25 OF THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN MCAGCC 29 PALMS

Introduction

Welcome to 29 Palms, the largest U.S. Marine Corps base! As you get settled into your new home, you’re probably looking for some ideas of things to do in the area. You’re in luck! The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center is just a short drive from Palm Springs and less than two hours from Riverside and Los Angeles counties. This area has so much to offer visitors and those who get to call it home. The area is known for its hot and dry desert climate so you can look forward to enjoying a variety of outdoor activities throughout the year. Here is a list of 25 of the best things to do while living in or near MCAGCC 29 Palms. Know what you are looking for? Click the number(s) to go right to what you go: (1-4) Parks, Rivers, and Lakes (5) Golfing (6-11) Gyms (12) Bowling (13-19) Nearby Attractions (20-23) Museums (24) Movie Theaters (25) Distilleries and Breweries

Suggested Read:

MCAGCC 29 Palms: In-Depth Welcome Center

COVID-19 Notice

Due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, many businesses, venues, and parks may be temporarily closed or operating under restricted hours. Many, if not all, of the ones listed here, are likely subject to such restrictions for the time being though new re-openings and closings occur all the time. Therefore, a place we mention here may not currently be open or available for the time being. Check individual websites provided in each section or call to find out each place’s current hours and situation.

25 Things to Do in MCAGCC 29 Palms

Parks, Rivers, and Lakes

MCAGCC 29 Palms

1. Outdoor Adventures

Bldg. 1262 MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA 92278 Phone: 1 (760) 830-7235 Outdoor Adventures provides recreational rentals, including equipment for winter and summer sports, camping, gardening and party gear. You’ll also have the chance to rent children’s games, tables, chairs, canopies and inflatables to make your next outdoor gathering one to remember. Call to make reservations.

Twentynine Palms

2. Indian Cove Boy Scout Trail

Indian Cove Road Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 Just 13 miles east of Joshua Tree Village and 10 miles west of Twentynine Palms on the north side of the Wonderland of Rocks lies the Indian Cove Boy Scout Trail. Indian This secluded area offers campers and hikers a sprawling area enclosed by towering rock formations, making the area popular with rock climbers. Many campsites are tucked around the rocks, providing naturalistic tent camping. Other sites offer space for RVs. There is a separate camping area for groups.

3. Luckie Park

Utah Trail and Joe Davis Drive Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

Phone:

1 (760) 367-6799 Luckie Park features four baseball fields, three covered picnic shelters, two playground areas, three basketball courts, a skateboard park, two corn hole pits, a soccer field and a pool. The Luckie Park pool is open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Call for more information.

4. Joshua Tree National Park

74485 National Park Drive Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

Phone:

1 (760) 367-5522 Joshua Tree National Park is open year-round. There are few facilities within the park’s approximately 800,000 acres, making Joshua Tree a true desert wilderness just a few hours outside of major cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Nearly 3 million visitors come to the park each year to enjoy hiking, camping, photography and rock climbing. The busy season in Joshua Tree runs from October through May.

29 Palms Golf Course

5. Desert Winds Golf Course

Bldg. 3811 MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA 92278

Phone:

1 (760) 830-6138 The Desert Winds Golf Course is the only 18-hole, championship course within a 60-mile radius. It offers a 24/7 driving range and putting green. Rental carts and clubs are available on-site in the pro shop. The course is also available to host outings and the Sand Trap Grill is open for breakfast and lunch. Call for hours as they vary by season.

29 Palms Gym

6. Camp Wilson Fitness Center

Bldg. 5411 MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA 92278

Phone:

1 (760) 830-4353 The Camp Wilson Fitness Center offers cardio and functional fitness equipment, similar to what will be available while deployed. The center can be open 24/7 when training exercises are underway. Call for more information and for hours.

7. Community Center Gym

Bldg. 1004 MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA 92278

Phone:

1 (760) 830-3910 The Community Center Gym has state-of-the-art equipment in the cardio room. Patrons 18 and up can use the rowing machine, ellipticals, an arc trainer, spin bikes and treadmills 24/7 with an access key. The Community Center’s basketball court can be reserved for team or individual use and fitness classes are held daily. Body fat analysis is available during certain hours. There is also a kids rooms onsite. Call for more information.

8. East Gym

Bldg. 1558 MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA 92278

Phone:

1 (760) 830-6440 The East Gym has everything to meet your fitness needs: indoor racquetball courts, a dry sauna, free weights, selectorized cable machines, treadmills, ellipticals and stair steppers. There’s also an outdoor turf area to support individual and small unit PT. The gym is open to active duty, their dependents and all authorized patrons.

9. West Gym

Bldg. 1518 MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA 92278

Phone:

1 (760) 830-6451 The West Gym offers amenities to support your fitness efforts, including a sauna, steam room, hypoxic training room, gymnasium, rock climbing cave and two cardio rooms. The gym offers Keiser equipment with pneumatic technology that reduces stress on your joints and tissues. The West Gym also includes an outdoor turf area for individuals or small units to conduct PT.

10. Wilburn Gym

Bldg. 1533 MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA 92278

Phone:

1 (760) 830-4070 One of the newer fitness centers on the installation, Wilburn Gym is a strength and conditioning facility designed for the warrior athlete. There’s a powerlifting area, Keiser racks equipped with pneumatic technology, an Olympic lifting area and Hammer Strength plate-loaded equipment. The gym also houses a variety of cardio equipment: human-powered ellipticals and treadmills, assault bikes, rowers and high-speed treadmills capable of 30+ mph and 40-degree inclines. Wilburn Gym has various options for myofascial release, stretching bands and Pneumex vibration platforms. Contact the center for more information and to schedule use of the VirTra, vision performance area or the eccentric plate-loaded machines.

11. Training Tank

Bldg. 1508 MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA 92278

Phone:

1 (760) 830-6212 The Training Tank, next to the Sunset Cinema, is heated, open year-round and offers active-duty personnel and their family members an Olympic-size swimming pool for training and recreational swimming. The Training Tank is available for unit training, lap swimming, recreational swimming, physical therapy and water aerobics. It can also be reserved for pool parties on a seasonal basis. Call for water aerobics class schedule and details on special events, paddleboards, kayaks and paddleboats.

29 Palms Base Bowling Alley

12. Sandy Hill Lanes Bowling Center

Bldg. 1584 MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA 92278

Phone:

1 (760) 830-6422 Sandy Hill Lanes Bowling Center offers 20 well-maintained lanes, large screen televisions to watch the game, a digital jukebox, video games and a fully stocked snack bar. It’s a great facility for indoor recreation and relaxation. Tournaments are offered regularly and cosmic bowling is every Friday and Saturday night. League play runs throughout the year with competitive play for military personnel and their spouses.

Nearby Attractions

Indian Wells

Palm Desert

13. Living Desert Zoo and Gardens

47900 Portola Ave. Palm Desert, CA 92260

Phone:

1 (760) 346-5694 A little over an hour from MCAGCC 29 Palms sits the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. This unique zoo and botanical gardens specialize in the deserts of the world. Zebras, giraffes, mountain lions and cheetahs are just a few of the animals you’ll see. The exhibits include over 1,600 species of plants and 140 species of animals from the deserts of North America and Africa. Additionally, the park boasts a list of over 150 species of free-flying birds and is the best place in the world to view roadrunners.

Thermal

14. Desert International Horse Park

85555 Airport Blvd. Thermal, CA 92274

Phone:

1 (442) 200-4919 Desert International Horse Park is the home of the world-renowned National Sunshine Series, each October/November, and Desert Circuit horse shows, each January through March. See the best in the world compete at this one-of-a-kind horse park. See the website for dates and spectator information.

15. Indian Wells Tennis Garden

78200 Miles Ave. Indian Wells, CA 92210

Phone:

1 (760) 200-8400 The Indian Wells Tennis Garden is a world-class facility for the ardent tennis player at a beautiful location. Host to the BNP Paribas Open, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden features 29 hard championship courts, a member lounge, and fitness and locker rooms for members and guests to enjoy.

MCAGCC 29 Palms

16. Information, Tickets and Tours

Bldg. 1502 MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA 92278

Phone:

1 (760) 830-4067 Information, Tickets and Tours (ITT) is your one-stop-shop for all of your destinations. The ITT office has discount tickets for many Southern California attractions such as theme parks, dinner shows, whale watching tours, museums, aquariums and more. This office is a great resource for seeking out new adventures and area information.

17. Hill Top Pool

Bldg. 1576 MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA 92278

Phone:

1 (760) 830-7520 The Hill Top Pool offers family members the unique experience of sunbathing and water play right next to the Frontline Restaurant. Kids can enjoy the water while adults sun poolside or take a dip in the deep end. It can also be reserved for pool parties on a seasonal basis. Call for summer program availability.

18. Family Pool

Bldg. 1576 MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA 92278

Phone:

1 (760) 830-6727 The Family Pool features deluxe amenities and swimming classes throughout the summer. With an individual children’s pool, water tree and sunbathing chairs as well as covered areas, this pool is great for a day out in the summer heat. The Family Pool offers recreational and lap swimming. It can also be reserved for pool parties on a seasonal basis. Call for hours and availability.

29 Palms Museum

Twentynine Palms

19. Old Schoolhouse Museum

6760 National Park Drive Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

Phone:

1 (760) 367-2366 The Twentynine Palms Historical Society was founded on April 26, 1982, and operates the Old Schoolhouse Museum. The museum is housed in the oldest public building in the Morongo Basin and provides visitors with a chance to experience a 1920s-era schoolroom and view artifacts and exhibits pertaining to the history of Twentynine Palms and the surrounding area.

Cathedral City

20. Museum of Ancient Wonders

69028-B E. Palm Canyon Drive Cathedral City, CA 92234

Phone:

1 (442) 268-5004 The Museum of Ancient Wonders offers exhibitions of replicated and genuine treasured artifacts from the world of ancient civilizations and scientifically produced laboratory-cast fossils of important discoveries of prehistoric life. A new and unique museum devoted to world-wide discoveries in the fields of paleontology, paleoanthropology and archaeology, rarely experienced outside of larger communities.

Joshua Tree

21. Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum

62975 Blair Lane Joshua Tree, CA 92252 The Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum of Assemblage Art is open to the public every day of the year from sun up until sundown and is free of charge. Take a brochure from the welcome kiosk for a self-guided tour.

Palm Springs

22. Palm Springs Air Museum

745 N. Gene Autry Trail Palm Springs, CA 92262

Phone:

1 (760) 778-6262 There is always something new at the Palm Springs Air Museum, where visitors can get close to the vintage World War II and Korea/Vietnam-era aircraft. Nearly 60 flyable and static planes are on display inside four climate-controlled hangars totaling 86,000 square feet inside, with more outside on the tarmac. Many of the museum docents actually flew these planes and served on the ships. The four hangars are organized by theme, with related exhibits lining the walls.

Yucca Valley

23. Hi-Desert Nature Museum

57090 Twentynine Palms Highway Yucca Valley, CA 92284

Phone:

1 (760) 369-7212 For more than 50 years, the Hi-Desert Nature Museum has been dedicated to helping the residents of the Morongo Basin and High Desert discover the rich cultural heritage and natural history of the area. The interactive museum details the flora, fauna and geographical nature of the surrounding desert.

Twentynine Palms Movie

24. Sunset Cinema

Bldg. 1510 MCAGCC 29 Palms, CA 92278

Phone:

1 (760) 830-6873 Sunset Cinema shows first-run movies every day for a low price as well as 3-D movies, when available. It’s a great place to host a special event or it can be used for briefs, ceremonies and meetings.

Craft Breweries and Distilleries

25. Breweries and Distilleries

From draft suds to small-batch spirits, you’ll find several breweries and distilleries near MCAGCC 29 Palms that give a whole new meaning to the word “craft.” After all, sipping a chilled one by the pool and under the palms is what living in the desert is all about, and local brewmasters take their art form and passion seriously. Find a craft brewery closest to MCAGCC 29 Palms or venture further out to enjoy that hoppy goodness.

Conclusion

The desert surrounding MCAGCC 29 Palms is packed with things to do. It’s perfect for outdoor enthusiasts, history buffs, budding photographers and food lovers alike. Whatever your mood or hobby, there’s plenty of things to do in Twentynine Palms.

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The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.