The 10,000 square foot Agua Calienta Cultural Museum is in the heart of Palm Springs, and opened in November 2023.It takes about one hour to see everything.
The museum was constructed at the site of the Cahuilla Hot Springs, and is surrounded by a Gathering Plaza and Oasis Trail that connects to the luxurious Spa at Sec-He with a hot spring pool.
Guests begin by entering a fully immersive, 360-degree cinema experience, explaining the creation story of the Agua Calienta people.
This then leads to four different exhibition areas.
The first display is of the flora and fauna of the Andreas, Murray, Palm and Tahquitz canyons, which are the sacred ancestral homes of the Agua Calienta. These canyons have popular hiking trails, and are full of rock art, irrigation ditches, and the original bedrock mortar holes where food was prepared.
The Agua Calienta Cultural Museum also has baskets and clay vessels, and some amazing archeological finds over 8,000 years old.
An impressive digital map also details the chronological history of the Agua Calienta people over thousands of years.
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5 best things to do at Agua Calienta Cultural Museum
1. Watch the creation story at the cinema.
2. See the Indian Canyons exhibits.
3. Examine rare archeological finds.
4. See thousands of years of history on the digital map.
5. Stroll along the Oasis Trail outside.
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