Our favorite spot in the park is Keys View, where you can see all of Coachella Valley and The Salton Sea! It's a lovely, scenic drive through the park without having to commit to any exertion. Two other great short hikes are The Hall of Horrors and Barker Dam!
Catch the petroglyphs and a babbling brook. Hike the full 6.6 miles to Chapparosa Peak, or cut back at your leisure. Get all the beauty of Joshua Tree National Park without all the tourism.
Thee best place to hang in the high desert. Steaks, martinis, and airplanes!
The site of the reception, but also a great place to get breakfast and hear some live music on the weekend!
An actual museum that you can bowl in!!! Open on the weekends 5-9 pm.
A music venue that has hosted the likes of Paul McCartney and Robert Plant. Check the schedule for events happening during your stay in the desert!
Go from sand to snow on the Palm Springs Aerial Tram. The ride is about 10 minutes each way, with the world's largest rotating tram car slowly turning to give 360-degree views as it ascends 2.5 miles up Chino Canyon to Mt. San Jacinto State Park. Make the rest of the hike to the top, or don't, and just enjoy the views from the restaurant.
The second most impressive zoo that we have been to behind the famous San Diego Zoo!
Fantastic brunch spot in Flamingo Heights. Elevated dining that is totally worth it.
Go here to be with the locals! You'll get to see all the characters and enjoy some decent food while doing it. A great spot to watch sports, have a strong cocktail, and sing karaoke on Tuesdays.
Genevieve worked here for years before moving to Boston! Directly next door to Tiny Pony, this is a fantastic wine, spirits, and coffee shop. Fresh, strong coffee, grab-and-go pastries and sandwiches, a wonderful cheese selection, and some other fun snacks you won't find anywhere else, it's the perfect place to go to stock up your pantry for the weekend. Genevieve's favorites: the large natural wine selection, and the most diverse wall of mezcal that you've ever seen.
The largest freestanding boulder in North America, and purportedly, the world. In the 1930s, Frank Critzer moved to Giant Rock and dug out a home beneath it with dynamite. He was inspired by desert tortoises that dug holes in which to cool themselves. He engineered a rainwater collection system and a tunnel for ventilation, and built an airstrip on the nearby ancient lakebed. Critzer perished in a self-detonated dynamite explosion in his underground rooms on July 24, 1942. In the 1950s, Giant Rock was a gathering point for UFO believers. It is located on land which was at that time leased by George Van Tassel, a friend of Critzer's, and a purported flying-saucer contactee and organizer of UFO conventions. In the 1950s, Van Tassel began hosting Friday night meditation sessions in Critzer’s former underground home, where he claimed to receive telepathic communications from "compassionate Venusian extraterrestrials." Van Tassel also built the nearby Integratron.
Let's get weird. You must make reservations well in advance!
Best cup of coffee and amazing vistas near the national park. Also a great wine bar in the evenings.