Palm Springs: Celebrity Homes Golf Cart Tour & Hollywood Stories

4.81

(206 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“That’s Sinatra’s old place—see the blue door?” our guide said, slowing the golf cart just enough for us to catch the sunlight flickering off a mailbox. I’d barely finished my coffee before we were rolling through these quiet Palm Springs neighborhoods, palm fronds rattling overhead and the air already warm. There was something weirdly personal about seeing these homes up close—like peeking behind the curtain of old Hollywood, but without feeling like a total intruder. Our guide, Mark, grew up here; he told us about running into Liberace at the grocery store once. I believed him.

The golf carts are open-air (which is great for photos, less great if you forget sunscreen). We cruised side by side with another group—sometimes waving at each other when we stopped outside a house that looked straight out of a 1960s movie set. Mark pointed out where Marilyn Monroe used to throw parties and how Elvis would sneak in late at night (he did an Elvis impression that made everyone laugh). I kept noticing little things: the smell of jasmine from someone’s garden, an old couple walking their dog who nodded as we passed—like this was all perfectly normal.

I didn’t expect to care much about celebrity homes, honestly, but hearing stories right there—like how Dean Martin supposedly sang from his pool at midnight—made it feel oddly real. We got a welcome gift (I won’t spoil it) and cold bottled water, which was more exciting than it sounds after an hour in that desert sun. The tour only takes small groups (we had six in ours), so you don’t get lost in the shuffle or stuck behind someone’s selfie stick. And yeah, I still think about that blue door sometimes.