Overview
In Palm Springs, you’ll want to dine outdoors with the cacti and mountains because the Mojave Desert landscape is stunning. Predictably, you’ll fall in love with the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and claim a part of the San Jacinto Mountains as your own. This setting makes possible outdoor shopping centers, compelling arts, top-notch gaming, sunny golfing and entertainment to write home about. Palm trees line the streets, as do museums, art galleries and boutique shops.
For those fascinated by Palm Springs’ desert atmosphere, Joshua Tree National Park is an obvious destination. Be amazed by the wildlife that thrives in this volatile climate: desert tortoises, bighorn sheep, tarantula and 18 species of lizards. There are a few ways to spot the fan palms and Joshua trees that define the landscape. You can hike, drive a Jeep, take a tour, mountain bike, rock climb or camp.
If your idea of camping is glamping, then you might be more interested in discovering Hollywood’s obsession with Palm Springs. With road names such as Bob Hope Drive and Frank Sinatra Drive, it’s easy to make the connection. Strut down Palm Springs’ Walk of Stars as your friend snap your photo or take a celebrity tour. Everyone gets a thrill rom touring the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway, dining at Cary Grant’s former estate turned Copley’s Restaurant, and touring celebrity homes. Albert Einstein, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and many more famous names have called Palm Springs home. To get a glimpse of today’s local Hollywood culture, schedule your trip to coincide with the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January. Palm Springs is star-struck, free-spirited and artsy.