58. Park information: (619) 564-4712. Campsite reservations: (714) 787-2553. Open year-round. Day-use fees are $3 per vehicle for picnics and swimming; $10 per night for campsites with water and electricity; $8 per night for primitive sites; $1.50 for extra vehicle; $1 for dog; $3.50 for reservations. Fishing fees: $3 for ages 16 and over; $2 for ages 10-15 and free for children 9 and younger. State fishing license required for ages 16 and older.

One of Riverside County’s newest parks, Lake Cahuilla has a 135-acre water-surface area and is seasonally stocked with trout and catfish. The beach has a separate children’s play area. Swimming is allowed in the roped-off area only, and boating is limited to those with oars or electric motors. No motorcycles or ATVs allowed in the park. Picnic tables and park stoves are available at day-use and camping sites. Visitors must provide their own fuel or wood.

The Living Desert, 47-900 Portola Ave., Palm Desert, (619) 346-5694. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, Sept. 1 to June 15. Closed June 16 to Aug. 31. Last admission, 4:30 p.m. Admission: $5 adults, $2 ages 6-15, free for children 5 and younger; $4.50 for seniors 62 and older. Free parking.

This 1,200-acre, private, nonprofit park offers a close-up view of desert animal and plant life. There are separate wildlife areas for desert Bighorn sheep, the Arabian oryx (“unicorn of the desert”), gazelles, coyotes, meerkats (related to the mongoose), tortoises, Gila monsters, the fennec (world’s smallest fox species) and other exotic animals. The botanical gardens feature nine desert regions and include prehistoric plants, a Sonoran pond and hundreds of cacti. The Cahuilla Indian garden has an Indian dwelling and granary. The park also has six miles of hiking trails, a nursery with plants for sale, a gift shop and special events scheduled throughout the park’s open season.

Gen. George S. Patton Memorial Museum, Cottonwood Spring Road exit off Interstate 10, Chiriaco Summit, (714) 877-5077. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily except Wednesdays. Donations requested.

In 1942, Patton established the Desert Training Center, 18,000 square miles of California and Arizona deserts. In November, 1988, this museum was dedicated on the site of the center’s headquarters, Chiriaco Summit, formerly Shaver’s Summit. It features exhibits honoring Patton and the one million soldiers who trained here for World War II. A 94,000-pound tank used in Patton’s Sicily campaign is on display. The museum also has natural-science exhibits and information on Southern California water development. The museum is run by the Bureau of Land Management, which is trying to preserve other areas of the extensive training area.

Palm Springs Desert Museum, on Museum Drive, west of North Palm Canyon Drive at Tahquitz Way, Palm Springs, (619) 325-7186. Information: (619) 325-8901. Theater information: (619) 325-7186. Open Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Mondays. Admission: $4 adults, $2 children 6-17. On Tuesdays, seniors 65 and older pay $2. Free admission the first Tuesday of each month. Free parking at museum’s north end.

The 75,000-square-foot museum features a permanent fine-arts collection of contemporary Californian and American Western art. It also is home to actor William Holden’s extensive collection of fine art objects. The natural-science section of the museum has dioramas of Coachella Valley’s plant and animal life. The museum’s 450-seat Annenberg Theater features artists throughout the year, with ticket prices ranging from $8 to $18. There also are three sculpture gardens and a gift shop.