ON DISPLAY IN THE DESERT PALM SPRINGS AREA HAS A WEALTH OF TOP-NOTCH MUSEUMS.

Byline: Story and photos by Eric Noland Travel Editor

PALM SPRINGS - Over a stretch of about 20 miles, a visitor to the Coachella Valley can stand eye-to-eye with a juvenile giraffe, marvel at the astounding realism of a Duane Hanson sculpture, wriggle into the cockpit of a World War II bomber and - if young enough - slather bright yellow paint onto the sides of a forlorn-looking, rainbow-hued Volkswagen.

The resort communities of this desert swath - Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indian Wells - are best-known for their golf courses, swimming pools, spas and striking vistas. But a lesser-known attribute is the region's wealth of museums and educational attractions.

The Living Desert is a terrific zoo and botanical garden, showcasing fauna and flora that can flourish in the triple-digit heat of Palm Desert. Its offerings have improved markedly in recent years.

The Palm Springs Desert Museum is an art repository that makes the absolute most of its modest square footage, presenting paintings, sculpture, photography and native crafts in an impressive cross section.

The Palm Springs Air Museum displays the aerial machinery - it looks awfully rickety by today's standards - that helped the U.S. win World War II.

And the Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert in Rancho Mirage gives youngsters deliciously free rein to touch stuff, romp about, make a mess and scurry on.

Most of the museums are indoors and air-conditioned, and the lone exception, the Living Desert, is cooled with misting machines and shady ``palapa'' overhangs. So if you're looking to get in out of the sun for a while, you can't miss with a visit to any of these attractions.

THE LIVING DESERT

The giraffes arrived just a couple of years ago, two males from the San Diego Wild Animal Park, a female from the Oakland Zoo. Each was barely over a year old, for obvious reasons - highway overpasses. ``To transport them, giraffes must be under a certain height,'' said Living Desert spokeswoman Marcia Fisher.

Now the public will be able to look in periodically as these gentle giants from the African savanna grow to adulthood.

And the observation opportunity is as good as it gets in a zoo. Walkways and viewing platforms were built around the upper rim of the giraffes' enclosure, so that it's relatively easy to get face-to-face with these animals. One of them gazed placidly at us from about 6 feet away, then leaned over the fence to chew on a bush, unleashing its long, black, prehensile tongue. Each day at 10 a.m., visitors can feed these graceful creatures at a special platform.

It's not until you notice the San Jacinto Mountains rising in the distance behind the giraffes that you realize what an odd sight this is.

This being the low desert, the zoo has been tailored to creatures that do well here (you won't find any penguins, for example). Most visitors are keen to catch a glimpse of the marquee critters: cheetah, mountain lion, bobcat. Another popular area, an indoor exhibit called Eagle Canyon, boasts the desert hairy scorpion, the California tarantula, the pallid bat, various rattlesnakes and other creatures with a high ``ew!'' quotient for the kids.

But the Living Desert also has some hidden treats that might attract your attention. At Village WaTuTu, where the giraffes reside, we were intrigued by the small Weaver Aviary. You have to stand here awhile until your eyes adjust to the shade, but after a couple of minutes you'll likely spot the Halloween colors of the red bishop, the pastels of the cordon-bleu and the unimaginably long tail of the pin-tailed shydah. The chirps, whistles and other birdcalls are almost as exotic as the coloring and plumage.

Elsewhere, we enjoyed the hummingbird and butterfly gardens; the toylike Gunther's dik-dik from East Africa, 13-inch-long antelope with spindly legs and doe eyes; and the nursery, where there are not only long tables holding potted desert plants for sale, but a smorgasbord of wind chimes, garden ornaments, bird feeders, fountains and sculptures.

One of the Living Desert's most intriguing offerings is the Tennity Wildlife Hospital, where visitors can observe animal-care procedures from behind glass in a spotless facility that looks like a hospital emergency room for humans. Times for these operations are posted each day, so you might want to stop here first so you'll know what's on the schedule.

``We have big crowds when they bring the cheetahs in for their teeth- cleaning,'' said docent Sherry Haugh, who was conducting tours of the hospital.

This is one of the best times of the year to visit the Living Desert, because the cooler temperatures prompt the animals to be more active during the day. In the summer, said Fisher, ``some of their dens are swamp-cooled, some are even air-conditioned. They're not stupid. They're going to hang out in there - just like we do.''

PALM SPRINGS DESERT MUSEUM

This museum is proof that you don't need acres of exhibition space to give the public a dazzling art experience. It maintains a high level of quality both with its permanent collection and the traveling exhibitions it attracts.

One of the temporary exhibits, ``Trespassing: Houses X Artists,'' on display in the newly renovated McCallum Wing, offers a clever fusion of architecture and art. For the exhibit, which runs through April 3, artists were bidden to conjure up radical new buildings as ``social and spatial entities,'' but had to work with architects in the process to ensure that the things could actually be built.

So you find building models of daring angles and unconventional materials. Jessica Stockholder's ``Pink Concrete Timber House'' looks like just the thing for Malibu Barbie, while the living room configuration for Barbara Bloom's ``Mood Ring Home'' conjures up thoughts of June Cleaver on hallucinogens.

One of these things actually got built, if briefly. Chris Burden's ``Mini Scraper'' grew from the premise that Los Angeles' building code allows small buildings to be constructed without permits as long as they're less than 400 square feet and under 35 feet tall. Burden's design went up in Topanga Canyon - a four-story tower with each floor under 100 square feet, and a corner elevator. Living room on the ground floor, kitchen and dining room on the second, bedroom on the third, bathroom on the fourth. (Right: No wonder it's since been dismantled.)

Another temporary exhibit (through Jan. 2) features abstract art collected by the late critic Clement Greenberg. Included among the works is a Jackson Pollock, though it is a simple work of pen on paper, untitled. (Alas, no splattered paint!)

The Palm Springs Desert Museum's permanent collection is first rate and widely varied. The signature work is Duane Hanson's ``Old Couple on a Bench,'' which projects such astonishing realism that it's become sport for repeat visitors to stand nearby and see how many passers-by react in puzzlement, initially assuming the people are a couple of bushed museum-goers who have plopped down on a bench to rest.

Other highlights include the photography of Julius Shulman, shot in the late 1940s and early '50s, of Palm Springs treasures of midcentury modern architecture - the work of Albert Frey, Richard Neutra, Paul Williams, E. Stewart Williams; Mesoamerican art from the first millennium in present-day Mexico, including jewelry, pottery, figures and even a human skull inlaid with turquoise and shells; the intricate basketry of Paiute, Washoe, Pomo, Apache, Hopi and Palm Springs' Cahuilla Indians; and some wonderfully elaborate 20th-century sculpture, including an Alexander Calder stabile and a Dale Chihuly bouquet of brightly colored blown glass.

If you're a Hollywood movie buff, don't leave without at least a swing through the lower-level cafe, where William Anderson's black-and-white shots capture Natalie Wood, Jayne Mansfield, Rock Hudson and other celebrities lounging in the Springs in the 1950s.

PALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM

``George Bush was a skinny kid, wasn't he?''

We turned to encounter guide Al Osheski, who'd come up behind us while we were reading about the first President Bush getting shot down in World War II while flying a TBM Avenger torpedo bomber. And, indeed, George H.W. Bush is a tall string bean of a young man as he stands grinning next to his plane in the accompanying photo.

Osheski, who worked on these planes as a mechanic during the war, imparted information in an unobtrusive way, which contrasted with some of the other vets we encountered at this cavernous aviation museum. We thought the guy positioned at the B-17 bomber was going to describe the thing down to the last bolt before he let us crawl into its belly.

But enthusiasts of planes and combat history will certainly be in their element here. There are two large hangars, devoted to the European and Pacific theaters of the war, with meticulously restored aircraft at every turn.

The highlight for most visitors is climbing inside one of the planes. One such craft is reserved for kids, while two others welcome adults (the B-17 requires an additional $3 donation above the museum's $8 admission fee).

It's not until you ascend into a C-47 Transport (identical to the ones that carried paratroopers to France on D-Day) or the B-17 bomber that you gain an appreciation for the rigors and terrors routinely endured by airmen during that war. Aside from being shot at, they often occupied cramped, unheated spaces alongside deafening engines and weapons. The B-17 has a tiny machine-gun turret that protrudes from its belly, and a gunner would have to be stuffed in here; it looks like a medieval torture box.

Even if you have little interest in planes, there are impressive exhibits along the walls that deal with this pivotal period in America's history. One is devoted to Bob Hope's entertainment for the troops - a reproduction of his schedule indicates that he was basically on the road the entire duration of the war. A historical timeline describes the events that led up to the conflict. And a diorama of Pearl Harbor describes that attack in minute-by-minute detail.

An audio tour is available for an additional charge, but unless you require exhaustive detail about each plane you won't need it. Besides, most of the docents stand ready to provide that.

CHILDREN'S DISCOVERY MUSEUM

For every kid who has fussed and fidgeted when told to keep his hands in his pockets in a museum or store, this place is heaven. Youngsters - the museum is geared for ages 2 to about 6 - are encouraged to touch things, scramble about and freely use their outdoor voices.

In a high-ceilinged, warehouse-like building awash with sunlight, children have the run of the place. They jump on the keys of a walking piano (remember the scene in the Tom Hanks movie ``Big''?). They sift through the sand of an archaeological dig. They fill up shopping carts in a market-in-miniature, or put toppings on an ersatz pizza.

Upstairs in Grandma's Attic is a treasure trove of dress-up things. We were amused by a little girl attired in gold lame dress, high heels, broad- brimmed hat, about 20 strands of pearls around her neck and bracelets stacked up one arm clear to her elbow. Nearby, a boy stood stiffly in yellow fireman's coat, red helmet and big, clunky, rubber boots.

One of the favorite stops is an enclosure where kids don aprons and booties, grab brushes and jars of brightly colored paint, and proceed to slather away at a Volkswagen and a statue of a ram. This is the kind of thing that would earn you the timeout of your life if you tried it at home.

The props are veritable rainbows now, of purple, yellow, orange, turquoise. A real mess. ``There are over 200,000 coats of paint on that car,'' said a staffer, with some satisfaction.

The exuberant artists are bounded only by ... well, let Albert Einstein tell it.

``Imagination is more important than knowledge,'' reads a quote from the famed scientist, posted on a wall here. ``Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.''

Eric Noland, [phone]

eric.noland(at)dailynews.com

IF YOU GO

CHILDREN'S DISCOVERY MUSEUM: 71-701 Gerald Ford Drive, Rancho Mirage. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. From January through April, the museum is also open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. Admission is $6 for ages 2 and up. [phone]; www.cdmod.org.

THE LIVING DESERT: 47-900 Portola Ave., Palm Desert. Through June 15, open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Shorter hours during the summer. Admission is $10.95 general, $9.50 for seniors (age 62 and up), military and AAA card-holders; $6.50 for children ages 3-12. Lower admission prices in summer. [phone]; www.livingdesert.org.

PALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM: 745 N. Gene Autry Trail. Through May, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, Shorter hours during the summer. Admission Sunday through Friday is $8 for adults, $7.50 for seniors (age 65 and up) and military with ID, $4 for kids ages 6 to 17. Admission on Saturday is $10 for adults, $4 for kids. [phone]; www.palmspringsairmuseum.org.

PALM SPRINGS DESERT MUSEUM: 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors (age 62 and up), $3.50 for kids ages 6 to 17, active-duty military with ID and students. [phone]; www.psmuseum.org.

CAPTION(S):

8 photos, box, map

Photo:

(1 -- 3 -- color) Museum crawlers in the Coachella Valley can find abstract sculptures and paintings at the Palm Springs Desert Museum, top, a P-40 Hawk pursuit fighter at the Palm Springs Air Museum, above middle, and a Volkswagen that begs to be painted at the Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert, above.

(4 -- 6) At the Living Desert in Palm Springs, a giraffe finds the shade, above left, and a mountain lion rests at that zoo's Eagle Canyon exhibit, above. Not far away, a C-47 Transport sits on the grounds of the Palm Springs Air Museum, below left.

(7 -- 8) Still life, indeed: At the Palm Springs Desert Museum, above left, the folks on the left are actually a sculpture by Duane Hanson. Flesh- and-blood visitors may check out modern pieces such as the blown glass, above, by Dale Chihuly.

Eric Noland/Travel Editor

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IF YOU GO (see text)

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Palm Springs

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