{"id":93323,"date":"2025-04-12T04:20:25","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T04:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/12\/12-things-to-do-in-palm-springs\/"},"modified":"2025-04-12T04:20:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T04:20:25","slug":"12-things-to-do-in-palm-springs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/12\/12-things-to-do-in-palm-springs\/","title":{"rendered":"12 things to do in Palm Springs"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Palm Springs is synonymous with desert heat (and chill!), Joshua Trees and mid-century modern architecture.<\/p>\n

But a buzzing food scene inspired me and I found some other great things to do in Palm Springs to keep you busy for at least a week \u2013 maybe even longer!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve just had my sixth visit to Palm Springs, about a 2.5-hour drive east from Los Angeles, or 2 hours drive from San Diego.<\/p>\n

This is a fabulous spot for a day trip from LA<\/a> if you\u2019re on a mission like wanting to see the Joshua Trees, or maybe take part in Mid-Century Modernism events, as there\u2019s plenty to do outside of Coachella!<\/p>\n

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\"Megan\"Megan
I\u2019m a sucker for an angel wing mural!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

There are golf resorts and resorts that throw pool parties with live DJs, family friendly resorts, pet friendly and there is a big welcome to the LGBTQ+ community in Palm Springs.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve walked on the San Andreas Fault, had the most decadent spa treatment I\u2019ve ever had, driven through Joshua Tree, ogled the mid-century modern architecture, taken the Aerial Tramway up to the snow, tasted lots of yummy date shakes (they grow Medjool dates here) and so much more.<\/p>\n

So here goes\u2026 my top suggestions for things to do in Palm Springs:<\/h3>\n
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\"Megan\"Megan
PS I love you in Palm Springs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Palm\"Palm
The mountains are further away than they appear in Palm Springs!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

There are nine cities that make up Greater Palm Springs: Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, each a little different but the hero is undoubtedly Palm Springs.<\/p>\n

So in no particular order I now list some of the coolest things to do here\u2026<\/p>\n

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\"Megan\"Megan
Grab a selfie with Marilyn in front of the Palm Springs Art Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Joshua Tree National Park<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the biggest highlights is to take a few hours and drive out to see the remarkable Joshua trees, named for their reaching spiky leaves that the Mormon pioneers who found the place (after the Indians of course) thought reminded them of the Biblical Joshua finally arriving at the Promised Land. <\/p>\n

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But as well as the trees are the extraordinary boulders that you can climb or just take endless photos of. <\/p>\n

Plan to spend at least a couple of hours just driving through so you have a bit of time to stop and take photos. You can hike on short trails, or stay in a Joshua Tree cabin<\/a> and spend the night.<\/p>\n

You need to pay $25 for a car pass to the national park from a shop the entrance to the park, or $80 for a year which gives you access to all the US national parks.<\/p>\n

Joshua Tree National Park also made my list of the best destinations for Spring Break in the US<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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\"Joshua\"Joshua
The incredible photo ops all along the road through Joshua Tree<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Dine at Pappy and Harriets in Pioneertown<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On your way back from Joshua Tree, turn off to Pioneertown<\/strong> and plan to have a pint or a meal at this old saloon bar, Pappy and Harriets<\/a>. It\u2019s closed Tuesday and Wednesday, but at 5pm Monday when we arrived, there was a line out the door.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a big place too and live music is often played. They smoke meats out the back and the whole place was originally built as a movie set in the 1940s which is now a functioning little town. Note: they don\u2019t take reservations, so if you can\u2019t get in, try Red Dog<\/strong> just down the road.<\/p>\n

Have a spa day at Spa S\u00e9c-he<\/h3>\n

This new state-of-the-art spa facility is located on top the aqua calientes natural hot springs where the waters are thousands of years old by the time they come to the surface, and owned by the local Cahuilla Indian tribe. <\/p>\n

But the best thing is you can pay for one treatment (minimum spend US$200) and stay all day using their facilities which includes a gym, swimming pool, mineral pools, salt cave, sauna, various relaxing rooms and a restaurant to sit by the pool all day.<\/p>\n

I had a collagen facial and then stayed for lunch by the pool. You can read more about my spa day at Spa S\u00e9c-he here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"Mineral\"Mineral
Take the waters in your own private tub<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Play golf in Palm Springs!<\/h3>\n

There are more than 100 golf courses in Palm Springs! If you\u2019re a golfer check out this site palmsprings.golf\/com<\/a> to see all the courses, costs and book a tee time. You\u2019ll find courses designed by Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, and more.<\/p>\n

Try a date shake!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

90% of all dates exported from the United States come from Palm Springs and if you want a great date shake, head to Shields Date Garden<\/strong> where they use dehydrated date crystals and vanilla ice cream to make what is really dessert in a cup. <\/p>\n

Or if you want to visit the #1 date shake place in Palm Springs, head out to Windmill Market<\/strong> in North Palm Springs. They use fresh Medjool dates and whip them into a paste first, then add ice cream and milk. This location is a good idea on your way driving back to LA. We got a couple for the road!<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find a good shop in town though and my one came with a mini donut with a straw pushed through it. They also do great ice creams as well as shakes.<\/p>\n

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\"My\"My
My donut decorated date shake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Blending the Medjool dates with ice cream and milk at Windmill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Date\"Date
Mmmm, thanks!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Ride up the mountain on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is a 4km ride in a rotating gondola up 8,500 feet to the top of\u00a0Mt. San Jacinto, along the Chino Canyon, where it\u2019s 30 degrees cooler and snows up here in winter, with the snow remaining until early summer. I know, crazy!<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a restaurant and bar up here and 60km of hiking trails. Or you can just take photos of the view and head back down. The ideal summer escape when temps in the city are up to 120 degrees!<\/p>\n

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\"This\"This<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Palm\"Palm
From the top of San Jacinto mountains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Explore the Mid-century Modern architecture<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The 1950s and 60s are still in full swing in Palm Springs and in February and October you can go into some of the best examples of these homes and twirl in circles at just how cool they are.<\/p>\n

The October event is the Fall Preview<\/strong> for the 11-day February event, but even the Fall Preview has become a 4-day event in itself with bus tours around the best neighborhoods showcasing the 50s and 60s architecture and design and loads of exciting events including house tours.<\/p>\n

You can see more of my 2-hour private driving tour<\/a> past some amazing homes here \u2013 including the house Elvis and Priscilla honeymooned in, and Leo DiCaprio\u2019s that you can rent for an event!<\/p>\n

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\"Mid\"Mid
One of the stunning mid century homes on display in Palm Springs. This one is designed by Thomboy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

But in February Modernism Week<\/strong> sees people coming from all over the world for the 11-day event which includes films, cocktail parties, lectures from architects and designers, double-decker bus tours so you can peer over the fences (!), and a nosey through some of the most amazing homes out here in the desert. <\/p>\n

Jump onto modernismweek.com<\/a> for more info about what\u2019s going on and to get your tickets. They sell out fast.<\/p>\n

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\"Mid\"Mid
The astro turf back yard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Palm Springs Village Fest<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re in town on a Thursday night, Palm Springs Village Fest<\/a> is three blocks of the main street, N Palm Canyon Drive, through town, which are closed to traffic, lined with pop-up tents and filled with about 100 street vendors selling everything from handmade jewellery to art, clothing, soap, plus plenty of food trucks.<\/p>\n

The shops are all open late too, and the weather is balmy (unless it\u2019s July or August when it\u2019s monstrously hot even in the evening!)<\/p>\n

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\"Shopping\"Shopping
Village Fest shopping!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Take a San Andreas Fault Line Tour<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The San Andreas Fault is a 1200 km fault line that runs through the state of California on the edge of the Pacific Plate and North American Plate. But a tour is much more interesting than it sounds! <\/p>\n

I joined Bonnie of Desert Adventures<\/a> in her bright red jeep. She\u2019s a fascinating woman and utterly passionate about things like techtonic plates and snakes \u2013 which we had to be careful we didn\u2019t step on. Actually we didn\u2019t see any, much to my sadness. But there are rattlers out here, I know because Bonnie showed me photos.<\/p>\n

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\"San\"San
Entering the San Andreas fault<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

These plates move against each other up to 30mm per year with no ill effects \u2013 unless you\u2019ve built your house on top of it of course. But they\u2019re about 120 years overdue for a big quake, she told me. <\/p>\n

I loved the edible leaves and berries out here from this salty grey leaf like a potato chip (below), to a the bitter taste of cresote to the seeds of the palm tree that the native Indians would use for all sorts of medicinal purposes and which I personally think scientists have a lot of catching up to do!<\/p>\n

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\"Salty\"Salty
Salty, yummy chippie leaves!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"San\"San
Creeping through slot canyon in San Andreas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"San\"San
Driving through the wash that can flood suddenly at the San Andreas fault<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Tour the 4000+ Wind Turbines<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When you drive into Palm Springs from Los Angeles you are welcomed by what looks like a sculpture park of thousands of wind turbines spread along the Coachella Valley.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a bit of a geek and was awfully excited to be able to take a tour and learn about the developing technology of these gigantic machines, all out here in the valley and built all over the world. These wind turbines generate up to 7% of California\u2019s energy and can be centrally turned on and off. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a geek like me, book yourself a tour behind the fences!<\/p>\n

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\"Arriving\"Arriving
Greeted by thousands of wind turbines arriving into Palm Springs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Shop at Desert Hills Premium Outlets<\/h3>\n

Take an Uber (or drive) about half an hour to Desert Hills for the Premium Outlets<\/a> for your shopping fix. All the main brands are out here, the shops are air conditioned, and we got a surprisingly good date shake from the food court, where the vendor had been there for 30 years, making his own date paste to add to ice cream. That was lunch!<\/p>\n

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\"Desert\"Desert
Desert Hills Premium Outlets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

For more info about the Great Palm Springs area, latest updates including the iconic Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals, jump on to VisitGreaterPalmSprings.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


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Palm Springs is synonymous with desert heat (and chill!), Joshua Trees and mid-century modern architecture. But a buzzing food scene inspired me and I found<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[183,179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlight","category-travel"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}