Shields Date Garden Reviews

Noo, dates are not the only thing on the menu, in fact the food is quite varied and very good, but there a lot of date, naturally. A fun place. And, you will learn a lot about dates. It has been around for about 100 years. So that says something.

This place didn't used to feel this way. Only recently have they seemed to get out of touch with their roots. Unreasonable pricing on too many items. Starting to look more like Hadley's in Cabazon. Also, their date shakes are frozen/pre-maid and with the smallest size too large. I see customers splitting them for this reason. Never could understand why they charge admission to take a stroll through their outdoor gardens. As a free attraction, it would give people a reason to frequent the place. That's how I view their theater. It was always a nice dark cool place to sit and enjoy a refreshment. They just don't "get it" anymore.

Shield's used to be out in farm country but now is an oasis in the urban sprawl. I am not keen on them charging for touring the gardens. The dates and treats remain a fun stop while in the desert.

Shields is a wonderful glimpse of the glory of Palm Springs from the time of the birth if the desert communities and tourism to the area.

This no-nonsense store, orchard, theater and date shake counter if a must see and must taste place for anyone in search of something real and local.

Be sure to sit in the old theater and watch the documentary on the Shied's Story and marvel at the process for growing and nurturing dates (you'll never throw one out again!).

The cafe has simple, quality fare in a nostalgic date orchard that is great for a light lunch or breakfast. But make sure to leave room for at least a half serving of a date shake. It's sublime!

Enjoy a taste of history in this rare gem from the past!

Best new shake for us and just delicious. Went to this location today and the shake was unique and a real treat. Servers were fantastic!

It’s a gift shoppe with interesting items and Knick knacks. There are a large selection of date products, honeys and jams. There was a nice seated outside area for drinking your date shake. Then behind there was a gate and a sign to pay inside $5 to walk the grounds. We made a purchase but were not impressed.

Lots to look at in the gift shop. Every kind of date you can think of and reasonably priced. By a date shake and ask for some smaller cups to share. Unfortunately there is only one size and it is very filling and dates are sweet. We never realized there is a garden in back where you can sit down and order a meal. Check it out

This was a nice trip into the past. It reminded me of roadside stops from the 1960's. The movie was informative and a good overview of the beginning of the date farming in the area. The garden walk was ok. More park like than date farm. The date shake was good, thick and cold. You have to at least go once.

We expected to tour the date factory, instead, after a wonderful breakfast, we found the garden path which told the story of Jesus Christ. It consisted of many concrete statues from the time of birth to the resurrection. But there was a movie theatre in the gift shop which showed a very informative story about date production. A very labour-intensive procedure..

Really enjoyed the cafe and especially the date Shake. The gift shop has a lot of different items that you don't find it normal gift shops. The grounds and everything is very well kept up. Make sure you take in the film better Sean in the Little Theater about the history of the date farm in the family.

Nice gift store. Found deep fried baby okra with sea salt. Unfortunately when we got it home the oils were rancid. Had to throw it away.😔

So always loved Shields Date Garden because the entrance, the store , the cool original theatre all still there and all still cool and all granted seeming more out of place in it's location but that makes it treasured. Used to go to florida alot as a youngster and this reminds me of the kind of "attractions" one would see there. But, in more recent times Shields seems to be changing they added the garden which is fine, though some things in it have made it a bit strange. The cafe didn't have time to eat in but was really good the last time we were here, i'm sure they probably still are give them benefit of the doubt and it's mostly outdoor seating which is super. The store though seemed understaffed with two people, though everyone is understaffed at moment but it was also very empty of product with bit holes that didn't used to exist. And many more products not made by Shields .... ala Hadley's which does that as well, though i will admit Hadley's has more selection now over in Cabazon, Hadley's also lost some of their originality and personality when they moved to a newer market store from the old school style of the original store. I'm hoping that never happens here. Will return though.

We made a quick stop in based on reviews. When we first walked in, it was confusing to figure out where to go (where was the door to the garden and outdoor cafe?, etc.). There were some dates on the counter, then packaged dates and gift shop-type items. What a missed opportunity for Sheild's. No one greeted us. When I asked a question, the answer was short and certainly no smile was offered. If they simply trained staff to smile, greet guests, give a 30-second intro about dates, the gardens, etc, this would have been a hit. Too bad. Instead it had a tired and bored vibe. FYI - if you spend $25, you get 2 free tickets to garden walk.

Sitting outside amongst the date palms with the fountains flowing the sun shining is just magical. The menu offers a lot of choices with something for everyone. Gluten free options are plentiful and lots of spicy options too!

We highly recommend this place, we came for breakfast and can’t wait to come back and watch the sunset over the mountains in the distance. There’s lots of heaters to keep you warm and live music on the weekends.

If your in the area don’t miss this treat!

Came here for the date milkshake. In one word excellent. Comes in any size: so long as it's large. The place also sells date related items: food as well as miscellaneous items. A film showing the history of the shop/plantation is available free. The film also includes details of the sex life of a date palm (honest).

We visited the Shields Date Farm and we watched the film "The Romance & Sex Life of the dates" which we are glad we did, to see how the dates are produced and harvest, a lot of work, no wonder dates are so expensive, the film is only 10 minutes long. We did try their Shields Famous date shakes - oh you have to stop in and get one for yourself.

We have eaten here a number of time, and have brought friends here also. The food is very good and good portions. The servers are very friendly and helpful.

We stopped here for breakfast on the way to the Joshua tree park. What a beautiful outdoor restaurant to have breakfast at. The food was great, big serving and our waiter was very nice. I had a famous date shake and it was delicious! Big enough for 2 people to share. When you eat there you can go into the park behind the restaurant for free. I found a gardener in there and he was very interesting. It was harvesting time for the dates and he explained all about it to me. I learned a lot about the dates and the other interesting trees in the garden. Wonderful place!

I love this place! There was a musician playing lovely ambient music. We had lunch here. I had the Cobb salad....wow! So good w lots of toppings. My friend had the aki salad which was also quite tasty. Save room for the date tasting inside !
W lunch you can walk through the garden which is quite lovely. Short walk, also wheelchair ok as well.
Enjoyed thoroughly

We stopped at Shields Date Garden late in the afternoon on a Friday to check it out. We weren't able to stroll the date garden as it was within 30 minutes of closing time, but we spent a little while in the shop. There is an amazing variety of dates and date products for sale. The dates are delicious too, by the way. Shields is a great place to buy a tasty gift while you're in the Palm Springs area.

Great date shake, interesting film, but walk in the park—billed as a view of the date palms—is a walk with creepy plastic statues of religious stuff. Has NOTHING to do with Sheilds, so don’t blame him for the display. Expect he & his wife would be horrified at the idea of people peering at the crucifix while they are chowing down in the restaurant. Seems offensive to Christian & non Christians alike, not to mention disrespectful to the original owner. Maybe they’re getting a tax break?

Shields is a Coachella Valley landmark. Everything you always wanted to know about dates and even more are packed in this fun venue. Date shakes are a must.

This is the quintessential Date Shop, Malt Shop Date Garden Information Center. They have a movie about the Sex Life of the Date Palm. A slick idea and good for a laugh or two. It’s clean and Cheerful and for the longest time it was Family owned and operated. I remember Herman and Betty well...

My wife and I visited the Shields Date Garden in Indio California. We walked into the Date Garden Store and spoke with the Manager & Event Coordinator Annellie Miranda. We then looked around the store where they have Souvenirs, Dates, Date Shakes, and all kinds of other items for sale. They also have many Free Date samples for you to try. After looking around we went into a small theater where we watch a "Must See" movie about the history of the Shields Date Garden called " Romance and Sex Life Of The Date ". We then walked outside and past by the " The Cafe at Shields " restaurant. The Restaurant has an outside and inside seating areas. We then met Hostess Karen Henry who was so nice to talk with. Karen is in charge of allowing guests to pay $5.00 each to walk through and around the Historic " The Walk at Shields " This 30 minute walk was so relaxing and beautiful as you witness the Date trees, water ponds, gorgeous plants and a Biblical Garden. The walk is well worth the $5.00. You will see everything that you just saw on the movie in the theater live, as you walk around the Date Garden. This place was great, and is a "Must See" if you are traveling to Indio, or the Palm Springs area of California.

A great place to eat, and learn about the history of the Date industry in Southern California. The restaurant is first class, the walking trail (free with meal purchase), and the history video are lots of fun. We had a super meal and beverage. Sit outside as weather permits. Chicken salad may be the best ever had.

One meal was served cold, the server was informed but did not take the meal off the bill. The other two were great. Leaving a bad review due to poor action taken for a cold meal. Either remove the cold meal off the bill or offer a gift certificate for the amount to be used on the next visit. Moral of the story, if your meal is cold .... send it back fast.

This is a landmark for Indio residents! Love the freshness and healthy options that often features their home grown dates!

This garden has been very well thought out, well maintained, and is very peaceful. The water features are well placed and there is plenty of seating along the path if you want to take a break. They say it takes 15-45 minutes to walk the path and we were in a hurry so we did it in 15-20 minutes easily. The statues along the path are spiritually moving.

Wonderful sitting outside and enjoying the music and food. The menu selection is very diverse and interesting.

What a unique & interesting place. We had lunch out in the back on the beautiful patio. There was a gentleman singing & entertaining the crowd for Valentine's day. The garden is definitely worth walking thru. The landscaping & statues are beautiful. Had a date shake on the way out. If we ever get near this place again, we will stop for lunch again.

All things date related! Date shakes and date cakes were delicious, and the information video taught me things i never knew. Seeing the date trees was also a highlight. This visit was in 2012 not 2019.

Was expecting more agritourism. Felt more like a road side tourist attraction. Was hoping to tour an actual date farm.

The museum, grounds tour and restaurant were all wonderful. The best part was the date shake (plan on sharing one!). You can purchase the best dates I've ever eaten here and take home.

We loved having the date smoothies here as well as picked up some delicious snacks for watching the tennis matches at Indian Wells. This is a very popular place and we enjoy coming here every time we are in the area.

We get together with friends and a few times we have gone to Shields Date Garden for breakfast. It is outside and on a beautiful day, it could not be better.

Sorry, quite a disappointment for me. A far away from Palm Springs, a basic gift shop with some stuff that may be worth buying. Then the walk through the gardens ended up being a walk through the life of Jesus Christ. They wanted $5 or something for the walk but I'd spent enough in the gift shop to get in free. Anyway, the garden was nice enough but the religious aspect seemed out of place so we only did half the garden.

Down in Palm desert visiting friends that are staying here for the month of February. We are from Washington State. Went to the date farm to have lunch. My wife and I shared an omelet with dates in it. Kids have ever had a omelet with dates in it but now I have it tasted okay. Our friends had one of their specialty salads and her husband had chicken tacos they both like their meals. The waitress seemed a bit scatterbrained but it was an overall enjoyable time enjoying the warm weather here. The walk through the garden is a interesting history of the story of Jesus Christ. We enjoyed that.

There is a lot of hype, but it's not worth the trip. Dates are overpriced compared to the Village Fest on Thursday in Palm Springs. They are about twice the price at Shields.

The short film The Romance and Sex Life of Dates is entertaining and educational. We walked through the garden which is okay but some of the statues are showing their age.
Of course, the date shake was great although I recommend you share with a friend as it is VERY sweet.
I didn't explore the gift shop as a quick once over told me it wasn't for me but others might find it fun.

Very interesting, do take the time to view the movie. Many tasty things to purchase in the store. The surrounding grounds are good but a bit costly to see.

I loved the Shields Date Garden. We learned a lot of the dates.

We drink a beautiful a date shake. Delicious!

However there is a a beautiful walk to see the dates and the live of Jesus. I liked that!

It was well made and many went here! I did too!

This is a must see!

Went to see the Date Store and ended up having lunch there. Was not disappointed. The atmosphere was very nice and the Signature Date burger was excellent! Wife had the Signature Salad with Mango Vinaigrette dressing and that was fantastic! Will definitely come back, maybe for breakfast next time!

If you want dates.. Stop in. They also had a wide variety of things to buy. Our next trip we will stop for sure to eat, it was too busy this trip.

I visited Shield's date store for years without realizing there's a large patio restaurant right out of 1965 out back. My bad.

This place is a funky desert classic.

I love the breakfast/brunches, especially the date pancakes and the patio and the live music and the friendly service. It's a one-of-a-kind experience.

After you eat, walk the garden. It's free if you've eaten at the restaurant. Again, a one-of-a-kind experience. Lean into it. Enjoy.

Then go into the store and buy some yummy date balsamic vinegar or some dates or some fresh grapefruits, etc.

Then reflect on the happy vibe of the whole place and smile a satisfied smile and get on with your day.

I love to take visitors here. To a person, they have loved it.

While in California visiting friends, they took me to Shields Date Garden for lunch. Such an interesting and unusual venue! The outdoor seating area is so lovely and sets the tone for the dining experience. Filled with towering palms, lots of foliage and giant umbrellas "shielding" one from the sun, it is a delightful ambiance. While the menu was extensive, offering breakfast and lunch items, I was less impressed with the food. One friend had the fish and chips - a generous portion and he said it had a delicious breading and flaky fish. Another friend had the huevo rancheros. It was so spicy she could barely swallow the first bite (although the menu did show it as very hot), although her eggs were cooked perfectly. She said the accompanying beans were tasty as was the large, side plate of assorted, fresh fruit. I had the Shields Signature Date Burger for $16 (included my french fries which arrived only partially warmed). While the burger tasted OK, it was not cooked medium rare as requested, the toppings of sautéed dates/bacon/blue cheese was minimal, and the side of tomatoes was well beyond its peak. The service was so-so. Our water was not re-filled and our server only checked on us a few minutes after our meal arrived, and not again until she brought the bill. Would I return? Absolutely! For the live music, the lovely setting and to try a different menu item.

Shields has just about everything - a retail store selling all kinds of dates, date products and souvenirs, an ice cream counter (where you can order one of their amazing date shakes)!), a restaurant out back with outdoor seating, a film theatre (showing 'The Romance and Sex Life of the Date') and a 17-acre date grove and botanical garden you can wander through. Shield's has been in the same space since the 1920s and has a historic feel to it. If you're in La Quinta be sure to drop by.

This is the second visit for me. The last, about 6 years ago impressed me more. Now you cant walk around outside without payjng $5. The movie is still informative and ghe shakes still good. Dates can be bought cheaper elsewhere.

I applaud Shields for turning what could be a roadside market/restaurant into a tourist attraction! We went there to try the famed date shake and it certainly lived up to the hype. It was delicious! We didn’t tour the gardens for an extra $5 per person nor eat in the cafe though the food looked great. Make a stop here if in the area.

I heard about the Date Shake and just had to try it, we were ona family road trip and we ended up here, the shop is rustic and one of those feel good places. i enjoyed sampling the dates and got some goodies as well for my trip back home including the absolute best pecan log ever. the Date Shake was delicious almost could not pull it up with the straw YUM!

Family owned operation since 1924. Informative video on how dates are grown and cultivated. Shows history of dates in the Coachella valley. Nice, little gift shop with dates(many types are available to sample), Postcards, dates, candy, honey, jams and jellies, hot sauces, pickled vegies, and souvenirs. $5 admission to the garden in the back, Beautifully maintained area. Small lake with a fountain, numerous palm trees, grapefruit trees, lemon trees, and oranges. Cafe in the back is worth the trip. Sandwiches, salads, full entrees, Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We went to the store to buy some dates. Lots of variety and lots to sample. We then toured the garden, which was an unexpected oasis in the desert. It was beautiful. We did not go the restaurant, however it was 2:00PM and they were still almost full. The store and gifts were very nice.

We were spending a little Winter vacation in Palm Springs area when someone told us about Shields Date Farm, so we checked it out. I never knew before that Dates actually came from a palm tree nor did I know the Sex Life of a Date but after visiting this place I came away with a whole head full of information.

We also enjoyed one of the very best Milk Shakes ever, made from Dates. If you haven't had one you are missing out on a unique flavor for sure.

Still worth a visit but disappointed in the newer date shake product. Staff should tell patrons to let the shake sit for at least 30 minutes before trying it because it is so frozen and thick when you first get it (like a Mikey D's shake) there is no flavor. It does develop taste once it thaws but still missing the date chunks for the old process. Also wish they made date sampler packs in a size between the 8 piece size and the what looks like 150 piece size.

Intended on purchasing date goods for a loved one and grab a bite in the cafe. The shop was quiet, but the cafe was hopping! I skipped the cafe and selected the gifts only.

The shop and parlor counter are retro-charming. Dates are pricier here than at other farms — so I hope they’re worth it — and service is a youthful standoff-ish.

As another reviewer noted, the labels state “packaged by Shield’s,” so I have no idea where the dates they sell are sourced.

Date production in Indio is big deal. You must stop here. Take in the movie, it is very educational. The sit at the counter and enjoy a classic date shake. The shop has many interesting things. Taste the dates and buy some. You will not find them fresher anywhere.

We made two trips here. We had originally intended to tour the gardens, but given that the thermometer was over the century mark we elected to come back earlier the next day.

Day one was spent sampling the different date varieties followed with a date shake chaser. If you have a sweet tooth, you will love this shake. On a hot day it really hits the spot. There is also a film on how dates are farmed. It was very informative. You will never have guessed the amount of effort required to get to the end product.

Day two we returned for breakfast. We feed 14 in our group and the verdict was “Delicious”. The staff was also very friendly and attentive. Given how fast the temperature heats up here, I would recommend do the garden walk and then eat breakfast.

The garden has several famous/familiar scenes from the Bible. If you are a Christian you will enjoy it, if not maybe not so much. I suspect the flora is more captivating outside the summer season.

Definitely with a stop.

Went for the breakfast, found it included a walk through the Date Garden, so we checked it out. Long and winding path (like Ikea!) with little chance to cut corners if it's not for you or you are in a hurry. Lots of New Testament statues and storytelling here, if that's what you like.

Might be a tough visit if it starts to rain as there is no quick exit, or if you get tired of the long walk as they squeeze quite a bit of distance into the garden.

Would have liked more info on Dates and the citrus growing there instead of just the Bible stuff, but it is a pleasant walk

Gift shop is excellent (with clean bathrooms). Lots of options with and without dates!

Shields is always a fun place to stop. You can purchase dates, a yummy date shake (try one if you haven't) and other little food and memorabilia type items.

From the twenty year old film, the must have date shake, the huge gift shop, 100 years of history this may be your only chance for learning about this unique food. The shake was very tasty!

If you have been in the shopping area at Shields you will see a more modern restaurant. Although the best place to sit is outside on the patio. We have eaten here several times and never inside. Even in hot weather is is pleasant outside. Food is good and a nice selection.
The girls really like this place. We have mostly been there for Breakfast and not been disappointed. Good service. This would be a great place to meet others for a meal. Easy to find and moderate pricing. Not difficult to satisfy any appetite.

Stopped here for lunch on the way back from hiking painted canyon. Needed to try a date shake. Lunch in the cafe was TERRIFIC. Got a salad with curried chicken & papaya that was perfect.

Date shake? Meh. Fun to try once but not a giant fan. We DID, however, like the movie on the sex life of dates. We left thinking, "Wow, dates are way hard to grow and harvest. But if they can't procreate on their own, they're not THAT good...". Haha! Hats off to YOU, Mr. Shields, for making a great living selling those weird little fruits.

There was lots of activity the day we visited making parking a bit tricky. After finding a spot we headed straight for the retail shop. They sell fabulous dates as well as touristy stuff. We certainly should have purchased more dates as they never last very long. We did get coffee as well. That was kind of a strange interaction. The young lady at the beverage counter disappeared for a bit. Then she reappeared with out two coffees and limited amounts of creamers and sugars. Anyway, we found a spot in the gardens to drink our coffees and then went on our way.

Saw this place while visiting and stopped on the way to visit The Salton See and Salvation Mountain. My wife and I were attracted by the sign for the movie the sex and life of the date or something like that. I've been back 2X since our first visit. My wife died on December 22 2019 and while I'll be back, it will be tough because we both loved the dates, restaurant and people here.

A beautiful garden with a walking trail around a crystal clear pond. A gift shop with lots of date varieties and date shakes. An outdoor restaurant overlooking the gardens.

There is a old fashioned shake bar here and interesting story of the palm date tree .We walked in the garden which was about 20 minutes and told at the biblical story of Jesus with large stone statues in a serene garden setting . We are not particularly religious but found this a very nice setting and pleasant experience .There is also a nice outdoor restaurant if you plan your day around a meal but we did not eat there

We didn’t eat here, but stopped in for a date milkshake per a friend’s recommendation. It did not disappoint! 24 oz shake was plenty big enough to share for $5.95, and it was nice and thick with yummy little chunks of date. Fun place with throwback souvenirs, garden, restaurant, ice cream, and free samples of a variety of regional dates.

An interesting place with a lot of history. Stroll the Christian-themed garden which tells the life of Jesus in statues. The store is full of date varieties and date derivatives (like a date shake). This is worth the stop because of the history of dates in this area, something we typically think of as being a Middle East feature.

Good movie that explains the dates and gives one an appreciation for the workers who harvest them.

I like dates and coming here has been a bucket list thing for me for some time. I enjoyed the movie and learned from it. I enjoyed my date shake; it was sweeter than expected. I loved looking at all the varieties and deciding which to buy.

Prices are high. I would like some way to try more varieties at a reasonable price so I can decide what to buy as a treat. You can't buy most of the varieties anywhere else.

I bought an 11 pound box because it was high quality Medjool at a crazy low price, but still would have liked to sample other varieties.

A Coachella Valley favorite for almost 100 years.
Allow a minimum 1 hour to visit the store and sample a variety of dates, see the free film on the history and production of dates in the CV desert, stroll through the biblical theme garden (a separate charge), enjoy a Date Shake at the Soda Fountain Counter and/or enjoy an indoor or outdoor meal at the cafe!

Um….. bizarre in a strange Bible Belt Midwest way.

I came here hoping for a tour of the date gardens with an emphasis on the history of Shields, Date production, harvesting and propagation etc, and none of this was part of the grounds tour. Instead you walk through a biblical story in time complete with concrete Jesus statues, plaques on the glory of god, the importance of Psalms, crosses embedded in the walking paths, and at the end of the tour you get to say goodbye to an impaled life sized rendition of Jesus on the cross.

It was so weird, and completely unrelated to dates that we walked away baffled.

Trust us folks, this one is easy to miss and don’t waste your time unless you want to walk through a storybook telling on the story and importance of Jesus.

While in Palm Springs we were looking for something to kill time before our evening flight. We took a drive down to Indio and visited Shields Date Garden. The film was super informative and interesting. Who knew the sex life of a date!! I definitely appreciate the cost of dates now that I better understand the whole process.

Farm fresh dates available for sampling and for purchase. All product is exceptional top quality. You must enjoy the delicious Medjool, Honey, Barhi, Blond and Brunette and Honey dates. There are even more varieties to sample and purchase. This place provides a historic view of the complexity of date-farming. Excellent movie and terrific options for gift purchases. You will never regret stopping here! You can’t stop without having a delightful Date Shake!

It's primarily a giant gift shop but definitely worth a visit. The old movie about Mr. Shields and the start of the date industry in the valley is very interesting. The food and service in the attractive outdoor garden is surprisingly good. And, of course, you have to have a date shake. There's only one size and it's plenty big for two. Overall it's touristy but worth a visit.

One of our party said the date shake was the best ever. I'm no authority but I will say it was memorable. If I had to do it again, I would want to split one.

Lunch outside was nice, food was pretty good.

The walk afterwards through the garden was relaxing after the meal. The server gives tickets for those who eat there.

The movie was well done and a few minutes should definitely be invested to learn about the date farm's history.

One of the nicest selection of packages dates and nuts in the Valley. Many other interesting things to buy for gifts or yourself. Not to be missed the delicious date cakes, try the samples and see for yourself.

If you are a fan of dates, and even if your not, this place is worth a stop. This is an excellent place to try a “Date Shake,” a unique treat to Palm Springs area. A souvenir and gourmet food store is worth browsing.

I love this place — I think totally kooky religious nuts (no pun intended) run the place, but there are 1,000,000 kinds of dates, along with every type of dried fruit, and nuts to purchase if you need a cute gift or souvenir from the desert!
It’s really neat though, with beautiful surroundings — and I like that it is like the oldest (been there since 1920s) and the very last of the original OG date shacks still left standing and still in business; having outlasted the only other one, Hadley’s in Cabazon (been there since 1930s) — Although technically Hadley’s is still open for business too, but they have been relocated a few hundred yards into a brand new building, and in my opinion lost some of the old-time Hadley’s storied magic; and have raised their prices)... so my vote is for Shields!! Hooray!!

I came here with some Christian friends to meditate on Jesus' journey when he was on this earth last December. What an amazing and awesome experience! I thank God for this garden!

Been here before and this time wasn’t as happy..... the service was lousy, and our table was on the fringe and no one seemed to care.....

Our lunch was average and served without silverware..... the guy who brought our meal seemed bothered that we weren’t interested in eating salads without a fork.... so it took a few minutes for him to find someone else to bring the setups while our burgers and fries cooled off.....

Salads were decent and had nice ingredients while the date burger also was tasty with its bleu cheese and dates.

The whole operation suffers from mismanagement.... the kids just don’t care.....

Been driving through this part of the desert for years and never had a date shake so when we found ourselves with a few days to kill in La Quinta we decided to try a date shake at Shield's Date Garden. Ther are SO MANY dates in the store. We never knew there were so many different varieties and ways of preparing dates to eat as snacks! We ordered regular and coffee flavored date shakes. They were not bad but not anything great to the five of us. Maybe a bit on the sweet side for our tastes. Still glad we finally ge=ot to taste them though and we did finish both shakes. We tried a few free samples of dates but didn't end up buying any. Some people rave about the dates and the shakes but they just weren't our thing. The store itself is dated (no pun intended!) and chock full of everything date related. The displays are easy to see and move around. Definitely worth the visit to see what all the hype is about.

Good variety of dates and date related products. The restaurant seemed popular but I did not eat there. There is a nice free christian themed park in the back with sculptures of religious passages, date and fruit trees and fountains.

Just about every kind of date product available. However, very touristy. Most of the product was marked as "Grown In California", or "Packed b Shields". Suggests not really a Shields product

It is old fashion but worth the visit. There is a film about how they pollinate the dates and the process to grow and harvest them, fasinating! We bought dates and they are the best I've had. If you've never been, you have to go at least once.

And the ever alluring "Sex Life of the Date Palm" to bring you back to reality. An plenty of samples to try.

A taste of old time, old fashion California road side attractions.

This place is pretty fun and worth a stop if you are in the area. We picked up a few date gift packs and had date icecream. I opted for the date ice-cream as I found out the date shake was made with data sugar and not bits of date which is perfectly fine I just wanted a bit of date in my frozen treat. Great ice-cream!!! Be forwarded it is touristy and packed with people but still worth a visit if you are driving past. Not sure I would make it a destination though.

Whenever I am in the palm springs area I stop in for some dates and a date shake.
The gift shop is nice with a good selection of dates.
They shake is always a positive.
Very nice staff and very informative on date varies.

Great breakfast spot. The biscuits and gravy were a pleasant surprise!! I am used to the midwestern version, white sausage gravy, these were covered in a spicy ham style gravy and did not disappoint!! A nice walk through the gardens around the restaurant finished off a great meal. Recommend!

The "freshly squeezed" orange juice was not freshly squeezed and was out of a carton, they had no coffee available but the date shake was good.
The shop was nothing to write home about, and the gardens were not particularly good, a stroll around my local park is better and better kept. The film about how they make dates was interesting. We've been saying we'll visit for years, we've been but we won't be going back

Shields Date Garden features a peaceful walk through the gardens. It's a calm place to spend awhile. Sculptures depicting the life of Jesus have been placed throughout, adding to the serenity of this attraction. I enjoyed a date shake and browsed the gift shop. There is an outdoor cafe. I didn't eat there, but it looked good. Parking is limited, but I had no trouble when I went early in the afternoon.

My wife and I stopped here after a visit to Joshua Tree National Park. I'd eaten date milkshakes as a kid and wanted to relive the experience.

Shields has many different varieties of dates -- we bought a sampler with 6 different ones to try.

This was a pleasant surprise and great place to try all kinds of dates. Curry chicken salad is great. The Walk of Jesus is a must to do in the garden.

We had a very nice lunch on the patio and then toured the gardens. We have visited the store in the past and it is very interesting.

Different in a good way. Restaurant is excellent. Store has lots of unique date related merchandise in addition to actual dates grown on property and the ice cream bar is amazing. A blast from 1924!

Heard for many years about Date Shakes. We were in Indio and saw that Shields was open. We ordered one Date shake and shared. It was delicious. Unique and hand made. Not sure if the gardens were open. Will check them out the next time we visit Indio.

It was Sunday and very busy--unfortunately they do not take reservations. The outside eating area is beautiful and peaceful. They have umbrellas at the tables for shade in the sun which was so nice. The service was OK--had to ask several times for more water and coffee. You could see the servers do not understand working as a team. The food came quickly and was OK--I expected a lot more flavor to a Mexican burrito and my husbands Spanish omelet was also bland, however we like things spicy and flavorful. Will try again soon on a different day.

Nice place to just try a Date shake or have a very nice meal. If you spend over $25 you may walk the gardens there for free. Also, if you order a meal you could get a shot glass size of there date shake if you are unsure that you would like a full sized one. We also were entertained by music & a wonderful singer during our lunch. It was a very enjoyable visit on many levels.

It appears to be living on its name rather than its appearance. Garden is very run down and unkempt. Little information about the dates is sells. Cafe area ok at best. Would not recommend a visit

We enjoyed the shields date store. Fun filled toys from the 50's and 60's. Many folks popped in for the date shakes. We watched the informative video on how dates date.
Sames were tasty with the Medjool dates being the best.
$5.00 to tour the garden, thats cheezy to ask for that money so we skipped the garden walk.

I had hoped to learn more about dates, but the facility is more set up as a cafe and a walk through the life of Jesus Christ. The food in the cafe is good, and the walk is interesting for practising Christians. It was not clear that there was a movie about date farming in the area.

This is right out of the 50's. Been a tourist stop forever. Be sure to see the movie it is very interesting and informative about the growing of Dates. The gift shop is a crack up with some novelty items you normally don't see. Of course dates are sold by the truck load. They have a ice cream fountain where you can order (here is a surprise) a date shake. Shakes are very good though I prefer other flavors.

Tour Caution: For $5 or free if you spend $25 in gift shop (which is not hard to do). BUT it is completely about christian faith. We didn't realize it so we were surprised. Lovely grounds but very religious. Which is OK but I don't remember seeing anything that told up that. We could have missed it.

Dates are an interesting part of the history of this area. There aren't many places in the US where you can visit a date garden so we didn't want to miss this one. The give shop has all varieties and grades, and sample tasting. I don't normally eat them, but they were pretty good.

I went to Shields Date Garden with some girlfriends for lunch. They have a beautiful garden setting restaurant, behind the gift shop, overlooking the mountains. It was quiet and beautiful and I felt like Inwas having lunch in someone’s back garden.

They have a huge menu with breakfast and lunch items, including salads, sandwiches, waffles and date pancakes.

The service was excellent and the prices were very reasonable.

The sandwiches came with either a side of fruit, salad or fries.

There were numerous umbrellas to protect you from the sun. Or if you prefer you could sit inside but it had zero ambiance.

I just love this little restaurant.

The gift shop is full of every possible date product from a huge assortment of dates to date products and cute little gifts. They also have date shakes and ice cream.

A must to visit for tourists and locals alike.

Enjoyed our walk thru the palm and citrus fruit garden - interesting twist on it being a bit of a homage to the Catholic faith and the life of Jesus. Would love to have the various palm trees and citrus fruit trees marked with information on them. Lots of treats to select in the gift shop - dates of all kinds. And taste testing - nice touch. The date shake (milk shake) is a MUST try. Truly worth making the stop at Shields. Very interesting history on the growing of dates in the Coachella Valley.

Enjoy stopping by several times during visits to the area, to get the delicious date shakes, and other goodies at the shop! Easy source of quality dates in a variety of types and quantities for transporting home.

The shop and date selections are great. The dining garden is a hidden gem with delicious food for breakfast and lunch. The patty melt and date shake were fabulous.

What happened? I had a premade date shake that was nothing like the date shakes from 40-50 years ago. Quality went way down. Too bad

Heard about the date shakes and just had to come here to try one. They are delicious and only come in one size. The shop has nice ideas for gifts and quite a few samples that you can try. The different type of dates all have different tastes so it is a chance to try a few varieties.

I love these kind of places. Big sign on the road. Good restaurant. Gift shop that makes fabulous DATE SHAKES, a film about dates. We had a 20 minute wait for a table for lunch so we strolled through the gardens. The walk through the gardens were not what we expected. So be warned. i was expecting date palm trees and possibly a behind the scenes look at date harvesting. Instead, we got a garden walk with highly religious Christian statuary. The walk is entirely voluntary and not what we anticipated at a date garden
.

I had read someplace this was the last date farm in the area so we stopped here. One of the clerks in the gift store said they harvested the grapes in September so we didn't actually see the farm. However, we did walk through the garden which is very nice but has a religious theme for some reason. In addition to dates and other fruit products the gift store sells other very nice gifts--jewelry, yard art, etc. I could have spent hundreds of dollars here and almost did. There is a very nice looking dining area, also, which I would like to try on another visit. In addition there is a film about the sex life of the date. My husband and I planned to watch it and then got so carried away with our shopping, we forgot.

The gift shop was tacky but you can buy all types of dates. They offer a booklet that describes all the dates. The highlight was the date shake which was really good. The park was nice to walk thru and they have nice areas to sit which are all somewhat private. A little disappointed as I thought there would be more.

Met up with cousins for a great lunch, little windy at times for outside dining but it was sunny and warm. After an unrushed lunch we took a stroll through the garden, very peaceful. Food was good, we all had something different and it was enjoyed by everyone. This was our first visit, but won't be the last. If you eat there the walk through the garden is free, otherwise a small charge. Nice gift shop, wide variety to choose from if you are looking for anything to do with dates, plus many other items.

Disappointing customer service. Online advertised prices not available in person at store. Much less product available than our last visit 3 years ago.

We stopped because we decided to try the date shake. It was better than I would have expected although it gets overly sweet and the only size is 24 oz. The cafe was closed the month we were there. They are very generous with their free samples. I didn't even realize there were different varieties of dates.

I was really looking forward to our visit to Shields Date Garden. I wanted to honor the family history, learn about date production, have a date shake, and look at all the neat products in the store. I love old historical food-based local places like this and we visit them wherever we go.

I don't like to write negative reviews about a business, especially as we're coming out of Covid, but I left disappointed.

- the 4 (young, maybe inexperienced?) staff members we interacted in our hour there with were so uninterested in their jobs or us that it was off-putting.
- the date shake was just a pre-mixed icee (OK, but nothing to write home about).
- the film was very interesting, but the sound was low and difficult to hear. I'd recommend they boost the sound in the auditorium a bit, or keep the door shut to the sales area so there's less distracting noise.
- the products seemed overpriced compared to dates I order online from other establishments. I was fine paying the extra because I know the store has overhead costs that online retailers don't, but honestly the dates we bought at Shields have been ... just OK.

I've read that the cafe is well-regarded but we were there after 2pm, so didn't have a chance to experience it.

One staff member told us the Shields couple didn't have children so the operation passed to business colleagues, and then was sold to others ... and that's kind of how it felt.

Shields is the best place to stop for dates and a date shake. It had been over 25 years since we had visited and the date shakes were the same as we remembered. Their date crystals make all the difference in the thick date shakes. We had breakfast in Shields cafe for the first time and enjoyed the mild temperature and breeze. The food was yummy, the service was great. Afterwards we purchased some dates to take home and give as gifts. The husband could not resist a date shake at 10:00 AM! If you pay in cash, you save a little.

Weird place! Statues of Jesus everywhere on “the walk”. If that’s your thing you just might like it.
Jesus gets nice bronze plaques, the date trees signs in disrepair.
Store is like a huge over priced gift shop. Nothing relaxing about the place on a very busy thoroughfare.

This was our first date shake ever and we didn't know what to expect. When tried it, it seemed relatively bland, missing a lot of date punch. Plus, it seemed to have no date chunks. But what did we know, right?

Later, we went to Windmill Market, the #1 date shake in the Valley. It was then that we understood what a date shake should taste like. Theirs had tons more flavor, actual chunks of dates and was quite a bit cheaper.

Long story short, don't stop for a shake at Shields. Instead save your money and head to Windmill.

We went for brunch and were not disappointed. We shared a couple of plates between 4 of us and it was perfect. We asked our waiter for a sample of dates and he brought those out to us already cut into four pieces each. He was friendly and attentive. After brunch we walked the gardens. Seeing the sculptures depicting the events from the life of Jesus was touching. On the walk we viewed all different kinds of trees. We watched the short movie with the history of this establishment. We knew we wanted to try a date shake and shared a couple of those on the ride as we left. We throughly enjoyed the visit!

We didn’t walk around the gardens. The girls at the counter warned that it’s not a date farm/garden but a Christian-themed garden.

We tried the date samples but no one explained the type of dates. There was even a fresh date (yellow bahri dates) to try.

The date shake was good - tasted of dates but it was REALLY sweet - good for sharing. I think if they can do a half sweet one it would be great!

A strange place including a nature walk populated by religious statues, a nice outdoor restaurant and of course, date shakes. My only complaint: the shakes only come in one size, large, and they’re very sweet. Too much for one person.

The Coachella valley is about dates, and Shields has been leading the way. You may see some date varieties in the store, which you have never seen or heard of. They are gracious hosts and offer samples, and you also can buy a date shake and some
souvenirs for your friends at home. Warning: after too many dates plus a date shake you either have a sugar high or you may feel sick to your stomach! Enjoy this old landmark.

Went to the Date Garden today. They have a nice walking path and the movie Sex Life of a Date is informative.
They have a large selection of samples to try to see which date you would like the best.
The date shake is a little touristy but very good.

I bought some dates after appearing at the cafe. Their date shakes are delicious. I watched the film about growing dates, which is informative and interesting. We walked around the sculpture garden behind the cafe. There are some lovely plants, and many are labeled.

Where else to see the 10 minute video on "Romance and Sex Life of the Date Palm," except in the gift shop of Shields' Date Farm? Dates are a labor intensive crop brought to the Coachella Valley in 1890. This may have been the original Shields Date Farm, but now it is labeled palm and citrus gardens (free to walk in them with a meal receipt), good cafe (see separate TripAdvisor reviews) and gift shop with soda fountain, where you buy your excellent date shake. (We were skeptics, too, and became believers.)

Today's actual date farm is elsewhere, because it is serious agribusiness. The date varieties packaged in the gift shop were an education. We bought several packages and got the mail order catalogue.

We heard so much about their shakes, we had to come for a visit. They have a huge date farm with a gift shop, milkshake counter and documentary film theater. There is also a restaurant on the property, but we didn't check it out. Their date shakes are excellent and a great price. Big enough to share. You can also walk around the gardens, but it was a wet day and we didn't have time. Maybe next time we visit the area.

We took a pleasant drive to Indio past Indian Wells to tour a date farm. We appreciated learning about the history of this date farm by watching the video and then touring the gardens. As it was a warm day it was nice to cool off with a refreshing margarita and beer followed by lunch. We had grilled salmon with Caesar salad and cod fish tacos, served with homestyle baked beans and coleslaw. Would definitely recommend this place for lunch. And then a stop into the gift shop to take some dates home with us.

A friend suggested I try a date shake in Indio on my last road trip. It took me a couple of minutes to realize she wasn't talking about a dating app.
I was not disappointed, the flavor was amazing, might be too sweet for some, but I loved it. They may have added a date puree for added flavor along with small bits of date.

Shields date gardens has great dates and lots of other date products. They have lots of free samples, for tasting of the most popular products. If you purchase at last $25 dollars worth of their products, you can go on their garden walk for free.

A SoCal classic. Very friendly and helpful staff. We bought a variety of date packs to eat while we were in Palm Springs and to take home. But the highlight is their original date shakes, probably the best shakes we have ever had. Although our vacation villa was 15 miles away, we made it a point to drive back to Shields for another date shake!

Finally found the red flame raisins! Our favorite from visits to AZ long ago. Staff helpful; we wondered about the date sugar. Prices seem reasonable. Clean store, restrooms. Film not playing, might have been interesting. Funny wall sign

Hours to see the trees and system are limited. When we stopped there all we had was the shop. The samples sure were worth the stop though!

I wouldn’t call this a destination or activity. It is just a nice garden with some pretty foliage. You can see the palms where they harvest the dates. Quite a few citrus trees.

We go there every time we are in town for the date shake. There is a cute dining area in the back for lunch. Have never eaten there but looks cozy. Store had lots of samples to try and products to buy, even non date related. Fun gift items. There is also a garden store in the back. And there is a date movie you can watch. Very entertaining establishment.

It's not worth it. The shakes are large and sugary sweet. I could not finish mine. Kids did not like it either and got a normal milk shake. The thing is, the shakes are so large you want to split it between kids - but extra cups are $0.50 each which always leaves a bad taste when a shake is around $8. The inside of the store looks kind of run down too.

It feels like the kind of place you might see as a rest stop on I-5 and might be ok there, but this is not in the middle of nowhere and really wasn't worth it. I guess we can say we crossed it off the list though.

The date shake is a long-standing tradition. Their selection of dates and dried fruit was much smaller than at our previous trips. Perhaps that's because this was the off-season. Pay attention to their closing time.

My family has been going to Sheild's Date Garden for 14years. Great food, date tasting, and garden walks. The garden walk is a great stroll through the life of Jesus ( especially during Lent and Holy week). I highly recommend this!

Last visited here in 1949. It’s about the same as it was then. The date movie shouldn’t be missed. Their breakfast is one of the best in California. We ate in the outside deck amongst the palm trees. Service was superb. Kids ok.
A place not to be missed. We’ve come here twice this week. Will return.

Nice easy going walk complete with christ journey,tasty shakes but prices,for dates,are on the high side..worth a,visit but don t expect much

Nice little farm to walk through. Loved the religious statues. The date shake at the store was amazing. Def recommend it. Did not eat at the restaurant so don't have an opinion. Spent about three hours.

Came for the gardens and learned a few things too. While we are not religious at all, we appreciated the biblical garden. It was insightful and educational. You can even listen with an audio app via phone.
The gardens are well manicured and delightful for a stroll.
Surprisingly the Date Milkshake is delicious. Share... as it’s rich and sweet.

You can purchase any kind of date or combination of dates you want, Hugh store and selection. Restaurant is very nice and good food along with good service☯️

Very overpriced merchandise. If money is no option, this is the place. Good quality dates but not any better than other places.

The Date Milkshake was good. The store was diverse and well stocked. The attendants were young but polite and helpful. We had planned to see the garden, but it closes at 4:00.

My first date shake was memorable: deliciously rich (one can be shared among two people. It costs $6). They also sell date ice-cream. It was liking traveling back in time sitting at the 50’s style diner-like desk sipping the shake. The cafe’ looked great,but it was closed till August. It overlooks the 18-acre date palm garden which is very interesting. I loved the 18-minute movie on the Romance and Sex Life of the dates. I bought for $25 a box with a selection of all types of dates grown on the property. It enhanced my appreciation for dates! Unique experience.

From the road, it looks like a Tourist Trap. Well, I guess it is, but it's rather entertaining. You enter into a souvenir type of shop that also sells dates and other food items. If you make a minimum purchase (I think it was $25?) you get two free tickets to the Walking Path. Otherwise, it costs $5 apiece. We bought a bunch of stuff we really didn't need or want and went on the walk. It's a winding sidewalk around the outdoor premises where you can see lots of date trees as well as citrus trees. The path has many statues of Jesus and Biblical scenes. The people behind me were complaining that they didn't appreciate the religious theme but I thought it was rather charming.

Oh, they also have free samples of dates inside and a small snack bar that we didn't try. There is also an adjoining restaurant/café that is open until 3:00 p.m. but we didn't eat there, either.

Great place to grab a date milkshake and take a stroll. We enjoyed the walk through the gardens, learning about the fruit trees and seeing statues of Jesus’ life. The statues have an interesting history, coming from Vancouver. Dates also have historical significance to this area. Though there were people around we more or less had the walk to ourselves. I recommend this as a mellow, inexpensive activity in Indio for people who like sweets and nice walks.

5-stars is for finding the best milkshake I’ve ever tasted - the Date Shake. The 24 oz. Date shake ($5.95) can be easily shared with friends, ask for free cups. The Date shake is delicious and rich, such a unique and scrumptious taste with the date crystals. They had cinnamon and nutmeg sifters on the counter and a bit of cinnamon took the amazing milkshake over the top, making me want this shake after I left the facility. I am glad I don’t Iive too close or I would be here every day. The venue itself is part old ice cream counter, part date orchard, part restaurant, part shop where you can find any type of dates in any concoction they could possibly sell.

When in Indio you kind of have to check it out. Largely, it’s become a tourist trap BUT their dates are excellent and date shakes are the best you’ll have. If you watch “The romance and sex life of the date” you’ll laugh but I also guarantee you learn something.

You get an old but informational video of how the business started, a gift shop and desert walk. That's it.

Disappointed after all the hype...

Love it for Breakfast and lunch...
Great place! The garden is amazingly beautiful. Great to hang out for bit right after meal. The energy and atmosphere of the place is a great vibe and food it is delicious. I am local but personal Belice is a mandatory stop if you visit Coachella Valley.
Note: close in July (too hot)

We loved this place so much, we visited twice in our vacation to Palm Springs! The date shakes are so delicious! Leave room for lunch at the cafe, the food is some of the best we had on our trip. Take time to stroll through the impressive garden. It’s absolutely breathtaking and stunning. Cool off and sip your date shake in the theatre. You’ll learn so much!

it was fun to sample the different varieties of dates. And damn those date shakes are tasty! It educated me a lot about the hows and whys of dates and date-related items

We were in awe of the delicious ice cream date shakes at Shield's-- the date shakes that Shield's were well known for over MANY years. Each winter when we come to Palm Springs we would visit Shield's many times for their date shakes and almond date rolls. Imagine my shock this year, 2023, when we visited Shield's and found the date shakes are made from ice-milk and date syrup! We knew they no longer tasted as we remembered and their price remains at $10 per shake! Don't be fooled like we were...visit the WINDMILL MARKET at 17080 N Indian Canyon Dr, North Palm Springs, CA 92258 for the REAL DATE SHAKE still made with whole dates and real ice cream. They are absolutely scrumptious! Check out their website.

delicious date shakes, great selection of dates and date products for sale in the shop, and a nice restaurant as well. we really enjoyed the walk thru the date palms in back along with the walk thru Jesus' life told in life size statues.

It is well worth the time to stop by the Shield's Date Farm for breakfast or lunch with a date shake for desert. Friendly staff, great food and plenty of things to buy for family and friends. A great spot before or after a hike in the nearby parks and canyons.

We had breakfast at the Cafe and eating there provides free admission to the date garden. It was a quiet, beautiful morning and we weren't in a hurry so why not? It's a pretty desert garden with a winding pathway that passes a dozen or so depictions of scenes from the Bible.

We were the first visitors of the day and had the garden to ourselves. Walked through it in ~20mins at a leisurely pace, occasionally stopping at the various scenes. I probably wouldn't have paid the $5 admission fee, but it was a pleasant way to end our visit to the Cafe.

This place gets a lot of reviews, but we found it lacking. The shop is not that great, and the "gardens" are not impressive. I suspect there are other date farms, gardens in the area that would be more worth your time. I would skip it next time I am in the area.

We loved the walk at shields date garden. There are several statues depicting the life of Christ along the walk . It’s a very peaceful place . The different trees , shrubs , cacti etc are also explained .

We had coffee & date loaf plus a date brownie at the cafe afterwards. The staff were very nice .

We had a birthday lunch & it was:
Very tasty,
very large portions
Great service
Peaceful environment at 1:15pm

The restaurant onsite was delicious. The garden walk was fantastic. Great experience highly recommended

Have been here a few times and enjoyed sitting outside for breakfast and lunch. Food is very good. best part is, you get a free ticket to go in to the date garden itself which is an amazing pathway through the stations of the cross. Even if you aren’t religious, it’s fascinating to see how they have recreated this.

We went to Shields Date Shake garden. its a good place to taste dates, see the Sex life movie on the dates, and have a date shake.

They only sell date shakes at 24 ounce size. So we ordered that It was very good - but in no way can I finish a 24 ounce shake.

We're happy we made this stop though

This place was amazing from start to finish. Yes, the gift shop is like most gift shops. But the resturant is really good. Service was good, prices were normal but the food was sooo good. Started with the stuffed dates, then I had the special sopas, and husband had steak and eggs. Once brunch was over we did the walk through the gardens (save lunch receipt then walk is free) the cost is $5. The walk goes through amazing fruit trees, flowers and date trees. But the best part is the statues of Christ through out the park depicting various stages of his life. Very humble experience. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE PLACE

Neat experience. They have a good movie to watch that tells the story of Shield's adventure and how they started the date farm. We had a date shake that was delicious. There is a nice walking trail around the grounds which had fruit trees and lots of Date Palm trees.

This garden cafe was beautiful and food great!
Also great customer service!
We will return when we are in this area again!

If you go,order one shake and share. They are very thick rich and sweet. Difficult to use the straws they are made of paper,kudos to them. Check out the Date movie. Pick up some Medjools. They are Mediterranean jewels.

An interesting place that was recommended to us mostly for the outdoor terrace restaurant. The food was very good with huge portions. Our service was excellent as well. There is a walk around the gardens with statutes and scenes depicting the life of Jesus. There was live music and the duo was outstanding. We split a highly recommended and iconic date shake and it was very good.

Old, but very interesting video of the time and energy it takes to produce dates. The garden path tour of the life of Christ is awe inspiring. We had breakfast in the restaurant where the portions were huge and the food superb. Then you get to the gift shop where you can taste several varieties of dates. We had to come back later in the week to have a date shake-amazing!!!!!!!If you’re in the Palm Springs area don’t miss Shields.

This is my fourth visit to Shields Date Garden. I enjoy coming here whenever I'm in Palm Springs. The movie in the gift store is kitschy, but I learn so much about how dates are grown and harvested every time I see it. This time I actually bought a date shake to share with my three fellow travelers. (It was plenty for everyone to enjoy a taste, and definitely worth the $7.31.) We skipped the cafe this time, but have enjoyed eating lunch here in past visits. We did walk through the garden, which is an absolute "must", especially for first time visitors. Of course, on our way out, I had to purchase some of their stuffed dates to bring home, as well as some other treats for the road. I will definitely come again. (I will add that my Mom, who is elderly and uses a walker to get around, was able to walk throughout the entire garden circle--(handicapped accessible) . There are ample places to sit and rest along the way amid the date palms and citrus trees. A delightful hour or two in the afternoon.

Our local hostess highly reccomended that we stop here and the visit did not disappoint. From the abundant samples, the wide selection of product offerings, the "Sex Life of the Date" movie, to the delicious date shakes, we enjoyed our time here and learned so many surprising facts about growing and harvesting dates.

Loved it! We went in the middle of winter and the weather was delightful for someone coming from the cold midwest. The lunch was delicious. We ate on the patio and there was live music that was just delightful! Afterward we treated ourselves to a date milkshake. Oh my goodness..... yum, yum yum!

The garden walk is a nice paved walkway. It only took me about maybe 15 minutes to walk to the circle. It certainly does not take 1-2 hours to see the garden. The garden was interesting and I had no expectations what I would see: the date palm trees and other orchard trees that are pickled for their fruit.

There are also several religious statues throughout the garden. I’m not sure what the relevance of that is, but you might be interesting to know that there are many statues of Christ doing various things.

If you are in Indio you must stop here if for no other reason than to have a date milk shake and a few samples of there dates. You could watch their short film on dates while enjoying the shake.

The date bread is amazing and the date shakes were excellent! However, the cafe food was quite ordinary. The movie was not operating the day we were there, and the date garden was also closed due to the "wind". I'd go back for another loaf of that date bread though!

Beautiful Life of Jesus in the gardens; wonderful dates, lemons, more

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February, 2025 Visit

My wonderful wife and I enjoyed a trip to Palm Desert and San Diego, with a visit to La Jolla.

Shields Date Garden is over 100 years old;
We have visited for 25+ years and somehow we only learned about, and visited, on this trip.

They show a movie with good insights into all that is needed to grow date palm trees… time, skill, and water are key.

The gardens also have many palm trees and citrus trees and other plants, and as you wan there are 14 stations showing the life of Jesus - so nice, and contemplative and inspirational.

Inside the shop you can order and enjoy date shakes or date ice cream, and rode many different varieties of the dates, some of which are unique to Shields.

Lisbon Lemons!
Unsure if they are available every day, but since we saw lemons on the trees, we asked, and we took home, a bag with 12 Lisbon lemons, which we sweet with only a hint of tartness - good to add to water and good to eat as-is.

Thank you, Shields Date Garden - we’re glad we visited!

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Nothing like a date shake! Actually, they aren't bad. The restaurant has outdoor seating, so that's always a good thing. Nice place for lunch.

We took some visiting friends here for a Date Shake ( which they thoroughly enjoyed) and a stroll around the back yard where Shields has built the ten stations of thye cross display. The statues have been meticulously created and for those who enjoy a good Catholic experience, this is a very interesting display.

I had planned this trip a while ago and had planned to have Sunday breakfast and some date pancakes. Unfortunately, the Cafe is closed for July and part of August for kitchen renovation. The store however is still open. They have 5 or 6 varieties of dates for you to sample along with date brownies and date pound cake. There is an interesting film about cultivating dates and the history of the dates in the Coachella Valley which grows 95% of all the dates in the US.
As other reviewers have said, try the date shake. It is tasty but the rush of natural sugar will get your attention.

I grew up in Southern Cal in the 60s and 70s and remember when the date shake stands straddled the 2-lane state highway heading out to Joshua Tree. My family always stopped and I vividly recall as a child trying to suck the thick delicious date shake through my straw. We even went to the date festival a few years. Today you have to exit the highway and travel several minutes through Indio but the reward is just as sweet as in the old days.

Always a great place to go for dates! But not just dates... we enjoyed lunch, delicious date shakes, the gift shop and also a walk around the gardens which includes beautiful scenes of the life of Christ.

Always a great place to stop!

The only dates in the world worth eating are from sheilds! Dates every way, ice cream, shakes, candy etc. Great gift shop and cafe. The cafe over looks the daye garden. After a visit to the cafe, take a walk through the garden, they are beautiful!

Shields Date Garden is a bit touristy, but also a lot of fun and educational. Be sure to try the bread and date samples. I learned a lot about the Coachella Valley and dates by taking a few minutes to read some of the small book written in 1952 by Mr. Shields as you are eating your dates or enjoying a shake. The garden is beautiful and very well done.

Once upon a time the date shakes served at this place were excellent. On a recent visit though, everything had changed. When I asked for a shake, expecting it to be made right then, given that MIXERS were displayed on the counter, I was surprised when the dull employee bent down and opened a refrigerator contained dozens of PRE-MADE cups of semi-frozen glop. The taste was bland and it was barely recognizable as a date shake, given that there were NONE in it!!! The cost for this frozen milkshake is exorbitant, it lacks any real flavor, and the entire experience was disappointing. We'll never return.

An enjoyable visit which can include a light lunch. A great gift shop with unique gifts, including date gifts. The counter is old fashioned and charming and the date shakes are GREAT. The back garden is often closed. The whole place is worth a visit.

Lived in dessert most of my life and first time here. Not disappointed! Great food and service. Decor was pleasing.

There are many dates palm trees in the garden. They looked like the dates were already harvested when I visited this place. In the midst of the garden, there are some sculptures along the walking trail depicting the biblical stories from the life of Jesus. It is a relaxing place. In the cafe, dates smoothies drink was excellent! One can also buy fresh dates from the shop.

If you love dates, the Shields Date Garden will not disappoint. Of course, we didn't take the garden tour for the reasons others have mentioned about it being predominantly Christian-themed rather than date-themed (it was also about 100 degrees). The 18 minute documentary is however, quite interesting, as is the ability to taste samples of the dates in the cafeteria/gift shop. You can buy dates in the shop or order them online. The date shake is definitely tasty but maybe a bit sweet and best shared.

Stopped here two years ago and made a repeat visit to see the gardens again and pick up some dates as a gift.

I go there at least once or twice a year or more and I'm always happy with what I buy there. Yes, some of the stuff can be a little pricey, but everything's good. They even have free samples so you can taste stuff before you buy. I like that they have hard-to-find varieties of dates. They also make great date shakes and other treats. You can even buy some of the ingredients to take home and make your own.

The garden and surrounding property is nice and it's good that they preserved everything, but it's not really anything special in my opinion.

The movie that they play, though it's very old, is still interesting after all these years.

The date shake is AMAZING! The gardens are beautiful and the restaurant has outstanding food with the band playing was a wonderful day! Highly recommend it!

What a beautiful walk along the date garden! It’s an easy walk and not too long. My 1 yo walked the entire path. The life of Jesus is laid out very nicely and the versus added to the experience. The staff is super friendly and helpful in the shop. We loved the blond dates. Shields are the only ones to harvest that particular date.
And the 5 of us shared the date shake. Very filling and the bits of dates make the shake extra delicious.
Great stop!

Yum yum yum! Best shakes in town! We also ate at the restaurant and the customer service was top notch! I will be bringing my sister here when we visit next month! I purchased some raw honey along with date sugar and the date sugar is a great sugar alternative.

Each year we visit this Garden. There are free samples and
also a movie explaining the origin of the date farm. There are
so few of these in the US. Also a variety of nuts to taste . So Special!

Shields has been here forever, and has always been a "Must Stop" location for the thirsty desert traveler. The Cafe is superb but the highlight is the 24 oz Date Shake for $5.95. I paid that much for one scoop of gelato in Palm Springs

Delicious lunch! I had the date, spinach, mango, pear salad which was amazing. My husband said the walleye fish tacos were the best he has ever had. We did a quick loop around the garden and loved seeing a crane in the pond. The date milkshake was excellent—very yummy. The video could be updated but it was informational. The dates can be purchased at Costco for way less money, which is what we did!

We came with our son looking to pick up a date for him but we’re totally impressed with the date shake. It isn’t a dance! Anyway the place is great.

Visited the date farm for lunch at the adorable restaurant. Food and service was great. Low key, very casual atmosphere. We finished our lunch and then went for the walk in the garden which was lovely. I believe it was set up for Easter with a “Life of Jesus” installation. It was lovely and there was lots of beautiful foliage, flowers and trees as well as date trees to look at. We finished our trip with some date shakes, which are absolutely delicious. In the little shop attached to the restaurant where the date shakes are served from, they have souvenirs, dates, confections and nuts. It’s really cute and very well organized. There’s also a movie theatre where they play a movie outlining how dates are “made”. In fact, you can buy a copy of the film to bring home for your loved ones. I highly recommend this as a must see when in Palm Springs.

Date Shake......this is a TREAT you wont soon forget! You MUST try it. I have been here multiple times on my visits. Well worth it. Don't forget to stop and pick up some dates to take back to the airport.

I really didn't know there was that many Dates. This place has great date shakes and they are really great. They have a nice garden that you can see the different date trees. This place also has a Cafe to get food to eat out in the garden. The food is very good also. I bought some Date Nut Bread and it was great. Really great place to visit when in Palm Springs.

We stopped by Shield's near the end of the day so did not get to go into the gardens. It was very interesting trying the various varieties of dates and to watch the film about the history of dates in California.

The food sampling part of this place is really neat and helpful for deciding what to buy and what not to buy.

The wide range of date products and non-date products including the freshly made date shake I had are incredible.

I did a brief walk around the garden on the property. A very neat and pleasant place to spend some relaxing time in the sun.

We stopped here after the Living Desert Zoo. We watched a video on growing dates before perusing the gift shop. We ended up sampling some dates before buying some dates to bring home. We also had some shipped home. The workers were very helpful and knowledgeable. They sold many different varieties of dates. We didn't get to see any actual date farm. Definitely worth a stop if in the area.

Tremendous experience To say the least, the outside atmospheric was great. With the options of both as well as indoors.will portion plates and at a fare price, Well Chorographic from there store to Restaurant then there walk.
A wonderful experience.there menu a true delight, and variety of choices . Customer Service great one of Indios best secrets . Then there walk , come see for your self and enjoy yourself I’m sure you will. Till then

A group of 6 of us ate breakfast here. It was a chilly morning and we wanted to sit inside. Small inside seating area, but ample outdoor seating. If you spend $25 in the cafe or the gift shop, you get tickets to their grounds. It is a beautiful walk. Their gift shop has date varieties to sample and purchase, as well as a short film on their operation. You must try the famous Date Shake, very delicious! A worthwhile stop in my opinion.

This historic date farm and store is really interesting. Watch the movie first to understand more about the products. Lunch outside was delightful, if you have the time. Word of warning: dates are very high in fiber and can act as a laxative. 24 ounce date milkshakes contain a lot of dates, and one member of our party had an unfortunate reaction.

I love the atmosphere and food at this place. Service is great too. Just an awesome happy place to be!

Going to Shields Date Garden is a very touristy thing to to do...but if you're a tourist, why not? Like all touristy places, there's a gift shop with delicious free date samples. The people are very nice. There's a free movie that tells you all about growing dates. It really is quite interesting. Really. There's a cafe, where we didn't eat and a garden to tour. The garden has a strong Christian theme running through it but that is easy to ignore while admiring the beautiful plantings. As others have said, Shields makes date milk shakes. I'm not usually a big fan of dates (these fresh dates are head and shoulders above anything you buy in a store "back east") so I wasn't sure about the shake. But we bought one and are very happy we did. It was wonderful! The only thing is, only buy one and split it. There are cups on the counter to do just that. We split ours 3 ways and it was just enough. Shields is a bit hokey but it's all in good fun.

This is a very old establishment (1920's), and shows it's age. They have a large outdoor restaurant area for Breakfast/Lunch. Also there is a 'theater' showing the history of the family and date farming. It is very dated (1950's B&W), with some minor updates. There are many varieties of dates, and many choices.

This place has mind blowingly delicious and enormous date shakes, a marvelous gift shop, a fun film about dates and the farm founders, and a delightful garden walk. The cafe looks nice too.

When you walk in to the right is the path to a very tasty resterant, in front of you is the desert place like an ice cream bar, in between both is unique suviners . If your a religious person there is a self guided walking path that shows scenes from the bible. The resterant is good and show cases dates. You can buy date suger here, a healther form of sweetness. Ask the people to take a tour in the date feild and learn alot about date trees. One thing is all palms are grasses. And lastly do not miss the date shake oh so good. By the way handicap freindly.

OK, there aren't a lot of attractions in Indio, but I wouldn't list this highly. Maybe the breakfast is good, but then it should be listed under restaurants. The garden walk is 1/2 mile and more of a religious tour. Plus, it costs $10 for two just to walk through, unless you spend $25 in the store. If you like dates, the shake is fine....very, very sweet tasting. Wasn't impressed with the place. It's a touristy stop, and not a great one at that.

If you want nostalgia, this is it. The gift store stocks items other than food products that may bring back memories for some....especially, if you are into the 1950s, 1960s. The movie highlights how complex it is to grow dates, and how much patience and perseverance is needed to produce a crop. Amazing. The Garden Walk is $5, but because it was so hot (109), I decided to save my service dog's paws and , maybe, do it another time.

Enjoyed our recent visit; great outdoor lunch, lovely grounds & garden stroll (the citrus was flowering!!!), tasty souvenirs, informative movie and outstanding date shakes.

Breakfast at the restaurant, followed by a walk around the grounds, a taste of their famous "date shake" and a fun video about date farming...

First of all, breakfast at the restaurant was DELICIOUS. Also delicious: the date shakes you can get at their shop.

I had a really informative time at Shields, learning how dates are produced... including a video about "the sex life of dates" which was funny. I'd come back here with family or friends. Good way to eat up a few hours and have a good meal at the same time.

Easy stop before Joshua Tree. The novelty is the date shake, which at first is amazing, but they serve in too big of portions - definitely share it if you can. Take the time to walk the garden and sip on your shake.

I love this place! Our whole family love to visit date sheids. The date shakes are the best here! I bought hot sauces and cookbooks. The outdoor cafe was so beautifully landscaped and well shaded. Enjoyed the views and fantastic service! The food selection on the menu was great! I especially loved the prosciutto wrapped stuffed dates.

come and get the original date shake, it is very sweet with those crystals, you have been warned, also offer other baked good with dates

Nice little trip to Shields Date Garden. The information regarding the production and harvesting of dates is qquite informative. They have a cute little screening of the history of the Sheild's date production, the growing of the dates and lots of information you didn't know about dates. The store is very vintage and they have a soda fountain that is known for it's date milkshake. My husband loved it. There is a garden you can look at behind the store although it does cost about $5 each. There is also a little cafe you can enjoy some food at. The prices do seem a little high but I'm not familiar with just how much dates cost. lots of free parking.

The dates are worth tasting and buying. The short movie is interesting. The walk, wow, the walk! At no time is there an indication that one is about to step into a theological lesson. Blindly paying the $5.00, it was very disappointing for an Atheist and probably just creepy for everyone else. There are religious statues of the tale of Jesus all along the path with quotes from the bible.
We were expecting an informative walk of the process with examples etc, much like the coffee places on the Big Island of Hawaii, focusing on the product and not trying to inundate one with Christianity and it's folklore.
So yes, go there for the dates and the date milkshake. But unless you are into JC, don't do the walk!

I loved it! I had no idea about how dates were produced. The milk shake was great but too big. Heads up ask for a courtesy cup and one would serve three kids easy! The movie was good and the shop was a blast from the past. The usual trinkets and such. The restaurant was closed but looked like a nice place to eat outdoors day or night.

We spent pleasant couple of hours wandering through the garden and browsing the gift shop. We were happy to see the large statues depicting Jesus and his journey of life. There’s a nice cafe. We enjoyed the date shakes and free date samples. Remember to save your receipts, they give you credit towards the garden tour. The price of the tour is a little high I thought.

First we got to have fuel for our car.

Then we entered and ate a shake with dates. It was so delicious. We even enjoyed the movie about the Shields.

We saw the gardens and we went in the gardens. Really worthwhile.

We learned about the figs.

Now we are walking in the gardens.

From the birth of Jesus to his crucifiction and the resurrection from th feath.

It was truly a great place to walk in these gardens.

A must see!

They have an older colour movie set up about growing dates. The date shake is very good. There is stuff to see and do. They have dates for sale in whatever variety you like.

This is a beautiful place to spend a couple of hours relaxing outdoors in the garden eating at meal or just have a cup of tea or coffee or, a Date Shake, which is absolutely delicious (2 people could share); and, listen to the lovely music performance. The shop has a selection of all the varieties of dates for purchase as well as other gifts and fruit. They have lots of Date samples so you can picks your favorites to purchase! If you spend $25.00, you get to take a stroll through the palm trees and grapefruit tree orchard to visit the stations of the Cross, otherwise, there is a $5.00/person charge. Very lovely place to bring friends and family to.

Wow, what history! We really enjoyed the short movie, very informative. What a process to farm dates. To tour the garden and grounds was completely free. Lots of trees, some even with the ladders installed. There is a big pond with water features. A lot of religious statues and displays.

There is a small restaurant on site in the patio area. We got a date shake to share (21 oz for near $8), that was super rich and plenty for two! Also got some small dates products to bring home.

It is nice to see how this place looked exactly like decades ago. Plenty of parking.

Date tasting. Date shakes, the sex life of a date movie. The cafe is lovely and it's a lovely stop to bring guests.

We were only able to sample some ice cream and a date shake while there in July 5th while inside renovations were going on.
There were no samples of anything.
Service was friendly enough.

DELICIOUS ALBEIT EXPENSIVE DATE SHAKE

In all my visits to Palm Springs, I'd never visited Shields Date Garden (Or knew the fact this area is known for growing dates!) We stopped in this time and shared a coffee date shake. I followed the advice of other reviews and shared, but they were so good I could have had my own, although at around $8 each, one was enough!

FREE PARKING, BUT BUSY
There's free parking out front and at the side of the building.

NICE GIFT SHOP
Gift shop with quality household products, kids games, boxes of dates, etc. but it seemed expensive. The gift shop made me pick this date shake place over others.
We did purchase a box of variety dates to take home, which were delicious, although I'm not sure how different they are to my local health food produce store.

NEED MORE REGISTERS/STAFF
There was quite a line for ordering the shake/paying for merchandise -- they could do with more staff and separate registers for buying a shake vs. buying merchandise.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
There's a patio restaurant in the rear and a religious garden where you can pay to walk around, but it was closed during Covid. (Not that I would have!) The restaurant was very busy during a weekday in March '21 when we visited.

There's a film you can watch about date production and Shield's history, but it was closed due to Covid. We watched it on our phones from their web site while we drank our shake. It was very interesting -- a lot goes into producing dates!

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Fantastic Selection of Dates and the Date Shake - WoW A good gift shop with all kinds of typical touristy things and tons of all kinds of dadtes and date by-products so-to-speak -- VERY GOOD Restaurant out back --- super creative food and date shakes to go are heavenly ---

If you love dates (or maybe you've never even tried one before) this is the place for you! Not only do they have very tasty date shakes (which I believe is what they're known for), but they also have shelves filled with date flavored items. A nice pick-me-up when you need a little sugar :).

Whi knew that a date shake was a thing? - Well not me but came across a YouTube video of this place and felt it might be worth the 25 minutes in the car from out hotel in palm springs.

Date shakes were everywhere in Palm Springs but I resisted the urge and went to Sheila's for the "orginal" experience and and glad I did - that shake was "AMAZING" , thick , flavoursome and cold . It's was the best shake ever.

Now it's not just date shakes , they do all the regular stuff if you're a regular person but if you wanna look outside the box just once I suggest you try a date shake.

And there is a great little gift shop there with all sorts of stuff (not just dates) and a busy resturant with great looking food.

We went early morning when they opened. We saw the movie, then walked ‘The Walk’ through the gardens (which was beautiful and interesting even if you are not religious), then shopped for a few things and ended with a fabulous date shake! We agreed that next time we would come for breakfast or lunch - the outdoor cafe patio with live music was very nice.

Looking for something to do in the Palm Springs area, we decided on a trip to Shields. Typical touristy stop with many selections of dates and treats. Tried the Date shake & it was good. We walked the Gardens, which could use some care & attention. Plan to spend about 1 hour unless dining at the Cafe also.

We just saw the front of the garden since it was closing. The staff were very nice. We had a date shake which was great.. Their dates are like none I have ever had. They were great

We had lunch on the inviting patio, and afterward strolled the gardens in back; then I got a date shake for the road which was delicious. This is a must stop if you are in the area. Always fun to find a unique, historic destination such as this when traveling.

When I was a kid my family came to Indio on occasion to buy grapefruit and to visit the date farm. That was 60 years ago. An assortment of dates, honey and a few other things were sold there at low cost as I recall. Now the place is chock full of trinkets made in Asia, some assorted dates, date milkshakes and packed with snowbirds. A glance at the very full parking lot reveals origins of Iowa, Illinois and places East but few locals. My wife is from Thailand so it was new to her, but to me it is a good memory of a little shop in the midst of vast date and citrus farms gone bad.

If you’re looking for a place to buy date related products, you could do worse. The theater with the film about date farming (salaciously entitled “The Romance and Sex Life of the Date”) was broken and closed. The store felt run down and cheap. You can walk around the gardens, which are not farming-centric, and there is a cafe (we did not eat there so I’m not including it in my review). We got a date shake, which they proclaim as world famous but it tasted like powdered dates and xantham gum. I’m glad we only ordered one because we each took a sip and then threw the rest away.

Shop was full of fun items to purchase. By happenstance, they had just opened up the gardens, and weren't charging you to walk through. Not much shade, so hot, so I quit after a few minutes. Restaurant was full.

We headed out here on a rainy day in Palm Springs, and what do you know it was sunny in Indio. They have everything date you can think of for sale, so my wife stocked up. We also took advantage of the sunshine and strolled through their garden in back. Also learned about the sex lives of date palms in the movie theater.

Shields is always a fun place to visit! They have a fairly good size store filled with a wide variety of dates. They also carry date crystals and date sugar. And they have lots of samples to try, just in case you’re not sure what you want! I like to stock up on dates when we are visiting...they keep in the freezer for 5 years! My other favorite is their shakes! They are the real deal...made with milk and ice cream. Their date shakes are delicious! They also offer chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. There is a lovely outdoor garden restaurant behind the store. The menu has a fair amount of variety and yesterday there was a man playing a guitar and singing, such a nice touch.

we stopped to visit the place. a nice 20 minutes movie offer the details about the plantation and growth of dates. the store offers tasting and so many varieties ! outdoor restaurant with relaxing music and a beautiful garden with all kind of trees
was so beautiful .many peaches and oranges trees as well . all FREE

We visited for breakfast based on the great reviews. The service was friendly and the food pretty good . We had omelets and the date pancake. Ingredients seemed fresh and food served efficiently. I wasn’t blown away but definitely good enough for a return visit. The courtyard seating area was very pleasant. After you eat you get two tickets to tour the garden walk. That’s where it got weird. You go in expecting to see gardens and maybe learn a bit about date growing and harvesting. Instead you follow a path (beautifully maintained, to be fair) that takes you past stations of concrete statues of various stages of Jesus’ life, beginning with the nativity and ending with his resurrection. There are also scriptural verses to describe each station. It would have been nice to know about this before going in. I can’t see where some people might like this. I just found it odd that it wasn’t explained going in. I was waiting to be approached to be born again or something.

Was here 50 years ago... loved it then, brought back fond memories. Date shake is awesome. Bought date crystals... my mom used them for years in her holiday sweet potatoes! And... the dates are pretty awesome too!

We were excited to visit, based on the reviews. Unfortunately, we had missed that there was a $5 cost to walk through the gardens, and they closed earlier than the shop. Or you could buy a meal or $25 of souvenirs, then the garden was free. The movie about the history of the farm was amazing: so much done since 1924. Who knew there was so much handwork involved in growing dates? That was worth seeing, otherwise, the visit was a disappointment, since my husband can’t eat dates (diabetes) ..never dreamed there would be so much limitation at the store/restaurant.

The date shakes are fantastic! Bought some stuffed dates from the gift shop that were fresh and delicious. But the best part was the walk through the gardens - very peaceful and a lovely surprise. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth the stop.

Initially went to buy local dates only to find much more. Apparently 95% of US date production is in this valley and that Shields has created its own varieties of blond dates including a kind of date sugar for cooking. I tried at least 9 different free samples and all were very good tasting. There was also a restaurant on the grounds as well as a garden to walk through for $5 or free if you eat or spend $25. We spent that much on dates. The garden included a religious them with many statues showing the life and death of Jesus. The garden included many varieties of citrus trees. The store has a free movie on the local history of dates in the area and the family including the sex life of dates. Raising dates is a time consuming and hands on operation including manual fertilization. Well worth the stop if you are driving I-10 past Palm Desert/Palm Springs.

This is a great place for food. Wether it is lunch, dinner, ice cream, or a Date Shake. Did not know there were so many differnt types of dates.
Yes you can sample before you buy. There are 8 differnt types of dates, and a brochure gives you all the information on the differnt tyoes and how to store them.
We did try a date shake, and must admit it was quite thick and tasty.
We went for lunch outside at the patio. Hubby had a burger with dates, and said it was quite good, I had a salad with dates, cranberries,apples, and greens, which was great. No room for dessert, as I am a ice cream lover, and wanted to try the date I cream, maybe next time.

I was totally disappointed in our visit to Shield’s Date Farm. We entered through the gift shop and saw the video. We did learn some new ideas from watching it. Then we walked out to the garden. There are rough-shaped statutes that depict the life of Jesus Christ throughout the garden. You can see date palms and lots of other flowers and shrubs that are not identified. The most disappointing was they didn’t have samples for tasting. There was no tour of the factory or processing plant - only an expensive gift shop. Don’t bother to go!

This place is confusing and doesn't know what it really is. I suggest you lose the Walking Path and add stations of how a date grows. The Walk is a religious walk of the life if Jesus. Nothing against Jesus but they told me the only correlation is that the date trees originated in Israel like Jesus.
The dates are really grown on farms in Thermal and Coachella. The movie they advertise wasn't shown the day we were there. The only thing I lived the the date shakes. Wow good.

Refused to sell us a 2# box of dates that was marked wrong. Understand it was a mistake but stand behind your prices. If I am not mistaken it’s actually a law but even explaining to the woman she refused and even tried to sell us another box marked correctly saying they were fresher

Shield's was a fun stop - we went there on friends' recommendations and were impressed with everything, including the restaurant, gift shop (we missed the movie), the walking trail in the back, and the date shakes, of course!

it's basically a gift shop for dates. If you wanted to hike out in the date trees you needed to purchase a certain amount of date products. That wasn't going to happen, so it was kind of a waste of time. You could drive out in the parking lot and see the date trees. I wasn't impressed.

The food served on the patio was just great. The walk around the grounds was nice afterwards. Make sure you have a date shake afterwards.

Shields is known for the classic Date Shakes but the restaurant is very beautiful with good food. The gardens are extremely beautiful with delightful walking trails. This place has been there since 1926. You really should stop by, grab a shake and stroll the grounds.

This was always a stop of ours when visiting the Palm Springs area, but no more. Free samples (without having to ask) and the small nursery in the back are a thing of the past. No reason to linger; just buy product from the not-so-full shelves and be on your way. Shields used to be a destination. Sad to see it go.

The food is fantastic in the outdoor restaurant and the ambiance is lovely. The dates were absolutely superb in variety and quality at the gift shop. Lots of other goodies too.

We made our yearly stop to get a Date Shake and, as always, it was delicious! The store was rather busy but the floors are marked for Social Distancing. No surprise, the prices have continue to increase, but its our once-a-year treat when we are in the area.
Enjoy

Disappointed that the garden was closed. Sadly, the place has seen better days and feels like a shadow of what it once was.

The grounds and building are very old. A biblical theme in the garden walkway was nice. Lots of fruit trees in addition to date palms. The highlight was the great date milkshakes at $7.95 for 21 ounces. We split one which was plenty. The gift shop has other dates and treats for sale. The restaurant seemed moderately busy with a lunch crowd eating big salads. Worth a stop.

The date shake is stratospherically sweet and provides the highest quality sugar high at the second sip!

I went there on December 3, 2024. There is only one size shake and that is now $9.95

This place deserves to be on the National Register List.

Just a quick visit to Joshua Tree, but wanted a good meal before heading back to the PHX. This place was a perfect place for couples, groups and families. The make their own bread, have specials with dates on hamburgers, and Adam was awesome even though 6 tables came in at once. Did not feel neglected at all! Food was fresh, delicious, and came quickly! Always a good combination! Highly recommend a stop if looking for a good meal when in Indio!

Strolling through the gardens was quite peaceful. The biblical story that was told was very interesting.

We had an hour to "kill" before our flight back home and decided to have breakfast here. The large outdoor seating area is really nice. Plenty of umbrellas to shield the sun. Food was good and the waitstaff was very friendly. Recommended!

Watch the movie, as it tells so much, have the famous date shake that folks have talked about. It is truely my favorite now. The restaurant was closed for renovations but we walked the grounds quickly in the 118F heat. Interesting. But cool items to see and samples to try. Dont be afraid to stop and check this out. Recommended!

We were just passing through and needed a rest stop. It was well worth the drive off of the interstate. Besides the usual gifts, they have excellent fruit and a fantastic variety of dates.

Great store with many date products, information, restaurant and friendly, competent staff. A must-visit for Palm Springs.

The place to go if you want dates and care to learn about the history and agronomy. The serve a date shake that is unique. A bit heavy but tasty.

Ever had a date shake? A milkshake with a generous handful of date "crystals." Crystals being ground-up sweet date bits and pieces.

Shields Date Garden -- sort of north of Indio on Hwy 111, is a must-stop if you're in the Palm Springs/Palm Desert/Indio area. It's history goes back forever and still its fresh and full of great products food, scenery and people.

Wonderful food to order and eat on the patio. Very cool walk through the adjacent date groves. A really stocked and totally atypical "store" where you can buy all sorts of dates, date products, gizmos and other assorted treats.

But the addicting reason to stop is for a date shake. We were there Thanksgiving 2025 weekend and got a vanilla date shake and a coffee/vanilla date shake. Really fine. Buy a bag of date crystals, go home and make your own too.

Enjoy

You have to go to Shields for a date shake! While there you also need to have lunch as they offer one of the nicest meals in town.

We had fabulous dates in Palm Springs, but not here. It was $6 for three small chocolate covered dates and the dates were dry and hard. (On the other hand, we paid $8 for two pounds of fabulous medjools at the farmers market). The movie is a little interesting. The walk around is a waste of time.

We took our friends from Canada to visit this spot and to get a date shake. We discovered that the date shakes are now very smooth compared to what they were a few years ago. This is definitely a great improvement!
We watched the Romance and Sex Life of a Date movie ( fun) and then walked around the back park, something that we had ever seen before. What a wonderful spot to spend a couple of hours.

Shield's has been there forever. Thirty years ago it was way out in the desert, now it is surrounded by the sprawl of the many cities that hug Hwy 111. Fun to visit. They have a nice gift shop and lots of free samples of dates and dried fruit and nuts. Don't miss out on a date shake! You can order food at the counter or if you want a sit down breakfast or lunch go toward the back of the gift shop and there is a great outside dining area. Service can be good or average depending on who knows what (we have eaten there three times) but the food is always good.

Stopped here after dining at Jackelope Grill. First thing I noticed was a lad working behind the counter. I asked if he was 14? He said yes. Asked if he was part of the ruling family. Yes, again, he replied. Nothing I like more than seeing a young man actually working and not sitting somewhere wasting time and winding up a Democrat. The large date shake we ordered could not have been sweeter or colder - absolutely mouthwatering if high in the calorie count. The place was spotless, the staff very cordial, plenty of samples to chew on while waiting for the shake, and a nice recipe guide for the taking made this stop most enjoyable. That 14 yer old will grow into a decent man and solid citizen and his example should be highlighted and emulated! Needless to say, he won't be playing T-ball nor will he be living with his parents during or after university.

A very worthwhile place to visit just along Hwy 111. Stop in and have a date milkshake, taste all the different types of dates - free samples, I ate every one! I never knew there were so many types, then take in 'The Sex Life of the Date' in the Theater. (It's okay, rated general and very interesting) Buy something and get free tickets to stroll through the garden, it is very enlightening to see all the different plants, and follow the life of Christ in 14 sculptured displays. Then have another date milkshake or ice cream; you'll not regret it. Good for the whole family!

I love the breakfast they serve and how they add dates to salty things. love their chilaquiles and the dates pancakes , but the shakes are their masterpiece. every single calorie is worth it

The date shake was the best we had in the Palm Springs area. We went with the mission of trying a bunch and this was all of our favourites (kids and adults). The short video and walk around was really fun.

Delicious date shakes! Have to go every year we come. Fun to check out the gift shop. Haven’t tried the restaurant but the food I saw looks great.

Worth the stop to watch he famous FREE movie. We had no idea how much work goes into growing Dates!

If you spend $25 (in the store/cafe) you can tour the gardens without the $5 fee. You can catch a glimpse of the gardens from the backside of the restaurant for free. There are religious items throughout the garden- this place has been around since 1924 so if that offends you just skip the garden tour.

Tips:
Try before you buy (they will let you try all sorts of dates and other products to find the perfect fit for your taste)

A couple miles down 111 from Indian Wells, since 1924. Easy to spot.
Older people will feel right at home, except prices are a bit higher.
You will leave knowing more about dates than you ever thought you wanted to know. Try all the various samples and take some home.
Ok, we went back twice for their large date shake. Buy one and share. You can take one for the road too.
If you spend money or eat in the Cafe you get admission to their garden. Worth your time.

Another spot in the greater Palm Springs area that harkens back to the '50s. The garden is pretty, if not as well maintained as it probably used to be, but it's quiet and great for stroll with a date shake, if you don't mind all the Christian statuary. The store is well-stocked with all things date and other organic goodies. The best part of our visit was the date shake, which really was the best we tried from Brawley to Palm Springs city center. We'd go back just for that shake, which was also the least expensive.

We went for a date shake. Delicious! They have a great selection of dates, and other snacks. Merchandise, books, gifts for sale. All date shakes are the same size, and same price.

Sister and I had breakfast at the outdoor cafe, I had the milkshake (yum) and sister oatmeal (good!), Then we walked the gardens, the religious parts weren't our cup of tea but lovely walk. Interesting video. Great little shop.

Very cute and historic spot! I was in the area for a couple of days, and a friend recommended that we try a date shake. It was my first time visiting, and I found it absolutely charming. We chose to come during the week, which worked out well; even though the garden was closed for an event, it was still enjoyable to explore.
Shields is a date farm that dates back to the 1920’s when other date farms were thriving in the area. These farms were a popular stop for visitors and even celebrities! Fun fact: a single male date palm can pollinate up to 10 female date palms, depending on the variety.
Now, back to the visit—the date shake was absolutely delicious! If you don’t buy anything else, make sure to try this shake. They also offered date tastings for just 50 cents. My favorites were the Thoory dates; I loved their slightly dry texture and gentle crunch. The Deglet and Blonde dates were a bit too sweet for my taste, but overall, everything was delicious! I highly recommend stopping by!

Shield's is renown for the dates and well-known for their date shakes, which is why we stopped there. But instead of getting the shake, we decided to try out the patio cafe. My wife was thrilled with the Ahi Poke Tower, a highlight of our visit to the area. Well worth the $17 price. Dining there gets you tickets to the very interesting garden. The gift shop is also worth seeing, with lots of items not found elsewhere.

Stopped here after seeing it featured on Samantha Brown’s show “Places to Love.” Turned out to be awesome! Garden was closed due to the hot weather but what we could see through the fence was lovely, and the amount of date palms we could see was impressive. Video was extremely informative and short enough to keep my small children interested. It’s a must see to explain the day growing and harvesting process. Gift shop was pretty expansive and I’m glad they had a variety of dates to sample, since I had never eaten one before! The date shake is a must try and was delicious—it was at once familiar and unique, almost chocolate-y but not. Even my 4-year-old liked it. Go out of your way to stop here—you won’t be disappointed.

First time, it a normal nut and fruit shops, it does have specialty items, some are a a must have. the outside garden well worth the walk is $5 but they waived it since we purchased items from the store

Excellent food and eating outside under the umbrella is so relaxing. Also very clean and comfortable inside. After eating you can browse through the store to get many delicious snacks of dates, nuts, chocolate, fruit, and a famous date shake.

When in the area, whether you like dates or not, stop by and hear a bit of history about the dates and how they are grown. Great tasting of dates while we were were there and the date shake is not to be missed.

We had a lovely stroll through the gardens, which took about 20 minutes. Then we sampled some different varieties of dates, followed by an awesome date shake made with date crystals, ice milk and a bit of regular milk. It was rich & tasty. The 2 of us shared one, and that was more than enough. We watched the film about the start of date production in the area. We found it enlightening... We had no idea how much manual labour was involved in date farming.

Love this place, make it a point to stop by every time we’re in town. Date samples and good prices. They offer many varieties of dates and other items, the shakes are wonderful.

My husband & I enjoyed a relaxing stroll around the gardens. There were lots of trees in bloom & a lot of statues. Unfortunately, there was an unusual stench coming from the pond area. We went early in the morning to avoid the heat. The garden area is free to stroll around. We were going to have a quick bite, but even the smell of the food had an odd odor. Inside there is a shop full of date related Gifts and products. There is a counter where you can purchase drink drinks, including date shakes. We did buy some date items. Unfortunately they were quite expensive and not very good. Overall, if you want to check out the gardens just be prepared. I would not recommend dining here.

Splendid patio for lunch (reservations accepted)

Date salad marvelous

Date milk shake is 24 ounces! Well worth it! Tasty!

Free garden walk tour with meal receipt

Anything you can think of made with dates- they have it! A fun place with an old fashioned milkshake bar out of the 1950s (due to COVID you weren't allowed to sit on the spinning chairs). And a very large store with tons of date related products including cookies and other treats. The only thing we couldn't find is date steak sauce which we had had at Mr. Lyon's the night before.

Popular for Date Shakes, and classic Date Salad...reasonable pricing, extremely slow service. Waiters are personable but definately lack knowledge on dishes. Outdoor patio dining only.

Very interesting place to stop in Indio Ca.
Full of old time memorabilia..
Great food!
Must try their outdoor breakfast for sure

We went to Palm Springs for many reasons and trying different varieties of dates was among them.

We were delighted to see many types of dates at Shield’s and they offered many many date samples! This is the ONLY place in PS that offers GENEROUS and AMPLE of date varieties to visitors. And each sample is the WHOLE date. And if you buy over $25, you can walk into their garden to see upclose all the date palm trees.
And the service people are friendly too!

Strongly recommend to visit this place if tasting many types of dates are among the reasons you come to Palm Springs.

We had a good walk in the garden with our toddler and it meandered throughout the property. Great wide paths and not busy. Recommend to do it first to get an appetite or do it after with your date shake. We did it early so it wouldn't be so hot. Then had a great meal of the ahi poke tower - excellent presentation and refreshing! My husband enjoyed the short ribs benny...and we had to try a date pancake. It was delicious with that date spread.

they have great date shakes and date products, they also carry gifts that are priced great and for all ages.

I have wonderful memories of visiting Shields as a child when my parents would bring us to the Indio Date Festival, and I always stop when I am back in the area. The shakes are the best, hands down, and they also sell other items to have fun with in your kitchen like date BBQ sauce and date syrup. Go online to find videos describing Shields' place in the area's agricultural history and the extraordinary time and effort required to cultivate this precious commodity.

Old fashioned shop and soda counter. Creamy delicious date shakes. The restaurant was good (but my tacos were VERY spicey - so ask first). Lots of shade. Classical guitar player. Don't miss the little movie - Romance and Sex Life of the Date. Well worth driving a bit out of your way.