Greater Palm Springs has so much to offer that making sure you experience it all can be a challenge you're willing to accept. These LGBTQ+ owned and operated tour operators have you covered for a sampling of what Greater Palm Springs has to offer.
Whether exploring midcentury modern architecture, bicycling through the city, or sampling our nightlife is on your to-do list, these local businesses will take you on adventures of a lifetime.
Bike Palm Springs Rentals & Tours
Biking is a breeze in Greater Palm Springs, with miles of bike paths to take you to some of the best sights.
BIKE Palm Springs Rentals and Tours has everything you need to rent (such as locks and helmets) to enjoy your day. Tony Torres and Rocky Wood have established a partnership with the Palm Springs Historical Society to expand their rental business to include tours. The synergy between the nonprofit and their rental business has produced a one-of-a-kind experience that can’t be missed.
“The motivating factor for opening a bike rental shop in Palm Springs when it was established was the lack of bike rental shops and realizing that the best way to see the city is on a bike,” explains Tony. The partnership with the Palm Springs Historical Society made sense for the expanding bike company. “It was a great fit from day one,” Tony says. “The Palm Springs Historical Society is a nonprofit organization, and all of their docents volunteer their time to lead the tours.”
In addition to architectural sightseeing, the two tour options — aptly named "Bike Like a Star" and "Bike the Mid Mod Oasis" — cruise past stunning scenery and include interesting historical anecdotes about some of the architects and celebrities who once lived and worked here.
These tours appeal to all demographics. “We welcome everyone and anyone who shares the love for bikes and the outdoors,” Tony adds. “We love our LGBTQIA+ community and allies. Our services are perfect for families and friends. We like to make it a memorable time for those who visit us. We are known for being fun, friendly, colorful, and receive great satisfaction out of hearing folks rave about their visit to BIKE Palm Springs.”
Sunny Cycle Palm Springs
Change up your cycling and beverage game with Sunny Cycle Palm Springs, a luxury electric limousine cycle that incorporates everything that best represents Greater Palm Springs: sunshine, music, food, and refreshing beverages!
Jen Banford and her partner Shannon Miller have been vacationing in Palm Springs since the early 2000s. They'd rent the eco-friendly cycles in their hometown of Minneapolis and recognized the potential for the business in their newly adopted hometown with year-round sunshine and bike-friendly streets. Six years later, the Sunny Cycle has become a familiar and entertaining part of the landscape on Palm Canyon and Indian Canyon drives and the go-to tour for locals with out-of-town visitors.
Jen and Shannon are now full-time residents in Palm Springs and active participants in the Coachella Valley, in addition to working for the Chamber of Commerce and Palm Springs Police Association. “We call it Heaven on Earth,” says Jen, and their love of the community shows.
The Sunny Cycle tour takes place on a 14-seat custom-created cycle that features pedal and motor power with non-stop music.
Jen and Shannon have made the tour even more special by partnering with local restaurants, such as Lulu California Bistro and Eight4Nine Restaurant & Lounge, to provide discounts and reservations to Sunny Cycle customers. The regular tour incorporates stops at partnering restaurants and includes complimentary food.
Sunny Cycle's custom tours include scavenger hunts, Instagram-inspired rides, and midcentury modern architecture (in partnership with PS ModCom), plus new celebrity and karaoke tours coming soon. They'll also customize a tour for any occasion, including birthdays, corporate events, or family reunions. The inclusivity of Sunny Cycle tours is also reflective of the broader community. “We find a way to make it work so everyone is included,” says Jen, and this results in guests ranging from as young as toddlers to 98-years-old.
Palm Springs Mod Squad
Don't just ride by those midcentury modern houses — get your architecture education during a one-of-a-kind experience with PS Mod Squad.
Owner Kurt Cyr brings his designer background and experience to every tour with insightful information and historical references that will inspire you to finally purchase that 1960s coffee table. Cyr's tourism career began when he provided tours for the world-renowned Modernism Week event, held in Palm Springs each February and October.
“I had been guiding tours atop the double-decker buses during Modernism Week for several years,” recalls Cyr. “I really enjoyed it, and my buses were sold out, and then people started requesting my bus. I thought there was something there! Could I do it year-round? I decided I could. So I got my license from the state and began conducting tours in 2015.”
PS Mod Squad’s motto is "See Palm Springs through Modern Eyes," and the best way to do that is with their three distinctive tours: Interior, Essential, and the Rat Pack Martini.
As Cyr explains, “The Interior Tour takes you into three different homes so you can see what it is like to live a modern life in midcentury modern homes.”
Architects are the rockstars of Palm Springs Desert Modernist design, and PS Mod Squad’s Essential Tour is a great introduction. Cyr describes it as an “architecturally focused tour that explains the who, what, why, and how of our Desert Modern architecture — the architects, the signature elements, and why both the early settlers and the Hollywood set came here to Palm Springs."
Palm Springs and the Rat Pack are commonly associated with one another, and PS Mod Squad takes you to the ultimate cocktail party experience, or as Cyr says, “the intersection of Palm Springs, Las Vegas, and the Rat Pack.” A tour of celebrity homes is followed by a martini at one of Frank Sinatra’s favorite desert hangouts.
So where would these experts in Greater Palm Springs sightseeing take their visiting friends? Tony wouldn’t let his guests miss the Forever Marilyn statue in downtown, Jen and Shannon would head to the Indian Canyons for a picturesque hike, and Kurt would be found touring around downtown Palm Springs to explore the public art and the newly built park. In addition to their own tours, all worthwhile excursions!
Once you have those stunning social media photos, be sure to tag your favorite tour operator during your adventures in Greater Palm Springs!
Instagram: BIKE Palm Springs Rentals and Tours: @bikepalmsprings
