Palm Springs Visitor Center

Helpful Stop Before Exploring Palm Springs We stopped at the Palm Springs Visitor Center before heading into the city. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful, providing us with great insider tips on the best hiking trails and other activities around Palm Springs. The building itself is iconic and an architectural masterpiece—even if you don’t go inside, just seeing the building from the outside is worth the visit. It was a perfect place to gather useful information before starting our adventure in the area.

This is a great spot to buy Palm Springs merchandise. There is also a wealth of information about attractions and restaurants in Palm Springs. The building is really great to look at and the location is on the edge of the desert. So can get some great photos from the parking lot. My complaint? My friend and I were excitedly looking at the broshures and picking the ones we were interested in and the person working there (we were the only people there) yelled at us for taking too many broshures. Which is rude and ridiculous behavior from someone working at the visitor’s center at the city’s gateway.

I have been to the visitor center several times and it’s always a fun place to get a little bit of Palm Springs history but today I went to go see the desert X exhibit that was beside the center.

Best service ever by Paula! Very helpful information and loved her kindness and attitude to help. If it's your first time in Palm Springs, do yourself a favour and go see Paula 😊

Great place for restroom break and if you need info about PS with a nice gift shop. Good picture opportunities as well of the mountains and wind farm

This former gas station is an unexpected treasure of mid century modernism turned visitor center. The volunteers were incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. Make this your first stop when planning your visit in Palm Springs.

Very friendly staff that was quick to help us with a self-guided mid-century modern architecture tour

Staff was pleasent and accommodating. Lots of things to see and purchase. Good information and nice location. A short walk takes you to the Palm Springs sign.

Megan was very helpful here! This place has maps of Palm Springs, and so many souvenirs and clothes to buy! Good place

I recently visited the Palm Springs Visitor Center, and I must say it was a fantastic experience. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, providing valuable information about the area. The abundance of maps and informational materials made planning my visit a breeze. The best part is it's free to visit and has ample free parking! (I did make a donation to the center, I felt it was well worth it.) A highly recommended stop for anyone exploring Palm Springs.

Palm Springs Visitor Center is the gateway to your adventure. PSVC is your first adventure in PS. The soaring roof of Albert Frey's Tramway gas station is a Palm Springs landmark. This iconic soaring roof building welcomes visitors each year from all over the world to discover where to stay, play, shop and dine in Palm Springs. The guest services staff can assist you w/ accommodations, dining, shopping, museums, attractions and events. In addition, the Visitors Center has gift items, maps, souvenirs and Palm Springs-logo apparel for sale. They have clean bathrooms and spectacular view of the mountain. Perfect rest stop! Lol. I always make it a point I stop by whenever I'm in the area. Parking was easy. Overall, it's a nice little visitors info. I recommend this for a first time visitor.

So cute! The scenery was beautiful! Unfortunately the Visitor Center was closed during my visit, but I did get some nice pictures and the bathroom came in clutch when driving through the city! Would love to go back and visit the actual center!

Make sure to stop in here when you first get to Palm Springs. They have a map, brochures and the folks are a great resource. Also you may not believe it but their souvenirs are priced the same as anything in town!!!

This should be your very first stop in Palm Springs if you've never been. As soon as you enter the city you will see the Visitor's Center on the right hand side right behind the signature Palm Springs sign. It's basically at the entrance of the road that leads to the Aerial Tramway. This stop is actually kind of like a rest area with public bathrooms and a small shop. The shop is equipped with maps, souvenirs, and lots of info of things to do in Coachella Valley. There's lots of photo opportunities here and a ton of history. Palm Springs is full of Native American culture and is a city full of character. It's an international city, so beautiful and relaxing. Definitely a place where you can get away from the rat race of a busy city. Come during the season for the most amazing weather (about 60-80 degrees during the day/40-65 at night) between October thru May. This is when people from all over the world come! Or come during off-season and the hottest months (about 90-125 degrees) between June thru September. I have no doubt that whenever you choose to visit you will enjoy! Cheers!

The Palm Springs visitor center is a great way to have an introduction to Palms Springs. I recommend to come here first before you start your trip if you do not know anything about Palm springs. I love the building structure which the building used to be the Tramway Gas station built in 1965 designed by Albert Frey and Robson Chambers. If you love Architecture this is a must stop and you can purchase a map for $5.00 to do a self tour of the Mid-Century homes. Also, this location leads the way to the Ariel Tramway which we bought tickets in advance online. Since we are still in a pandemic masks are still required. Cute souvenir and lots of photo opportunity as their is a Palm Springs Signage you can drive in to the gravel/sand.

Palm Springs visitor center so you're in Palm Springs you might want to just stop here first for some good information getting him to know where you're at to getting at this place can answer all your questions and tell you where to go when he knew what kind of business you need to do here. This is for Palm Springs in the surrounding cities so that way you get the best of your vacation so when you're in Palm Springs and your vacation I recommend stopping here first that way you can also Make an agenda. I have a good plan and you don't look like an idiot not doing what you do you know what to do because here you can get your and we could the best time of your vacation getting all your itinerary planned out on your vacation it's not just lonely just enjoying the sun. There's plenty of sightseeing here to be seen that Palm Springs. I recommend you stop in here And you get information. Can you can figure out what you want to doing with restaurants to go eat visit nightclubs, where to sightsee which I will be taking lotta pictures of and also when you come by here you can also alarm like I said get the best out of what you're here for on a vacation that way everything is perfectly planned out and you don't think I should've stopped here cause I stop there. This is a good place to get information

A great stop to get much needed advice on what to see while on vacation. All the staff we encountered were so helpful, they have maps and highlight ideas. the building itself is adorable, an old gas station restored. They have a great selection of PS merchandise and picked up a few postcard.

The staff here are always super nice and helpful, they really go out of their way to help you and give you advice and tips, and directions, etc. They'll give you a nice little map of the whole area and direct you to anywhere you want to go by highlighting the roads and turns, etc. They've helped me and my wife out many times and have made our visits to Palm Springs much more enjoyable. The center also has lots of nice Palm Springs gifts and souvenirs. It's also in a great spot to park and take photos of the mountains, and the Palm Springs sign. Currently, they have a huge Desert X art installation right next to the center which is perfect for photo ops!

This place was Covid closed, except sort of open as they had a table in the propped open front door and a guy there answering questions. We wanted a driving tour directory of Midcentury Modern houses and he gave us a map to a store in town where we could buy one, using a yellow highlighting marker. He was super sweet and helpful. He said they would probably be open for regular business on Tuesday 2-15-2022.

We got so much great information from Paul at the visitor center counter. Gave us a map, marked destinations and phone numbers for the recommendations. Super informative and friendly. THANKS SO MUCH!

I've always wanted to stop into this cool historic visitor's center, and it was surprisingly a really interesting visit. There's a few small exhibits, photos and books about the history of Palm Springs. We got an architectural tour map for just $5, and I picked up a colorful straw hat for just $15. Definitely worth a stop.

Good accessible place for photography of the valley and both mountain ranges. They also have a free EV charger and an EVgo charger for Nissan. You can get a nice $5 map of historical buildings or download a history app, and the staff are very knowledgeable.

Very helpful staff lots of free info to take away-in a historical building! They have loads of new information regarding lodging,rentals,food,shopping,supplies,bars and niteclubs. The staff is very helpful in making suggestions and where to go and how to make it a great Palm Springs experience!

The place is a work of art. The howling of the wind, paired with the Smoke Flag is an experience in itself! What an art piece! If you r coming to Palm Springs you have to stop see this, OMG, it is so cool to watch it! Just know the winds are strong here, so be prepared to be blown away... Literally ! There are various oasis-like sections where you can sit and have a lunch or a sit down, under the palm trees, if you are lucky enough to have mild winds! The mountains on one side, and boulevard on the other, you cannot miss it!

How often do you get a Visitor Center in a Mid-Century Modern architect-designed building? Even though it was originally a gas station, this Albert Frey daring design puts some sizzle in your visit. The huge cantilevered, points roof juts out over the small building, providing shade for the interior in this bright environment. The interior is compact, with a concrete floor, and small display cases of some of the merchandise and mementos. We were inspired by a map of the Mid-Century buildings in the area, inexpensive at $5.00. I had created a self-guided tour after I checked out the prices $40.00 to $175.00 online. I researched and printed out a page on each of the builidngs on the National Registry of Historic Buildings in the area, (there are 83), but had a hard time connecting up the various neighborhoods. This little map worked like a charm as we drove around, spying one historic monument after another. The man who helped me was extremely helpful. He pointed us in the right direction to eat at Spencer's, located in the historic Tennis Club in Palm Springs, and also clued me in to a "Village Market" that evening where North Palm Canyon is closed off for a Farmer's Market. Lots of parking and a cool bathroom round out the Visitor Center.

Wandered over one afternoon to ask about tickets to ride the gondola...met Paul who told us when to come and when to stay away lol! He's the best! He gave us a map with a load of local eateries and places that are off the radar that locals hit up often. What a great experience!

This is by far the worst visitor center I've ever been to. It is located on the corner of N. Palm Canyon Dr. and Tramway Rd. Tramway Rd. being the street you turn on to get to the Palm Springs Tramway, a very popular attraction, especially with the hiking/outdoorsy/active community. Being located on the doorstep of such a popular attraction, you'd think they would be open by 9 AM. Nope........they don't open until 10 AM. The building itself is extremely tiny and there's not much information to gain here that you haven't already gathered from a quick internet search of Palm Springs. There is a nice sign on the N. Palm Canyon Dr. side of the visitor center, but there is a very tiny area to pull in with your car to stop and get a photo. I wanted to get to downtown Palm Springs early due to parking and I was not familiar with the area, so I passed by the visitor center and figured I'd stop on my way out of town and get some photos near this nice Palm Springs sign. Well, you can't access it unless you are traveling on a certain side of the street! You can only turn in when you are on your way into town! Other than a basic wall sign that said Palm Springs Visitor Center, there were no good photo locations here. Half dead palm trees, rocks, and gravel. The most uninteresting vision center ever! You would think being located in a famous city like Palm Springs, they'd have a nice visitor center! I'd never recommend stopping here!

My family and I really appreciated the time Paul took to help make our visit AWESOME! The facility is super cool and we highly recommend you stop here when visiting.

Went in to get some maps and suggestions for brunch. Discovered instead a messy gift shop with incredibly unhelpful and unfriendly staff. Hardly the "Welcome to the Valley" we would have expected. Stop for a picture of the building and use the clean bathrooms but don't expect much hospitality!!

TRAVELERS/NEW TO THE AREA: It's substantially a gift shop but well worth a stop; you'll find helpful folks here who can tell you what you need to know to make your stay a good one. Open every day of the week from 9a-5p. (Although it's on the corner where the tramway road begins, it's NOT associated with it - you'd need to drive up about four miles to the tram's valley station and ask your questions or buy your tickets there.) The building's on the National Registry of Historic places. There are two information counters inside, one for general info and one operated by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians to inform you about their history and public offerings including their new museum that will open next year, exhibits at other locations, hiking trails, casinos and so on - they still own over 31,000 acres of their homeland, much of it prime real estate, and how they resisted multiple attempts to take that away from them is quite a story. There are a few small displays inside but most of the space is devoted to things for sale - lots of interesting items. No food service. Outside in the back there are clean, roomy restrooms and dispensers for free local publications. There's a lot of shaded sitting space in the front. LOCALS: Worth a look because it's a historical building itself. I went for that and to see if there was anything still missing on my list of places in the valley yet to see, and found out about two new ones. Just north of the center begins a nice, wide walking/jogging/biking path which parallels the road up towards the tram station and seems to be fairly popular.

One of the adventures my sister and I did during our trip to Palm Springs was we took a self guided celebrity home tour (exterior only). We bought a $5 map of the stars, at this visitor center and ran outside before it got dark and took photos of this awesome building and don't forget to take photos of the famous ionic Palm Springs sign!!!!! It was an exhausting adventure. The map is not to scale and the houses are hidden behind high green hedges and gates. We drove around all day looking at where Dean Martin lived or Elvis Presley honeymoon house. etc.

Informative. They have an edge when it comes to familiarity. We threw them a curve ball when we asked if they knew of any place that had some sort of afternoon tea service. They knew of one that used to be available, but they helped make sure for us if it still existed. They made a call, and unfortunately, it is no longer offered. So, let it be known. Palm Springs does not offer afternoon tea. For those of you who actually want that to change, you can make it happen. What was telling of this scenario is that they definitely use all their experience and contacts to fully ensure their best effort in making sure you get everything possible for what you seek in Palm Springs. This is definitely a resourceful place to start searching for things to do in the area. And parking is NEVER a problem.

The Palm Springs Visitors Center's like a concierge desk for directions, ticket sales, pamphlet suggestions and gift store... And Donald's a complete sweetheart. He reviewed and highlighted a map full of destinations for me to visit. Then, He asked me where I was staying and what I wanted to do on my trip here. I told him about changing my original plans, due to the 2-mile water hiking trail being closed during the week for cleanup and repairs (August to October), which I found out like yesterday. So I am making golf (and footgolf) my priority.... And guess what? Donald gave me a birthday present: Tahquitz Creek Golfing bookmark. It's good for some free stuff with my purchase of a golf course round. I got to keep the map and he gave me a guide magazine too. Maybe, I'll take the tramride with breathe-taking ariel views of the exclusive desert area filled with palm trees. I'll do souvenir shopping another day like on my drive back home. The Visitor Center's a great place, inside.

A free, clean bathroom is heaven sent when you need it! If you are entering town stop for the bathrooms, if nothing else. There is another Visitors Center in town at the PS library but getting access to it is more cumbersome. We had to give the security guard a drivers license to use the restroom. You'll understand if you see the library setup. It's a typical Visitor's Center. You can get maps and suggestions of things to do when plus buy a few discounted tickets to local entertainment establishments. Ask the friendly folks and you shall be rewarded. We visited in Dec so business was brisk. I think they did a VG job, repeating the same things to us PS newbies, over and over. Imagine doing that daily for years. They have to be "people lovers" or they would HATE their jobs. Instead, there they were smiling and answering our questions like they were new ones.

Took our maternity photos here on our baby moon which was perfect! Great place for amazing pics of Palm Springs!

It's a visitor center now but I would love to go back in time when this was a gas station: such a dramatic building with the San Jacinto mountains as a backdrop.

This place is located in a great mid century building. The staff was very helpful in helping us find a few places to site see. They also had a variety of high quality Palm spring gifts. Good place to take a picture in front of also.

One small room. I didn't see any brochures of tourist attractions in the area. Small selection of tourist items: t-shirts, tote bags, coffee mugs, etc. Across the other side of the room is a second counter with a representative for the Cahuilla Indians. She was very knowledgeable about the history of the area although she did point out there not much to do here in the summer. In other words, only crazy people voluntarily visit in triple degree temperatures. Lol!

This visitor center is located off the main 111 highway right before you turn for the aerial tram. It really isn't much on the inside and just has some basic information about the area. They do have a cool looking welcome sign to the northern side of the building though. The visitor center is also a great place to stop and use some clean restrooms. Nothing really too fancy about this place.

One of my favorite architects, Albert Frey, built this originally as a gas station which served as the entrance to Palm Springs. It's amazing! I'm so glad it's been restored and opened to the public as a visitor center. Stunning architecture.

Customer service lady was very helpful. Plenty of free Palm Springs literature and brochures. Souvenirs are available too. If you need to use clean restrooms, they have these too. You can rest under the shaded trees and buy yourself refreshments from the vending machine. I think this should be everyone's first stop if you are not familiar with the area. They can give you several good ideas how to spend your time.

Just don't go rushing in 10 minutes before they close! I was barked at by the older gentleman that they were closing in 7 minutes...I told him I was hurrying, I just wanted a few items and some info on the tram. He said I could look it up on line that they were closing or to drive up the tramway area 4 miles away to get the info I needed. I bought my cards and magnet and asked if the restrooms were still open, nope locked and they could not get me out fast enough to close up. Another car pulled in and a lady rushed by to use the toilet, I told her that they locked everything up, couldn't wait to get the hell out. It was 5:01pm....I mean honestly, I know they want off the clock, but why work in a visitor center or any customer service if you cannot take the time, even for last minute arrivals...lock the door and tend to the guests already inside! I was put off completely and pity as I like the items in the shop, but will find them elsewhere.

The two men working the counter were quite pushy about us leaving the center (immediately upon arrival). They close at 5pm sharp so if you'd like any assistance, I'd suggest arriving well before 5pm - 10 min is not enough to avoid their rude comments urging you to leave. 2 stars for those fellows. However, if you're interested in any hikes on the Cahuilla lands/Água Caliente, the woman at the desk was super helpful and knowledgeable about which trails are best for your season and can answer any questions you have. She directed us to the very short (1mi) Andreas Canyon hike since it was about 112 degrees during our stay in Palms Springs. The creek and pools along the hike kept us cool and if you've never seen a desert oasis it is one of the coolest things I've ever seen! It was a fun, beautiful hike and I'm glad we were directed there! 5 stars for that woman Bonus: The building is an architectural landmark that was previously a gas station. It was one of the best stops on our self-guided architectural tour. 5 stars.

This is a very cool old building. The people inside were helpful. What else is necessary.

The guy working here was pretty nice and quite helpful. There are souvenirs and postcards like you can buy like at most tourist centers. If you don't know what to do in the Palm Springs area, this is a good resource. He gave us hiking maps and told us about events going on in the area.

Good place to get ideas of hikes around the area. Tickets are cheaper here too. The customer service rep was really nice and helpful and advised us which hike was better for our needs, as we had kids with us. This place is located at the bottom entrance of Aerial Tram Way. Also has bathrooms here, so make sure you stop there if you need to before heading up to the tram area, because after you pass the visitor center that's all you get.

Very helpful tourist info booth. We picked up a free bike map of PS which has a lot of fun routes for getting around. This was free. Also paid a few bucks for the midcentury modern architecture map, very informative and essential for a self-guided bike tour of the must-see sights. Also we bought discount tickets for The Living Desert that saved a couple bucks off the admission price.

The ONLY place I discovered in Palm Springs to have items available for purchase with Palm Springs logo. T-shirts were high end quality and reasonably priced. I would have appreciated a better selection of totes that didn't appear to be made from Cafe Press online. Run by volunteers, I appreciated the customer service.

Close on Christmas Day. And it's just next to entrance of tramway! Not very big. Easy to find!

Easy to get too, easy to get info, and what great Mid-Century Modern Architecture history!!!

Need a starbuck coffee staion here! what a patio with table up front would be great ,so many people ask only one question how far to tram,and how many long would it take? to get there ,the only lady in the room was not the best form of gee welcome to the palm spring area how can I help you? she seen not want to help or not work on the holiday I ask would it be great for a Starbucks here? her answer was no ,I dont want more people here! she didn't seem to like people asking question ,I'am asking for more at this site,many walker are using the new road that paved ,and home and condo across the way would like too see a more hip center, picture taken around the corner with cit logo.please take time look at this money making view and center!

All I can write about is one of the employees who happened to be working the morning we arrived in Palm Springs. I was shocked that he had this job. I watched him and heard him for more than 15 minutes (couldn't help hearing him, he was so loud) and during that time he was only kindly to one gentleman...the rest of the time he served the public in a condescending or belittling manner. The ladies who worked there were lovely and respectful to those they were assisting.