Mini Golf in Palm Springs: Where to Play Now (and Family-Fun Alternatives)

What happened to Boomers and Camelot Park?

Boomers Palm Springs — the go-karts, bumper boats, arcade, and two mini-golf courses on East Palm Canyon Drive — closed permanently in 2023 after decades as the valley's family-fun headquarters. Camelot Park, the castle-themed course closer to downtown, closed years before that. If a website is still listing either one, it is out of date.

Where to play mini golf now

**Resort putting courses.** Several valley resorts maintain short putting and mini-golf-style courses for guests — the Westin Mission Hills and Marriott's Shadow Ridge among them. They are beginner-friendly, beautifully kept, and included with your stay. If a hotel with a putting course matters, filter for it in our kid-friendly hotels guide.

**Cathedral City.** The big-box entertainment corridor on Date Palm Drive, 10 minutes from downtown Palm Springs, is where the remaining family-fun venues cluster. Check current listings before you go — this corridor's tenants change more often than anywhere else in the valley.

**Indio.** Fantasy Springs Resort Casino runs a proper bowling center with cosmic nights, and its surroundings in Indio add go-kart and arcade options in season. Twenty-five minutes down I-10, but the closest thing to a Boomers-style big night out.

The family-fun alternatives that are thriving

**Bowling.** Fantasy Springs Bowling Center (Indio) is the valley's main full-size alley — leagues by day, glow bowling at night, and birthday packages.

**Escape rooms.** Downtown Palm Springs has a cluster of escape rooms within walking distance of each other — a perfect 4 p.m.-too-hot move, and teens love them. Book ahead on weekends.

**Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert** (Rancho Mirage). The under-10 champion: dozens of hands-on exhibits, air-conditioned, and priced for a family of four without wincing.

**The Air Museum.** The Palm Springs Air Museum is legitimately great for kids — climb-inside warbirds, no ropes, volunteers who actually flew the planes. One of the best half-days in the valley at any age.

**The Tramway.** Still the single best family attraction: ten minutes from the desert floor to an alpine forest, with snow play December through March.

Planning a family-fun day

The valley rhythm that works: pool and outdoor stuff before 11 a.m., indoor attractions (museum, bowling, escape room) from noon to 4 p.m., then back out for dinner and a round of evening putting when the light goes golden. In summer this schedule is not optional — it is survival. Our Palm Springs with kids and Palm Desert with kids guides have the full activity lists, and the weather-by-month guide tells you which months need the indoor-heavy version.