Things to Do in Desert Hot Springs

Baseball in San Bernardino dates back to 1899. More than a century's worth of history includes such team names as the Kittens and the Pioneers. It also includes a drought from 1950–1987, during which the city lacked enough dirt to build a baseball field. That drought ended when the San Bernardino Spirit began play as part of the California League. In 1996, the Spirit became the Stampede, and in 2003, the Stampede became the 66ers, a name chosen in honor of the historic U.S. Route 66 that is famous for its hitchhiking umpires. Over the years, the 66ers organization has spent time as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Mariners, Dodgers, and most recently, the Angels. The team has brought honor to each of its MLB partners, as it has won five California League championships since 1995.

More than one million fossils and artifacts were unearthed during the construction the Diamond Valley Lake reservoir in Hemet. These time-swept relics make their home in the Western Science Center's museum complex, creating a bridge between ancient eras and the scientific advances of the future. The campus itself is steeped in advanced design tactics, making it the first museum in California to earn a Platinum LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. A rooftop covered with 3,000 solar panels provides more than half of the museum's power needs, and a combination of heat-resistant windows and forced-air circulation keeps the interior cool while spending less energy on air conditioning and ice sculpture maintenance.

A journey through the ages begins from the moment visitors step from the parking lot and under the Life on Earth Timelime, a 156-foot corridor of geologic time rings from Pre-Cambrian to Holocene that leads to the museum lobby. Inside, they explore permanent and temporary exhibits, including "Max," the largest mastodon skeleton found in the Western United States and the Discovery lab highlighting the tool contemporary architects use every day. Crowds can take a seat in the immersion theater with a 270-degree screen to watch a pair of short films about the time when giant creatures roamed California and how the region was excavated and preserved.

Held aloft by 35 years of family tradition, Stillwater Balloon sends intrepid explorers skyward from a port just off the scenic St. Croix River. Friendly FAA-certified pilots operate each craft and readily answer any questions that passengers may have as they float through gorgeous views of the surrounding valley. The billowy, multicolored behemoths cruise at treetop level, allowing travelers to shake hands with monkeys. Private and semiprivate flights are the business's forte, but Stillwater Balloon also accommodates custom flights for backyard surprises or ultimate school pickups.

Presented with 600 acres of verdant pasture to sculpt into an executive course, golf-course architect David Rainville dreamt up 18 Bermuda grass fairways adorned with colorful flowerbeds, four ponds strewn into play, and sand bunkers of various sizes and difficulties. In the three decades since Rainville’s vision became reality, the course’s trees have flourished on all of the eight par 4s and 10 par 3s. The well-manicured course has been ranked in the top 10 courses in San Diego, inviting golfers of all stripes to experience the verdant playground and perhaps occasional sightings of caddies that graze on the short grass. While swinging through the course, men and women are asked to wear collared shirts, protecting them from neck sunburns, informality, and vampire flagsticks.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 62 course
• Length of 3,968 yards
• Course rating of 58.9
• Slope rating of 102
• Course layout

Chairs and tables beware: SoCal Pro Wrestling's muscled warriors will soon invade the Boys & Girls Club in Oceanside to battle it out in the ring. The evening's bouts feature a gravity-defying tables and ladders match that pits "Mr. Mega Star" Tommy Wilson and Ricky Mandel against the rough-and-tumble duo known as Anchors Away. Before the dust settles, Big Daddy Destro and Chris Kadillak will charge the ring to determine SoCal Pro Wrestling's heavyweight champion. Champion Andre Machievski then goes uniformed-toe-to-toe with challenger Big Duke to retain his Golden State belt, the only device capable of holding up his golden jeans.

Owned and operated by artist Kelly Hutchinson, Kelly's Art & Frame is home to a 2,800-square-foot art gallery where original paintings, watercolors, and limited-edition prints line the walls. Onsite custom framing services combine archival materials and meticulous work to properly preserve drawings, sculptures, and cherished pieces of ABC gum. With fellow artist Carol Fogelsong, Kelly also leads art classes, teaching the fundamentals to students during intimate group sessions.