Central - Inland Empire and surrounding areas

Palm Springs - Living Desert
www.livingdesert.org
47900 Portola Ave # 900
Palm Desert, CA 92260
(760) 346-5694

$11.95
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Planning Your Visit
Call before you visit or check our Daily Program Schedule on this website for updated events, programs, special tours, demonstrations or lectures.
It’s cooler in the morning!Plan the timing of your visit. Instead of suffering through the hottest part of the day, visit the zoo when it’s cooler. This is a desert. The morning can begin quite cool but by noon, things can get a little uncomfortable. It is recommended that you allow 3-4 hours to see the park and participate in some of the daily activities.
Clothing
Make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes, preferably closed toe. Dress accordingly to the season. Summer days can reach well above 100º F/37ºC. Even though most visitors think less clothing means cooler body temperatures, this is not true. Long sleeve 100% cotton shirts are the best to keep you cool. Allowing sweat to completely evaporate from you skin will make you hotter and dehydrate quicker.
Hats, sunscreen, even an umbrella is recommended for all seasons. Winter day temperatures sometimes warrant a jacket or sweater.
Water
Water, water, water! Drink plenty of water. Remember this is a desert and due to the dry conditions, your body rapidly loses water. It is recommended that during the hottest part of the summer season, you must drink one gallon of water per day for low activity. Your body can sweat 3.5 pints in two hours! Bottled water is available for purchase in our cafe, grill, snack stand and vending machines. Drinking fountains are conveniently located throughout the park.
Food
Two restaurants feature a great selection of food for every taste and budget. We also have limited picnic areas for visitors who may choose to bring their own food. NOTE: No locker facilities are available.


Pasadena - Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens
http://www.huntington.org/
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
(626) 405-2100

$15 Adults
Tues.- Fri.: Noon - 4:30 p.m.
Sat.- Sun.: 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The Huntington is a research and educational center set amidst 120 acres of breathtaking gardens. Three art galleries and a library showcase magnificent collections of paintings, sculptures, rare books, manuscripts, and decorative arts. The botanical collection features over 14,000 different species of plants.



High Desert - Joshua Tree National Park
http://www.nps.gov/jotr/
74485 National Park Drive
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
(760) 367-5500


7-Day Vehicle Permit: $15Admits the passengers of a single, non-commercial vehicle. Valid for the day of purchase and the next six days.

7-Day Single Entry Permit: $5Admits one person, 16 years of age or older, when entering on foot, bicycle, motorcycle, or horse. Also the per person entrance fee for individuals traveling together in a vehicle as a non-commercial, organized group. Valid for the day of purchase and the next six days.

A Desert Park
Viewed from the road, this desert park only hints at its vitality. Closer examination reveals a fascinating variety of plants and animals that make their home in this land shaped by strong winds, unpredictable torrents of rain, and climatic extremes. Dark night skies, a rich cultural history, and surreal geologic features add to the attraction of this place. Come see for yourself!

Climate
Days are typically clear with less than 25 precent humidity. Temperatures are most comfortable in the spring and fall, with an average high/low of 85 and 50°F (29 and 10°C) respectively. Winter brings cooler days, around 60°F (15°C), and freezing nights. It occasionally snows at higher elevations. Summers are hot, over 100°F (38°C) during the day and not cooling much below 85°F (29°C) until the early hours of the morning.


Redlands - Kimberly Crest
http://www.kimberlycrest.org/
1325 Prospect Drive
Redlands, CA 92373
(909)792-2111


Hours
1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, September through July
closed During holidays and parts of August.

Guided tours start every 30 minutes with the last tour beginning at 3:30 p.m.
Admission donation is $7 for adults

Kimberly Crest, a picturesque French chateau style home built in 1897, is a well preserved example of the Victorian Era in California. The 7,000 square foot, three-story chateau sits on a six and one quarter acre estate two miles south of downtown Redlands, at 1325 Prospect Drive, and is enjoyed by more than 11,000 visitors annually.
Originally built by Mrs. Cornelia A. Hill, a widow from New York State, the home was purchased by J. Alfred Kimberly (a co-founder of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation) and Helen Cheney Kimberly in 1905. Their widowed daughter, Mary Kimberly Shirk, lived in the home from 1920 until her death in 1979.
The house’s unique features include a French revival parlor complete with gilt furniture and silk damask wall coverings. Terraced Italian gardens, orange groves and ponds surround this historic landmark home. The lily ponds feature radiant Koi; vivid red, pink and yellow lilies against deep green majestic lotus blossoms; and papyrus. In 1998, KSA was made an honorary member of the Inland Koi Society who maintains the lily ponds at Kimberly Crest.
In 1963 there was a community effort to raise money to purchase Prospect Park (a 39 acre botanical park east and adjacent to Kimberly Crest) for the City of Redlands. To motivate support for this project, Mrs. Shirk promised to give her home to the “people of Redlands,” if the needed money was raised. The park was acquired in 1968. The following year the Kimberly-Shirk Association, a non-profit corporation was formed. In her will, Mrs. Shirk left the house to the Association for the people of Redlands.

The Italian terraced gardens were designed by G. Edwin Bergstrom, a prominent Los Angeles architect and a son-in-law of the Kimberlys. Bergstrom successfully interpreted Mrs. Kimberly's wishes for an Italian garden. Terence Hernstrom, director of gardens and grounds, revives and designs the breath-taking gardens today. The gardens include neverending Mediterranean borders, cascading fountains, lily and koi ponds, multiple terraces, curved stairways and engulfing orange groves - all reminiscent of Renaissance Italy.
The luxuriant gardens and grounds provide an aristocratic setting for important private events. Wedding ceremonies often take place at one end of the main terrace in a semicircular nook where a wisteria-covered arbor makes a classical backdrop. Kimberly Crest provides the perfect setting for an exclusive outdoor event.