The Hummer rolls over the rugged terrain of California's vast Colorado Desert. My niece and nephew - Kaela, 6, and Brochton, 10 - giggle in the back, swaying with every bump and dip. William, our tour guide and a student of archaeology, shows us the cactuses and arid plants you can eat in what appears to be the uninhabitable landscape. He points out lizards, snakes, roadrunners, vultures and owls to the children, who squeal with delight at every wild creature. William steers the bulky Hummer into the narrow Box Canyon, alongside billion-year-old rocks. The boulders looming overhead wouldn't seem precarious if I am not aware we are inside one of the most notorious earthquake fault lines in the world: the 1,300km San Andreas Fault. From the canyon's floor, I can see we are sandwiched between two land masses, one slightly higher than the other. 'Most guests ask me, 'So California will really fall off into the sea one day, right?'' jokes William. 'It won't - we'll just eventually have Los Angeles end up by San Francisco.' I ask about the chances that the fault will collapse while we're inside it? 'Well, anything can happen. But we wouldn't take visitors here if it was that dangerous,' he says. The children seem disappointed at this news, like we have cheated them out of being in a real disaster movie. They remain mesmerised nonetheless. An inside tour of a major earthquake fault is just one of the many unusual family adventures available near Palm Springs, California. This mellow oasis town of 50,000, two hours east of Los Angeles is better known as the glitzy getaway for Hollywood stars since the 1920s. In fact, so many big names had their second homes here over the decades, Palm Springs has become the centre of a holiday home rental market of former celebrity addresses. Travellers can stay in the former homes of Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Elvis' honeymoon house or cowboy legend Gene Autry. Many of the houses are in the 1950s mid-century modern style that Palm Springs is famous for, and even in the 21st century the houses remain impressive. When I walk through the closet of the late Elizabeth Taylor in her 930-square-metre estate, I am dumbfounded to find a cathedral skylight, French windows and a cream chaise lounge large enough to sleep on. Her adjoining bathroom was the size of a New York studio apartment, complete with a fireplace, a wrought-iron chandelier and a marble bathtub. You can rent out this seven-bedroom, 9?bath mansion for a little more than US$1,000 a night. Or for US$1,500 a night you can choose the five-bedroom, Space-Age home where Elvis and Priscilla Presley first lived. It's full of 1967 furniture and decor, just like when 'The King' slept here. Many families gravitate to Palm Springs to holiday for the very reason that they can stay in full homes, celebrity or otherwise, for the price of a couple of cramped hotel rooms. But beyond exploring earthquake zones, Palm Springs has adventures to keep all the family occupied. For instance, Kaela and Brochton love being whisked up the face of a 3,300-metre mountain in the world's largest rotating tram car. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway travels through several vertical climate zones before dropping us off at the top of Mount San Jacinto. This peak is part of the protected, 110-hectacre Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument that borders Palm Springs. At the summit, the kids run around the cool alpine forest trails, discovering patches of snow to fling at each other. Even in early summer, the mountain can have snow, while the temperatures in the desert valley below remain at toasty poolside sunbathing levels. Another way Kaela and Brochton like to beat the heat is by begging me to take them to Knott's Soak City. Operated by Knott's Berry Farm theme park near Disneyland, this water park found a natural home in Palm Springs when it opened in 2001. You can spend days exploring the place, with its 3-million-litre wave pool, seven-storey Tidal Wave Tower waterslide and four-storey interactive Family Funhouse with slides, hose jets, water curtains and a 4,000-litre dropping bucket. I hope the children will be finally worn out after a full day sliding, splashing and swimming, but there is no such luck. As the desert sunset sends orange and pink streaks across the sky, I am surprised to hear them beg again: 'Can we please go to the street fair now?' It is a balmy Thursday evening, when Palm Springs' historic downtown closes off its main drag to traffic and turns into a multiblock farmers' market and festival. Called VillageFest, it overflows with local artists, musicians, jewellery makers and craftsmen. Kaela somehow has enough energy left to scale the two-storey rock-climbing wall in a harness, but by the time she stands watching the outdoor magic show, I can see her little eyes beginning to droop and shut. Finally, after hours of fun in the water, sun and streets, her little battery is spent. The next day, I decide to give the kids' suntanned skin some shade. We make it an indoor museum day. Brochton loves planes, so I know he'll flip out at the Palm Springs Air Museum, home to the world's largest collection of flyable second world war aircraft. Upon entering the enormous air conditioned hangars next to the Palm Springs International Airport, a young man approaches us. 'Would you like me to show you around?' We soon find that our boy-guide knows everything about the second world war and its planes, from the rivets to the pilots. The kids are hypnotised by his endless encyclopedic knowledge. I finally ask him: 'How old are you?' 'Thirteen,' is the reply. The kids look at each other in amazement. 'See, you guys could be tour guides in a few years if you learned all this,' I tell them. Kaela and Brochton immediately go to work searching the museum, climbing aboard actual bombers, training on flight-simulation programmes, and joining in a museum scavenger hunt. When they begin to lecture me on details about all the aircraft, I smile to myself. We next head to the world-class, four-storey Palm Springs Art Museum. It's home to art of the American West, as well as cutting-edge installations alongside masters such as Picasso, Monet and Warhol. I time it so the children can join in on one of the museum's art classes. They sit down at a long table with other children, and under the watchful eye of the instructor work on watercolours that emphasise the surrounding desert hues and textures. The masterpieces still hang on my refrigerator. Admission to the museum and the classes are free for kids 12 and under. On my last day with the kids in Palm Springs, we head to The Living Desert, a 486-hectacre wildlife and botanical park in the nearby town of Palm Desert. This outdoor zoo is the only one in the United States solely dedicated to the flora and fauna of the world's deserts. We get there just in time for the kids to feed the African giraffes a breakfast of leaves. Fearless Kaela doesn't recoil once, even as the creatures' sandpaper-like tongues scrape against her open palms. We spend hours gazing upon the park's collections of hedgehogs, foxes, frogs, snakes, sand cats, gazelles, warthogs, camels, zebras and even the strange hissing cockroach. Endangered local desert species, such as the Mexican wolf and Peninsula Bighorn sheep, also make The Living Desert their home. At the park's onsite animal hospital, we peer through large windows at coyotes getting their annual medical check-up. 'People think of the desert as a wasteland,' one of the park's workers, Kimberley, explains to the kids. 'But there is a lot of life here. The desert can be pretty magical.' ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR Knott's Soak City is open throughout the summer from 10am to 6pm and is extended to 7pm at weekends during July and the first weekend of August. Slides and attractions are rated low, medium, high and aggressive thrills. Food and drink is available. Save US$7 on tickets when buying online. Address: 1500 S Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, California. www.knotts.com/soak-city-water-parks Palm Springs Air Museum is home to one of the world's largest collections of second world war aircraft. Opening times: Daily 10am to 5pm Address: 745 N Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, California. Tel: +1 (760) 778 6262, www.palmspringsairmuseum.org Palm Springs Art Museum Closed Mondays and public holidays. Opening times: 10am to 5pm; Thursdays: noon to 8pm Address: 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs, California. Tel: +1 (760) 325 4490 www.psmuseum.org Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Opening times: Cars depart at least every half hour; Monday-Friday first tram up 10am; Saturday, Sunday and holidays first tram up 8am; last tram up 8pm and last tram down 9.45pm. Address: One Tram Way, Palm Springs, California. www.pstramway.com/ VillageFest There are more than 100 arts, crafts and food vendors weekly. Enjoy the Farmers' Market and live music. Local shops and restaurants stay open late too. Opening Times: 7 to 10pm Address: Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California. www.palmcanyondrive.org The Living Desert Shuttle buses are available to take you around the park with information about each exhibit. Staff are on hand to answer questions. Summer opening hours: 8am to 1.30pm; last admission at 1pm Address: 47900 Portola Avenue, Palm Desert, California. Tel: +1 (760) 346 5694 www.livingdesert.org Celebrity holiday homes To find out more about renting celebrity homes, go to: www.sinatrahouse.com , www.vacationpalmsprings.com , www.theparkerpalmsprings.com . For more information on Palm Springs, including free things to do, go to: www.visitpalmsprings.com
