The Flowers Explore - Shields Date Garden

We're in Palm Springs, which is the Date Capital of the United States! The hot Coachella valley is perfect for growing dates! Let's go visit Shields Date Garden where they have been growing dates since the 1950s!

It's not too far from where our RV is parked, and Jacob came and joined us! 

It was a Saturday at 2pm, so I was very surprised that the parking lot was quite empty. 

Inside we can try the World Famous Date Shake, ooh and watch a steamy video about the Romance & Sex Life of the Date. Let's get out of this heat and enjoy the cool air conditioning inside!

Our first stop has to be at the ice cream counter, where they are serving all sorts of sweet treats, including the World Famous Date Shake. All Other Shakes are Fakes!

They also have ice cream, which is what the kids were really interested in. I mean, we've got to sample the Date Ice Cream right? The worker said they made it right there, with their own recipe. The kids and adults all tried it and... ew, no. That texture is way off. The flavor was okay, but it was gritty. Like ice cream that had freezer burn. 

Eschewing that, they instead picked flavors they knew they'd like. Theresa talked them through it and they decided that instead of each getting a single scoop for $3.25 each, they could share a bowl with a triple scoop for $5.25. More ice cream and it's cheaper! 

Jacob and I knew what we were getting though. The original Date Shake. I was really surprised they weren't busier. They must have known it because there's 3 soft serve machines that were down for cleaning. It came out of the machine like a thick soft serve. 

Yum! 

My Date Shake was fantastic. It almost had a chocolate flavor to it. It was creamy and rich with a great flavor. While we were there, I saw a few people coming inside just to grab a milkshake and leave. I can see why. These can be addictive. 

Where can we enjoy our newly procured treats? How about at the theater? 

Plus we'll get a history lesson and knowledge about how dates are grown. Perfect!

The video was well done and informative. 

I'm glad they have it online so we can watch it whenever. 

Having gone through the video, it was now time to go explore the Shield Date Gardens. It's hot! But we shuffled from shade trees to shade trees. Here they have dozens of female date palm trees and only one male date palm tree. It's the female trees that actually grow dates. The male trees are just there to fertilize them. 

I don't know about it being the "most expensive to grow" though. It does look involved, but surely there are some that are more expensive. 

Look at all those dates growing. 

Along with the date palms, there are also lemons, grapefruits, and more.  

We came to a place with lots of walls, which Ian called the Maze of 1000 corridors. 

More like 2 corridors, but he thought it was funny. I knew he was referencing something but couldn't remember what. Recently we re-watched Mark Rober and his Squirrel Maze. They are super excited to see that Mark Rober recently came out with a monthly subscription box and it includes a chance to join his at his studio. They really hope they can win that. 

Taking time to smell the flowers. 

Looking toward a field of date palms. 

We've seen so many date palm trees and seen the story of them too. Good thing they sell lots of dates here! There's so many different varieties! But they are $22 a bag. Hmm. 

A variety pack! Actually two variety packs! I think you know what will be coming soon. A Shields Date Taste Test!

My camera was complaining a little bit. It's so hot that the flash is disabled. 

We had a fun time at the Shields Date Garden! Definitely a good stop in Palm Springs!