Things to Do in La Quinta

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.

At The Living Desert, a dedicated conservation team tends to plants and animals populating more than 1,800 acres of desert—1,000 of which remain in their natural, undisturbed state. In addition to protecting the Colorado Desert's native population of birds, wolves, reptiles, and minotaurs, The Living Desert houses bighorn sheep, cheetahs, striped hyenas, leopards, and parrots from arid regions throughout the globe. Through annual contributions, members of the nonprofit organization help preserve the Colorado Desert and bolster the population of endangered desert species. Members also gain unlimited access to the park, discounts in the gift shop, and invitations to special events, such as the annual member-cheetah race.

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.

Water features lace throughout Boomers! miniature-golf courses, gurgling cheerfully as putters attempt to elude windmill blades and wacky hazards. These carefully designed courses populate numerous national locations, running parallel to go-kart tracks or lawless bumper-boat lagoons abandoned by the Coast Guard. Inside old-fashioned arcade rooms, video games chirp in response to players' shouts of victory or defeat.

The parks' parent company—Palace Entertainment—maintains 8 theme parks, 11 water parks, and 21 family-entertainment centers tucked into various corners of the nation, making it an expert on providing family-style fun and laundering towels.

Driven by a passion for Kundalini music, GuruGanesha Singh founded the label Spirit Voyage Music as a haven for himself and the many musicians with whom he worked. The demand for his music proved to be high, the business quickly outgrew his garage, and Karan Khalsa and Hargobind Singh took over the full recording and distribution businesses.

The label now organizes celebratory festivals of Kundalini yoga and music across the country, naming them after their first employee, Sat Nam Kaur, who helped the organization blossom in its infancy. Spirit Voyage’s online store sends music, yoga DVDs, books, and apparel across the country to those who can't get to the festivals because of distance or the inability to teleport.