Palm Springs, California, Is Where Outdoor Adventure Meets Arts and Culture

It’s perhaps hyperbolic to say that Palm Springs, California, when the weather is temperate, is the perfect small-city destination. But when you look at its long list of attributes — great culinary offerings, chic hotels, interesting scenery, a host of outdoor activities and innumerable art and design outposts — it’s hard to say otherwise.

While the heart of Palm Springs is really downtown, the Greater Palm Springs area — including Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage — offers more, from golf courses to hiking trails. Ultimately, Palm Springs is where outdoor adventure meets arts and culture. And the beauty of a two-in-one destination? You can please every kind of traveler.

As always, check for travel restrictions and closures before planning your trip

Friday: Dip Into the Outdoors (and a Pool)

Start your morning with a hike — ideally, hit the trail before 8 a.m. to beat the heat. The Greater Palm Springs area has more than 100 trails to offer.

Mount San Jacinto is close to downtown Palm Springs and is served by the city’s iconic Aerial Tramway. After a 10-minute ride from the tram’s Valley Station, find yourself 2,600 feet up Mount San Jacinto, with 54 trails spread out in front of you, some of them with snow underfoot well into the springtime months.

Or if you want to integrate the arts into your outdoor adventure day, you can take the free 2-mile hike behind Palm Springs Art Museum. While the 900-foot elevation gain makes for an arduous trek, the sprawling views at the top make the effort worthwhile.

After the hike, keep your active streak going. (This is California, after all!) If you’re a tennis player, head to Indian Wells Tennis Garden in the afternoon, home to the famed tennis tournament that takes place every year. And for golf, try courses like Escena Golf Club and Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort.

Round out your day with dinner back in Palm Springs at Rooster & the Pig, a popular Vietnamese American spot that serves up handmade spring rolls, lemongrass meatballs and other fusion fare and is a favorite among locals. (It doesn’t take reservations, so best to arrive early.)

Saturday: Shop Iconic Art and Design

If Palm Springs is a town where outdoor adventure meets arts and culture — and Friday’s itinerary called for opting outside — then Saturday is all about art galleries, midcentury furniture and the Uptown Design District.

Not sure which shops and galleries to visit first? Start with the iconic Pelago for luxe rugs, Interior Illusions (think: stunning floor-length mirrors), Christopher Kennedy, and Bon Vivant (a vintage glassware haven). Need a pick-me-up while shopping? Swing into the best coffee shop in the Uptown Design District: 4 Paws Coffee Co

While we’ve focused primarily on dressing up your home, there are also plenty of boutique and vintage clothing stores. Among locals’ favorites in the Uptown District are Trina Turk, Elizabeth & Prince and the Shops at 1345.

Have lunch at Workshop Kitchen & Bar, then enjoy the design you’re surrounded by in Palm Springs with a little self-directed driving tour through the city.

Your itinerary will include the Kaufmann Desert House, designed by Richard Neutra for department store legend Edgar J. Kaufmann in 1946, followed by the iconic Tramway Gas Station, and finally, Frey House II, which is built directly into the boulder-filled desert landscape.

Start at Kaufmann Desert House, right off the main drag of the Design District on West Vista Chino Canyon Road, then cruise up Palm Canyon Drive (into Chino Canyon) for a look at Tramway Gas Station, before heading back down Palm Canyon to Frey House II, on Palisades Drive.

In the evening, venture to Copley’s on Palm Canyon, built in the former guest house on the Carey Grant estate. The venue is stunning, as is the menu from chef Andrew Copley.

Looking for a little post-dinner entertainment? Head to Illusions Drag Queen Show — it’s a whole lot of campy fun, Palm Springs style

Sunday: Surround Yourself in Desert Life

Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Coachella Valley, Indio, Rancho Mirage and La Quinta — among other areas of Greater Palm Springs — are an integral part of this desert city experience.

Coachella Valley Preserve boasts more than 30 miles of hiking trails and is home to a variety of wildflower species (you may recognize the preserve for the photos that dominate Instagram during the spring super bloom).

Traveling with family? The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens in Palm Desert is educational and highly entertaining.

Finally, if you didn’t get enough of your design fill yesterday, head to Sunnylands — a midcentury estate that belonged to media mogul Walter Annenberg and his wife, where multiple presidents have hosted West Coast meetings. The Rancho Mirage architectural icon is about half an hour from downtown Palm Springs.

Wrap up an exceptional weekend in Palm Springs with dinner at Sandfish Sushi — you might not think to go for sushi in a landlocked city, but chef Engin Onural’s menu is exquisite.

And the only way to do your last night in Palm Springs properly is to conclude with a drink at Bootlegger Tiki, located in the same place as Don the Beachcomber’s circa-1953 bar (a Brat Pack fave) and still shaking classic cocktails — but now in a stylishly modern spot.