Greater Palm Springs

Outdoor fun | culinary adventure | art & culture | wellness

A s soon as you arrive in this oasis of cool little towns, stream-fed canyons—and of course, plentiful namesake palm trees and hot springs—you realize you’ve left your everyday reality behind. The world as you know it turns otherworldly in an instant under these sun-saturated blue skies and snowcapped desert peaks, where escapes of all kinds await, whether you crave foodie adventures, outdoorsy fun, art and culture or just straight-up chilling. And whether you’re a longtime visitor or a total first-timer, you’ll find plenty of newness here now. It ranges from the highly practical (increased nonstop service to Palm Springs International Airport on various carriers) to the wind-in-your-hair wild (a new way to rocket down these desert highways in a roadster). So prepare for the extraordinary, then read on for the details that will help turn it into your reality.

When you find so much natural beauty, room to roam and energizing sunshine in one place, your instinct for adventure can’t help but kick in—and the sheer variety of excursions on offer in Greater Palm Springs doesn’t hurt. One notable newcomer, Rancho Mirage’s Slinging 360, puts you behind the wheel of an open-air, three-wheeled roadster for a ride along Highway 74 during the guided Pines & Peaks tour. If you’d rather go at a slower pace and let someone else do the driving, another new open-air ride may be the ticket. Magic Cart, a jaunty orange electric cart that holds six people, is the brainchild of passionate locals who’ve designed a 2.5-hour tour of the highlights of Palm Springs with plenty of pauses at beloved appetizer and drink spots along the way.

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Slinging 360

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Hiking in Mission Creek Preserve

Tommy Bahama Miramonte

Mural in Indio

Modernism Week

Kestrel

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

Palm Springs Art Museum

Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa Oasis

Rooftop yoga at Power Yoga Palm Springs

Good Vibes Sound Bath at Tommy Bahama Miramonte

Reffen Street Food Market Photo credits: Lukas Bukoven (left); Reffen - Copenhagen Street Food (right)

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Swiss Canyon Trail

4 Saints

Mural in Indio

Yoga at Miramonte

Of course, if you’d prefer that your horsepower come from an actual horse instead of a motor, that’s no problem. Guided rides into the palm-filled oasis of the Indian Canyons depart daily from Smoke Tree Stables in Palm Springs, while moonlit rides are date night perfection with Coyote Ridge Stable in Morongo Valley. Another kind of ride that’s hard to beat in Greater Palm Springs? The kind on two wheels. BIKE Palm Springs leads guided e-bike tours in partnership with the Palm Springs Historical Society. For more of an adrenaline rush, there’s Big Wheel Tours' Earthquake Canyon excursion to the San Andreas Fault.

Fueling your local adventures is a delectable and—as with most good things here—ever-expanding proposition. For starters, there are all the offerings at the long-awaited, just-opened Thompson Palm Springs, a gorgeous nod to the Rat Pack era, where the signature restaurant, Lola Rose Grand Mezze serves up kabobs, spreads, seafood and bread from the house tandoor oven in a glam indoor-outdoor setting. Meanwhile, the hotel’s Hall Napa Valley Tasting Room & Wine Lounge hosts tastings of celebrated varietals from beloved winemakers. And the soon-to-debut Bar Issi will offer Mediterranean small plates and creative cocktails.

More buzzy new food and drink offerings in a hotel that just got a huge refresh: the Grand Hyatt Indian Wells Resort & Villas, where the restaurants have a more Latin flavor. The first is Tía Carmen, an homage to the aunt of its renowned chef, Angelo Sosa, who has created the likes of ember-roasted purple yams with aged mole or lamb barbacoa with caviar. That same aunt’s love of global travel and gastronomy inspired the menu at Carmocha, where the offerings range from Cuban sandwiches to pasta pomodoro. Of course, not every widely anticipated new restaurant here is in a hotel, though another one is in Indian Wells: Kestrel, from celebrity chef Richard Blais, who puts a fun, creative spin on American classics. Think shrimp cocktail with guava horseradish and fried chicken in a bao bun with hot honey.

Needless to say, you should save room for some longstanding favorites, too, a few of which have earned Michelin mentions. There is, for example, 4 Saints at the Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs, where the SoCal-meets-Southern Comfort vibes are accompanied by such dishes as chicory persimmon with gouda, candied hazelnut, pomegranate and shallot vinaigrette, as well as prime bone-in filet with broccolini, pistachio, aged balsamic and cabernet reduction. Of Workshop Kitchen and Bar, also in Palm Springs, the Michelin guide raves: “A dedicated garden in Rancho Mirage, along with a sizeable herb planter behind the kitchen, furnishes peak-season produce for wood-fired dishes like a flat iron au poivre.” And just down the road, Bar Cecil serves up beloved classics, from sole meuniere to steaks and frites to cacio e pepe.

The design on display in Greater Palm Springs spans a staggering array of styles and eras, from the millennia-old artifacts at the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum to the newly commissioned large-scale installations on display during the Coachella festival and beyond. But of course, there’s one esthetic and era the area is known for above all others: midcentury modern. Serious fans will want to join the thousands of others who’ll make the pilgrimage to Palm Springs for Modernism Week. Scheduled for Feb. 13–23, 2025, this year’s edition marks the 20th anniversary, and the celebrations will include more than 350 parties, tours, exhibitions and talks.

Then again, modernism is hardly the only branch of the arts to inspire a festival worth traveling to in the area. A brief look at just the early 2025 lineup: the Palm Springs International Film Festival (Jan. 2–13), when Hollywood descends on the desert for screenings, awards and general revelry; La Quinta Art Celebration (Feb. 27–March 2), when artists from around the globe exhibit juried works at the La Quinta Civic Center; Desert X (March 8–May 11), an international biennial in the Coachella Valley; and of course, the iconic Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (April 11–13 and 18–20), whose 2025 lineup includes Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone, Travis Scott, Charli XCX and Missy Elliott.

Of course, on any given day in Greater Palm Springs, you can simply go and experience world-class art and culture. Start at the Palm Springs Art Museum, where you’ll find the newly installed 1931 metal Aluminaire House. Considered one of the most important buildings of the last 125 years, according to Architectural Record magazine, Aluminaire House is a great intro to the modernist wonders you can get a gander at in Greater Palm Springs, whether on your own or a guided tour. These include Elvis’s Honeymoon Hideaway, where he and Priscilla hid out in 1967; Kaufmann House, Richard Neutra’s 1946 rhapsody in steel, glass and stone; and Twin Palms, designed for Frank Sinatra, who rang in the new year there in 1948 and hosted many a legendary gathering on the property thereafter. There’s also monumental public art wherever you look, from the “Anonymous Farm Worker” mural el Mac painted for the Coachella Walls project to “Sarbalé Ke” abstract baobabs by Francis Kéré in Indio’s Dr. Carreon Park.

The Greater Palms Springs desertscape seems purpose-built for wellness. The views alone inspire a profound sense of bliss and calm—to say nothing of how you feel when immersed in the earth-warmed, mineral-rich ancestral spring water of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, who have made those healing properties available to anyone who books a tub soak at the Spa at Séc-he, which sits at the site of the spring. (There’s also a full menu of fabulous treatments beyond the soaking tubs, from a quartz and poultice massage to a desert sage scrub, all worth considering.) To sample more of the region’s geothermic waters, head to Desert Hot Springs for dips in the spring-fed tubs and pools at Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa Oasis; the Good House; and (if you check in for the night) Two Bunch Palms.

More recent additions to the wellness scene (as with the food scene) come courtesy of the new and refurbished hotels. At the Thompson, for example, guests can book al fresco yoga on the lawn with views of the San Jacinto Mountains. The refreshed Grand Hyatt Indian Wells Resort & Villas offers its own variation on the theme with Agua Serena Spa Yoga Stretching, in addition to other wellness offerings such as Aqua Fit water workouts in the expansive pool complex. Of course, you can also find exercise outside the resorts, with Power Yoga Palm Springs' rooftop yoga being a perennial favorite.

For anyone who’d like to be lulled into a sense of well-being through the remarkably soothing vibrations of gongs and Tibetan crystal singing bowls, Greater Palm Springs offers several sound bath options. Bliss Chakra Spa runs monthly communal sessions in La Quinta, but you can also book a private session if the dates don’t align with your visit (or you just want a more individualized experience). You should also check out the calendar at Crystal Fantasy in Palm Springs, where sound bathing routinely appears on the lineup (in addition to reiki circles and full moon drum circles). And if you’d like your sound bathing to be more than figurative, you can pair flotation with the smooth stylings of the Good Vibes Sound Bath bowl and chime-meisters, who orchestrate extra-ethereal session at resort pools across Greater Palm Springs (check the calendar for details). Even if you've never contemplated such treatments before in your life, you'll no doubt emerge an avid fan. It's the natural result of escaping your ordinary in Greater Palm Springs.

4 Saints

Bar Cecil

Modernism Week

Agua Caliente Cultural Museum

Spa at Séc-he

Two Bunch Palms

There’s also epic hiking to be done in Greater Palm Springs, as you’ll find among the local pine forests you can’t quite imagine until you're happily crunching along the fallen needles. To get there, embark on a pre-adventure: The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway—the world’s largest rotating tram car—will whisk you 2.5 miles along the cliffs of Chino Canyon to the wilderness of Mt. San Jacinto State Park, where you’ll find more than 50 miles of trails. One crowd pleaser: the moderate, 4.5-mile Round Valley Loop among the mountaintop pines and oaks. There is also otherworldly hiking along the 2.7-mile Palm Canyon Trail, in the same palm-shrouded canyon system that Smoke Tree Stables visits on horseback. For even more palm magic, head to the Thousand Palms Oasis, where the 25+ miles of trails include the stunning 4.5-mile loop that is the Willis Palms Trail.

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Palm Canyon Trail

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

Horseback riding

Hiking in Mt. San Jacinto State Park

Lola Rose Grand Mezze

Outdoor fun | culinary adventure | art & culture | wellness