Take a Gamble in Your Thrifty Rental Car
The city of Indio is located in Riverside County, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. Often referred to as the City of Festivals, Indio is home to a wide variety of attractions, including Joshua Tree National Park, the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino and the National Date Festival. Pick up your Thrifty rental car to explore everything this city has to offer.
Joshua Tree National Park
For lovers of the outdoors, Joshua Tree National Park is a must see after picking up your Indio rental car. Made a national park in 1994, this natural outdoor wonder is located just 26 miles northwest of Indio. The park was declared a U.S. National Park when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act. The park gets its name from the Joshua trees native to the park. Covering an area of 790,636 acres, the park is slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island. Most of this land is designated wilderness area, so be sure to pack plenty of water if you plan on driving in. The park includes parts of two deserts with two different ecosystems: the higher Mojave Desert and lower Colorado Desert. Activities within the park include camping, hiking and bouldering/rock climbing. There are nine established campgrounds in the park, three of which have water and flush toilets. There are several hiking trails, many of which can be accessed from a campground.
Fantasy Springs Resort Casino
Located at 84245 Indio Springs Drive, Fantasy Springs Resort Casino offers visitors the chance to win big. Owned and operated by Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, this hotel and casino features 100,000 square feet of special events center space, situated south and east of Palm Springs, California near I-10 in Indio. The hotel has 250 rooms, while the casino boasts 2000 slot machines, video poker and 40 tables. In July 2003, Fantasy Springs Casino broke ground on a $145 million resort and a 97,000 square foot conference center. Just a short drive from the city in your Thrifty rental car, this casino also offers an 18-hole golf course which is open to the public.
National Date Festival
For a sweet taste of Indio, check out the National Date Festival, held every February on the Riverside County Fairgrounds. This festival has been held annually since 1947, making it a local favorite. The festival has been held to celebrate the date palm harvest in the Coachella Valley. The reason for this harvest is the 250,000 date palms planted in the Coachella Valley on approximately 5,000 acres, producing 35,000,000 pounds of dates annually. If you’re in town during this festival, drive your Thrifty rental car over and browse more than 7,000 exhibits and competitions related to the fruit. Activities at the festival include monster trucks and bull riding.