Kid-friendly places in Palm Springs

A newer playground under shade canopies, split into an area for ages 2 to 5 and another for 5 to 12, so toddlers aren't dodging the big kids.

Rebuilt in 2024 with a tot lot beside the main structure and a sheltered picnic area.

A splash pad with a water feature modeled on the Tahquitz Canyon waterfall, steps from the giant Marilyn statue.

A classic diner inside the Ace Hotel with an outdoor patio and live music some weekends.

The pool stays open late, with a separate kids' pool, a sandbox and fire pits, and downtown is a short walk away.

A separate tot lot beside the bigger play structures, with the mountains right behind.

Turtles that squirt water are built into the play structures.

Every room is a suite, and the cabana suites open straight onto the pool.

A playground opened in 2025 with shade structures and musical pieces to bang on, built so kids of every ability can play together.

Pancakes are the thing here, and the kids' version comes plated to look like a bear.

Mexican food on a palapa-covered patio with live music, so the table can be a bit loud without anyone minding.

A huge, colorful dining room hung with Old Hollywood stars, and kids' meals come with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Pizza and spaghetti in a colorful room, and the kids' menu runs from bacon and eggs to pasta.

Breakfast only, with a bacon flight in different flavors and pineapple French toast.

The pool is up on the roof of the tallest building downtown, right above Palm Canyon Drive.

A wave pool for surf sessions plus slides, a lazy river and a splash pad, so an older kid can surf while a little one splashes.

The city's public pool, open for drop-in swims.

A classic deli with its own bakery and sandwiches stacked high.

A mid-century tiki motel with a lawn beside the pool, so kids can do cartwheels between swims.

A short walk from Palm Canyon Drive, so dinner and the street fair don't need the car.

Coffee for you and hot chocolate for them, with a lawn courtyard out back where kids can run around while you sit.

The tribe's own museum, with family activity days and an ethnobotany camp for kids.

Shakes, malts and floats, including a date shake, and some come with a mini donut on the straw.

Build-your-own sundaes and a gift shop in the same room.

Scoops and Dole Whip right on the Walk of Stars, with famous names in the sidewalk.

A compact cactus garden with shaded paths, small enough that younger kids can walk all of it.

The car rotates as it climbs the cliffs to a forest far cooler than the valley floor, with easy trails at the top.

Hangars of WWII planes to walk right up to, a scavenger hunt to work through, and open-cockpit events where kids get to sit in one.

Sculpture gardens outside and family days with hands-on workshops.

A kids' space with story times and take-home STEAM kits.

A two-mile loop up rock steps to a waterfall at the back of the canyon.

Palm Canyon Drive closes to cars for a street fair with food stalls and street performers, with room for kids on scooters.