• Palm Springs Visitor Center - The tour kicks off in the parking area of the Palm Springs Visitor Center located at 2901 N Palm Canyon Drive. If you’re not already there, it’s time to head over. Before starting, it’s important to note that Palm Springs is filled with historic celebrity homes, though many are concealed behind walls, hedges, or fences.

Note: The tour spans over 22 miles, includes more than 53 audio stories, and takes approximately 2-3 hours to complete.

Enjoy new, lifetime access with no expiration. Use it anytime, on any trip, as often as you like.

• Liberace House - Shortly, there will be an option to take a detour to view the Kaufmann and Liberace Houses, two of Palm Springs’ most renowned homes. The detour takes about five minutes and is recommended if you’re not pressed for time. To visit the houses, turn right onto West Vista Chino ahead. Otherwise, continue straight to bypass the detour.

⚠️ NOTE:
Star Homes may be obscured or partially hidden by gates, shrubs, or private roads. Please respect privacy during your tour.

• Kaufmann House - The Kaufmann Desert House is on the right, beyond the white gate. It’s regarded as one of the finest examples of mid-century modern architecture in the US! Businessman Edgar Kaufmann, who owned a successful department store in Pittsburgh, was passionate about architecture. He even commissioned the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright to create a home called Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. When he decided to build a vacation home in Palm Springs, he wanted the best and hired architect Richard Neutra. Neutra was renowned for designing open and adaptable houses with a distinctly modern look, and he applied all his skills to the Kaufmann House.

⚠️ NOTE:
Star Homes may be obscured or partially hidden by gates, shrubs, or private roads. Please respect privacy during your tour.

• The Movie Colony - Driving through the Movie Colony, this neighborhood was home to many of Hollywood’s stars in the 1900s. Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, Cary Grant, David O. Selznick, Jack Benny, and Tony Curtis all lived here. The neighborhood’s charm is largely due to the El Mirador Hotel, which opened in 1928. It featured an Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis courts, stables, and a bell tower that became a Palm Springs landmark. In Hollywood’s early days, movie stars would retreat to this hotel for peace and quiet in the desert. Many fell in love with the area and commissioned famous architects like Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, and Donald Wexler to build permanent homes.

• Robolights - After the next intersection, find a spot to park. Then, step out and look for the colorful sculptures peeking from behind the trees at the corner of East Granvia Valmonte and North Arquilla Road. It will be on the right.

• Walk of the Stars Palm Springs - Here, 450 stars honor larger-than-life figures in Palm Springs history. But it’s not just movie stars; humanitarians, architects, artists, soldiers, athletes, and city pioneers are celebrated on this walk! If they contributed to Palm Springs in any way, they receive a star!

• Coachella Valley - Leaving downtown Palm Springs, the tour explores more of Coachella Valley. Does the name sound familiar? It should! This valley hosts the world-famous Coachella Music Festival, but there’s much more to it!

• Palm Springs International Airport - In 1939, the United States Corps of Engineers sought a location to build an Army Air Corps landing field. With the country on the brink of war, they needed space to train more soldiers. Coachella Valley’s favorable weather and mountain protection from strong winds made it ideal. After the war, it became a civilian airport.

• Frank Sinatra Gravesite - Sinatra passed away in 1998 and was buried with a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey, a Zippo lighter, a pack of Camel cigarettes, and… 10 dimes. The first few items make sense, but what’s with the dimes? They date back to December 1963.

⚠️ NOTE:
Star Homes may be obscured or partially hidden by gates, shrubs, or private roads. Please respect privacy during your tour.

• Willis Palm Trailhead - Ahead is the Willis Palm Trailhead. This moderately strenuous 4-mile hike takes about three hours and climbs 500 feet in elevation. Along the loop, visitors can see birds, desert wildlife, and wildflowers if visiting in the spring!

• Pushwalla Palms Trailhead - The Pushawalla Palms trail is coming up on the right. Located at the base of the Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve, it actually goes in the opposite direction. It’s a moderate 4.5-mile hike with a 700-foot elevation gain. The views are stunning! Hikers walk along the ridge of the San Andreas Fault, seeing palm tree oases where water bubbles up from deep within the Earth! There are groves of palm trees! It takes around three hours to complete.

• Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve - Arriving at the Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve, this magical place offers numerous walking trails, wildlife, and lush scenery. Officials are currently renovating much of the preserve after a storm, so the visitor center is closed until further notice. However, the trails are open from sunrise to sunset!

• Forever Marilyn - This enormous statue of Marilyn Monroe stands here thanks to sculptor Seward Johnson, who designed the 26-foot-tall statue in 2011. Initially displayed in Chicago for a year, it was later sponsored to be placed in Palm Springs. The statue remained in Palm Springs for two years before touring the world, showcasing the artist’s work. It even moved to Australia for a time.

• 1326 N Rose Ave - The house at 1326 North Rose Avenue is often claimed to be Marilyn Monroe’s house. Bus tours and maps of famous houses have perpetuated this for years. However, locals suggest it may not have been hers!

• Frey House II - The Frey House II at 686 Palisades Drive isn’t open to the public, but the Palm Springs Museum offers guided tours of the property. It’s famous for several reasons. Firstly, the architect who designed it is known as the father of “desert modernism.” Albert Frey, a Swiss architect, earned his diploma in Switzerland and worked in Zurich, Belgium, and France. At 27, he moved to the United States, where he began building the American modernist architecture movement. After completing work on the Museum of Modern Art in New York, he settled in Palm Springs. Post-World War II, the population here was booming, and people needed homes.

⚠️ NOTE:
Star Homes may be obscured or partially hidden by gates, shrubs, or private roads. Please respect privacy during your tour.

• Palm Canyon Trail - The Palm Canyon Trail is an easy hike, spanning 2 miles out and back with a 200-foot elevation gain. Most people complete it in about an hour. Hikers enjoy stunning canyon scenery along the way. Be aware: there is an entrance fee for this trail. The Trading Post in the parking lot is where the entrance fee can be paid.
• Andreas Canyon Trailhead - Andreas Canyon is an easy hike, a mile loop with a 175-foot elevation gain. Most complete it in about half an hour. Along the trail, over 150 plant species can be seen within half a mile! The trail features numerous palm trees, intriguing rock formations, and Andreas Creek. Plus, there are still visible dents in the rock where Cahuilla people ground their food. It’s a beautiful hike!
• Moorten Botanical Garden - The Moorten Botanical Garden is a must-visit for desert plant enthusiasts. Chester “Cactus Slim” and Patricia Moorten established this garden in the 1940s. Cactus Slim had been an actor in the 1920s and 30s and even a stand-in for Howard Hughes! However, he developed TB on a film set and found he needed the dry desert air to breathe.

⚠️ NOTE:
Star Homes may be obscured or partially hidden by gates, shrubs, or private roads. Please respect privacy during your tour.

• Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is the world’s largest rotating tram car. It travels 2.5 miles along Chino Canyon, ascending to the wilds of Mount San Jacinto State Park. The tram car rotates 360 degrees for a spectacular view of the valley below! The mountaintop features restaurants, a gift shop, and plenty of hiking trails.
• Pioneertown - Yeehaw! Pioneertown is a unique place! Created by Hollywood to mimic the Wild West, in 1946, Dick Curtis, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and other showbiz figures invested in transforming this California desert spot into a living, breathing movie set. They purchased 32,000 acres and turned it into Pioneertown, where they could film movies, vacation, and even have second homes!

• Easy-to-use app: download Action’s Tour Guide App onto your phone
• Great value: purchase per car, not per person. More affordable than bus or guided tours!
• Engaging storytelling: Uncover unique tales and thrilling history for a memorable journey!
• Perfect narrator: nothing can beat listening to a great voice. Proven with tons of rave reviews!
• Offline maps: no signal, no problem! Works perfectly without cellular or wifi.
• Comprehensive route and stops: See it all, miss nothing, leave no stone unturned!
• Go at your own pace: Start anytime, pause anywhere, enjoy breaks for snacks and photos freely!
• Hands-free: audio stories play on their own based on your location. Easy to use!

• Attraction passes, entry tickets, or reservations

Enjoy the sunshine with a self-guided driving tour of Palm Springs, a favorite retreat for movie stars and celebrities for nearly a century. Discover architectural wonders left by these fascinating personalities, such as the lavish Liberace House. Pause at the gates of Frank Sinatra’s former estate and listen to intriguing stories about Ol’ Blue Eyes’ adventures in Palm Springs. And there’s so much more! Additionally, this driving tour will lead you to the tranquil Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve, a desert treasure abundant in natural beauty.

NOTE: Some homes may be obscured or partially hidden by gates, shrubs, or private roads. Please respect privacy during your tour.

After booking, check your email or text messages to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline.

New, lifetime access with no expiration. Use it anytime, on any trip, as often as you like.

• How To Access: After booking, you’ll get an email and text with setup instructions and password (search “audio tour” in emails and texts). • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password sent by email and text. • MUST download the tour while in strong wifi/cellular. • Works offline after download.
• How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
• Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
• Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
• NOTE: Homes may be obscured or partially hidden by gates, shrubs, or private roads. Please do not violate anyone’s privacy during your tour.
• New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
• Audio Setup: Connect your phone to your car’s stereo system using Bluetooth, USB, or AUX. For the best experience, consider using headphones for walking tours. Audio playback is compatible with Apple CarPlay, with navigation features coming soon. Support for Android Auto is also on the way.
• The tour requires a supported mobile device for navigation. Please use an iPhone with iOS 15 or later, an Android device with Android 9 or later, or an iPad/tablet with GPS and cellular service.
• Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car
• Please Note: From November 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026, Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Visitors are encouraged to check the official website before visiting, as hours may change.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.