To the uninitiated, La Quinta, California, is all golf courses, swimming pools and fluttering palms. Sure, you can spend a fabulous weekend sipping Tiki drinks in a chaise longue or playing 18 holes in the shadow of the Santa Rosa Mountains. But sooner or later, the desert’s wild side will call to you.
Explore this alluring landscape of the surrounding Coachella Valley and Sonoran Desert by car, hot air balloon or on foot — then return to luxurious La Quinta for top-shelf cuisine and a late-night splash into your hotel’s pool.
As always, check for travel restrictions and closures before planning your trip.
Friday: Brunch and Browse, Then Go Jeeping
La Quinta takes brunch seriously. Join the locals at their morning hot spot, Chúla Artisan Eatery, where Chef Katherine Gonzalez puts a hyper-local, farm-to-table spin on her mother’s traditional recipes for tamales, chilaquiles and huevos rancheros. As long as you’re indulging, try her colorful (and Instagram-famous) cupcakes and pastries, too.
Next, spend the morning wandering the cobblestone streets of Old Town, La Quinta’s central hub. This compact neighborhood of whitewashed, bougainvillea-framed buildings is home to 30-plus boutiques and sidewalk cafés. Browse the colorful paintings at Essence Arts or the Zimbabwe stone sculptures at Meyavé Stone & Sculptures. Shop for chic women’s apparel at Elizabeth & Prince.
Pop into the La Quinta Museum to learn about this area’s history — from the kitschy fun of Route 66 to the way of life of the Indigenous Cahuilla people, the area’s original inhabitants who still live in the region, about an hour away.
When it’s time for lunch, nab a seat on the patio at La Quinta Brewing Company‘s taproom and grill. Order an avocado burger or a salad made with grapefruit and local dates and wash it down with a Poolside Blonde.
For your afternoon adventure, explore the desert’s rugged side. On a Red Jeep Tour with Desert Adventures, you’ll ramble through a private 800-acre ranch that’s accessible only via these kinds of tours.
The three-hour tour shows off the artistry that seismic energy creates from a landscape of ancient rocks and canyons. At a palm oasis rest stop, your guide will offer up tidbits on plate tectonics, date farming and Cahuilla culture.
End your day back in Old Town La Quinta with artfully prepared seafood, steak or pasta at the Grill on Main, housed in a pretty, whitewashed villa-style building with outdoor seating year round. Follow it up with an entertaining magic show at Marvyn’s, an intimate 129-seat theater. Pro tip: If you don’t want to get pulled up on stage, avoid eye contact with the magician.
Saturday: Indulge in Golf and a Massage
Kick off the day in nearby Indio with the area’s best latte at the super chic Everbloom Coffee before stopping for a breakfast sandwich at 4 Paws Coffee Co., which donates a percentage of proceeds to a local animal shelter and gives out “Pup Cups” to four-legged friends.
La Quinta is synonymous with desert golf, so make plans to play at a course that suits your skill level, whether it’s world-famous PGA West (featuring nine courses and calendar jammed with prestigious tournaments), the water-feature-laden Coral Mountain or palm-tree-dotted Palm Royale. Schedule a tee time for early morning or late afternoon to enjoy the glowing desert sunlight at its best.
On hot spring and summer days, opt for cooler evening play at the Lights at Indio, the Coachella Valley’s only night-lighted course.
Not a golfer? Head out for a hike in La Quinta Cove, where you’ll find miles of cactus-packed wilderness in the shadow of the Santa Rosa Mountains. Amble over to Lake Cahuilla for a gentle introduction to desert trekking. The more challenging Bear Creek Trail leads to a palm oasis (it’s 6 miles round-trip, so take plenty of water).
After all that exercise, you’ll need some fuel, so drive to neighboring Coachella for tacos and street art.
The Coachella Walls mural project features 13 large-scale works by local and international street artists (find a self-guided walk tour map here). Vivid paintings celebrate the life and struggles of immigrant farmworkers. Wander the historic downtown to see them, then sample the carne asada, al pastor and barbacoa at Jalisco Restaurant — taco purveyors since 1971.
Wrap up the day with desert-style pampering. Natural thermal waters flow underneath the Coachella Valley’s sand-and-sky wonderland, creating the perfect recipe for relaxation. Step into the 38,000-square-foot spa oasis at JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa for a citrus body scrub, Moor mud ritual or soothing 90-minute massage.
When you’re thoroughly blissed out, pop over to Rockwood Grill for a seat by the fire pits, a farm-to-glass cocktail and locally sourced upscale American cuisine.
Sunday: Elevate Your Desert Perspective
To get a wide-angle perspective on the desert’s landscape, start your day with a hot air balloon ride. Tour operators likeFantasy Balloon Flights, Balloons Above and HavNFun Hot Air Balloons launch their colorful aircraft at dawn, but the early call time is worth it.
As your balloon floats 1,000 feet above the Coachella Valley, broad vistas of the San Andreas Fault and the Salton Sea will take your breath away. When you touch back down to earth, you and your pilot will salute your adventure with a traditional Champagne toast.
The day is still young, so pick up a bag of authentic French croissants from La Quinta Bakery or visit the Sunday morning farmers market to pick up premade sandwiches, fruit and desert-grown dates. Load them into a day pack (along with plenty of water) on your way to the southern reaches of Joshua Tree National Park (about 35 miles away).
You’ll enter the park at Cottonwood Spring, where the staff at the visitor center can give you a map and information about trail conditions. Even driving the winding roads is a mind-altering experience — and there are well-marked trailheads all along the way, leading to quarter-mile jaunts amid the area’s famously gnarled trees to more challenging climbs.
Do check out the weirdly wonderful Cholla Cactus Garden, which, depending on the season, blooms with lavender, forget-me-nots and the adorable teddybear cholla.
For a tamer adventure, visit the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens and hang out with the resident bighorn sheep.
At this 1,200-acre Palm Desert attraction, desert animals from around the globe — among them bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions, kit foxes, roadrunners and eagles — reside in large, landscaped enclosures. Be sure to feed the giraffes, who use their 18-inch-long black tongues to slurp carrots from your hand.
Stop in for a late lunch at Hotel Paseo’s Larkspur Grill — maybe a whiskey-glazed wagyu burger or the throwback finger food, bacon-wrapped dates. Save a couple hours of daylight to stroll through Sunnylands Center & Gardens, a midcentury-modern estate in Rancho Mirage built for publishing magnate and diplomat Walter Annenberg in 1966.
Sprawling across 200 acres, the pink-walled property has hosted eight U.S. presidents and a long list of Hollywood royalty. Take a guided tour of the Annenbergs’ spectacular home or walk 1.25 miles of garden paths on your own. A gift shop and indoor/outdoor café with stunning views of the San Jacinto Mountains are on-site.
Put a final flourish on your weekend escape with a white-tablecloth dinner at Arnold Palmer’s Restaurant. The New American menu includes many of the golf legend’s favorite foods, including prime rib, herb-roasted Scottish salmon and brined pork chops. Sip a vintage from the 2,500-bottle wine room while you savor desert and mountain views and plan your next La Quinta getaway.
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