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All the United States California Palm Desert

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Palm Desert

2 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Palm Desert, California

Updated July 21, 2017
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Unusual Attractions in Palm Desert

Smiler’s Point

Palm Desert, California

Smiler's Point

This simple highway curve has become a comedic pilgrimage site.
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The Sunnylands visitor center

Rancho Mirage, California

Sunnylands

You don't have to be a diplomat to visit the so-called Camp David of the West.
4 miles from Palm Desert
Knight of Shields, guiding seekers of dates.

Indio, California

Shields Date Garden

A giant knight, sex education, date shakes, and Jesus coexist happily in this Coachella Valley desert oasis.
6 miles from Palm Desert
The giant metal roadrunner watches traffic from the middle of the rotary.

La Quinta, California

Big Metal Roadrunner

A giant desert bird that once swung music fans at Coachella now has a home in a nearby traffic circle.
7 miles from Palm Desert

Indio, California

Liberation Mural

The sequential animation shows a galloping horse stretching, morphing into a winged Pegasus, and finally transforming into a bird soaring.
7 miles from Palm Desert
Palms flourish around McCallum Pond.

Thousand Palms, California

Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve

Hike amid the palm trees that thrive among Southern California's Indio Hills.
8 miles from Palm Desert
Monument and park dedicated to Dr. McCarroll with plaque detailing her deeds

Indio, California

Dr. June McCarroll Monument

A monument to the frontier doctor who came up with the idea of delineating highways with a painted line.
9 miles from Palm Desert
See All 2 Things To Do in Palm Desert
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Palm Desert, California

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    wants to go to Curves and Zigzags

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
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