Maybe you have heard of this duty station, maybe you haven’t yet. Twentynine Palms is middle of no where in the desert. I was not stationed there, however, I did visit a handful of times. With that being said though there are some really fun things to do there if you are up for an adventure and love nature like I do!

Joshua Tree National Park

If you love hiking and camping this place is for you. You can get an America the Beautiful pass for FREE and can access Joshua Tree National Park, along with many other national parks, all year long without paying a dime. Also, there are some really cool Air BnB’s that you can rent in the middle of the dessert.

To learn more about the America the Beautiful pass and other places you may access for free visit here.

Sky’s the Limit Observatory and Nature Center

Observatories are amazing and this one is FREE! Check the current moon cycle before you go though, you want to go when there is little to no moon coverage for the best views! On top of that be sure to take a look at their hours as they only have scheduled events, and opened on the weekend normally.

The Glass Outhouse Art Gallery

The Glass Outhouse is FREE to visit, but you should leave a tip! It is a cool place to look around and see the different sculptures artists of all ages made, some as young as 5 years old. The gallery does close down for the summer. However, if you have a child who is artistic you should also enroll them into their program!

Smith’s Ranch Drive-In

Another one of my favorites is drive-in movie theaters. I grew up going to these and was ecstatic when I saw California had them too, the one from my home town had closed down. They are normally open Thursdays-Sundays and change their movies on a weekly basis so checkout their website for what is currently playing. Tickets are also only $5!

Let us know in the comments what your favorite activity at your current duty station is!