Friday Evening: Is there any better beginning to a Coachella Valley visit than immediate immersion in the desert? Hit the trails and hike right into it. The city website offers maps, and the organization Friends of the Desert Mountains hosts guided group walks (including night hikes!) at and around the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center. Dinner and a nightcap await at hole-in-the-wall restaurants and bars along Highway 111, where the ambiance often skews local and casual.
Saturday Morning: Warm up with a stroll along El Paseo, the mile-long downtown strip known for its high-end restaurants, designer retailers, and fine art galleries. The street hosts a biannual sculpture exhibition, with 18 installations along the median — you’re encouraged to walk up to the pieces and scan the QR codes to get more info about each piece. For a morning pick-me-up, you’re in luck: El Paseo baristas specialize in everything from ceremonial matcha (Buena Matcha) to authentic Italian espresso (Il Sogno and Sottovoce).
Wine tasting at Sottovoce at The Gardens on El Paseo.
Photo by ashley chruszcz
Saturday Afternoon: Choose your adventure: frolicking with animals, lounging poolside, or mastering your golf swing. At The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, you can hop around with free-roaming wallabies — all while learning about the flora and fauna of arid environments. If your idea of a pool day involves sunning and sipping, get a hotel day pass from ResortPass.com; for a family pool day, the Palm Desert Aquatic Center offers waterslides and lap swimming. When it comes to golf, choose from 14 public courses, including some designed by greats including Arnold Palmer and Michael Hurzdan.
Saturday Evening: Get the night started with a fine dining experience at one of the buzzy establishments along El Paseo, then head to the McCallum — the Coachella Valley’s premier live theater, where luminary attendees have included former presidents and famed comedians. For something more low-key, catch a hockey game at Acrisure Arena, then head to a late-night hangout like Red Barn or La Fe Wine Bar to toast the good life with the locals.
Sunday Morning: Pack a picnic brunch of fresh-baked pastries (try La Provence Patisserie & Café or French Corner Café) and enjoy them leisurely at one of the city’s public parks. You can kick back lakeside on the grass and watch the ducks glide by at Civic Center Park, or opt for something a bit more rustic amid the brittlebush, tamarisk, and smoke trees of Cahuilla Hills Park.
Bobcat kitten at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens.
Photo courtesy the living desert zoo and gardens
