Christian Science Reading Room

Even though the beauty of nature is all around us all the time, it may be hard to stop and appreciate it given your hectic schedule of activities. You can take a much-needed breather when you take the kids to experience the UCR Botanic Gardens. This amazing collection of nature is more than just flowers and greenery. You will be able to relax along with the birds and the bees and other natural life forms in a remarkably captivating way. This attraction boasts an impressive 39 acres of flowers, woods, and gardens that also include hiking trails and several picturesque spots for the kids to play or for the whole family to enjoy a picnic.

There are parks and then there are the parks that hold an incredible number of distinctive outfeatures like the kind that you will find at Indio Hills Palms State Park. The park is centered around a line where the San Andreas fault accumulated ground water and nurtures the incredible variety of palms that are found here. This is an impressively large, 2,206-acre park area that is home to several palm groves. This is where you can take in the visually stunning Hidden, Pushawalla, Briska, Macomber and Horseshoe palms.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how many words are hanging in the California Museum of Photography? Find out when you pay a visit to this highly enjoyable facility that is a feast for the eyes from beginning to end. See stunning prints by such famous photographers as Ansel Adams, Lewis Hine, Alfred Steiglitz and Mary Ellen Mark. The expertly lit pieces all seem to come alive as you stroll from one exhibit to the next. Don't forget to stop into the gift shop to purchase copies of your favorite prints.