Date Farm/Store/Tour

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Any recommendations on Date Farm/Stores to tour in the Palm Spring - Palm Desert Area?

[StressCadet Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StressCadet]

When are you visiting?

The Date Festival/Fair is usually held in February.

Shields Date Garden (in Indio) is the infamous roadside stand that shows a continuous loop of the short film "The Romance and Sex life of a Date" sells date shakes, has a gift shop-I'm not sure if you can tour the gardens.

Hope that helps.

edited to add: Hadleys....though it includes all fruit and is mostly a store.

This one says it does tours:

www.oasisdategardens.com

And ALL of them claim to have the "famous" date shake.

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

We are in Palm Desert from January 22 till January 29, 2010. Guess we are a little early for the Date Festival/Fair.

[barndweller Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close barndweller]

There aren't any good tours anymore. I guess back in the 30's it was a novelty for LA residents headed to the Salton Sea. Those days are long gone. Shield's is right on Hwy 111 and easy to get to. It is just a big date store and a pitiful little garden in the back. The film is informative and I learned a lot about growing dates that I didn't know. They have lots of samples to try and the prices are okay. We tend to buy fresh dates at the Palm Springs street fair on Thursday night instead.

The Shield's place is worth a short visit but don't go out of your way.

[billymach4 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close billymach4]

Did someone say California Date Farms?

I thought I was a closet Date Farm visitor... I went to both Oasis and the Shields farm last summer when I visited DSV in Palm Springs. Here are some photos.









Note the bags on the bunches of dates. This protects the fruit from the elements of insects and sun. Keeps them nice so we can enjoy!

[billymach4 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close billymach4]

Yes it was !! in the shade!

[billymach4 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close billymach4]

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

OMG, this is sooooo up my alley it's unbelievable. Thanks for the pics, Billy! But it's killing me to hear that there are no tours anymore!

[billymach4 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close billymach4]

There really is nothing to tour? You can see the date palm trees all around. Shields did have a small yard that you could walk around in that had some date trees. They have the movie, and plenty of items in the gift shop. There are some books you can buy. The Oasis farm had a video running as well.

[StressCadet Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StressCadet]

OMG, this is sooooo up my alley it's unbelievable. Thanks for the pics, Billy! But it's killing me to hear that there are no tours anymore!

Oh Wacky,

Between this, the Banana Museum The Banana Club Museum

The Route 66 Museum California Route 66 Museum Victorville

and a night in Tee Pee WIGWAM MOTEL * Wigwam Route 66 * California's Cool Route 66 Hotel

we could really hook you up.

And to think that people believe Southern California is ALL beaches, shopping and celebrities

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

It's just like the Poconos...only farther away!!!!

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Thanks

Thanks for the great pictures. Being from the Midwest & Midsouth we like that sort of thing. It is on my list for our January trip.