[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Th<\/span>e Old Schoolhouse <\/span>Museum in Twentynine Palms displays a list from a 1950s edition of The Desert Trail <\/i>newspaper titled \u201c29 Reasons for Living in Twentynine Palms.\u201d The list highlights, among other attributes, \u201cno fog, smog, smudge\u201d; \u201cglorious sunsets \u2014 star-studded nights\u201d; \u201cgood hotels, motels, trailer courts, restaurants, nightclubs\u201d; and the area\u2019s reputation as a \u201cparadise for artists, outdoorsmen, rockhounds.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Those claims still stand. Twentynine Palms, known as the northern gateway to Joshua Tree National Park and home to the world\u2019s largest Marine Corps training base, has built its reputation as a small-town cultural destination that\u2019s sophisticated yet doesn\u2019t take itself too seriously. New shops and eateries are attracting visitors beyond the park.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A trip to Twentynine Palms, about an hour northeast of Palm Springs, can easily fill a day \u2014 even if you never set foot on a trail. Here\u2019s a suggested itinerary.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n You might drive right past this unassuming spot on state Route 62 (Twentynine Palms Highway, the town\u2019s main drag) because it looks like an abandoned gas station, but the vintage pump outside is part of the charm. The menu is a creative mashup of doughnuts and Vietnamese food<\/a>. Grab an apple fritter or a jelly-filled doughnut to start your morning, then return later for pho (options include the veggie Pho Ever and the customizable Pho Me).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The city\u2019s official welcome center offers maps and friendly guidance. Inside, a rotating gallery showcases works by local artists. Outside is the tiny Jerry Bucklin Park, where you\u2019ll find picnic tables surrounding a trio of modern vertical metal sculptures by Steve Reiman, part of a series of 40 public art installations in the city. Painted on the center\u2019s western side <\/span>is \u201cNeighbors in Nature II,\u201d a dreamy desert landscape with the names and likenesses of local flora and fauna along the bottom; it\u2019s one of 24 walls in the city\u2019s Oasis of Murals project. Maps of all the city\u2019s murals and art installations are available at the center or online.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250203_Guide_HiDesertTimes3571-cc.jpg” title_text=”250203_Guide_HiDesertTimes3571 cc” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”891ded8d-bfb6-4883-9783-3a50da9dba2e” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Hi Desert Times Magazines at Corner 62.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”e6b43398-9dc0-46ed-9cc4-b9de69bf0e6a” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n PHOTO by Brandon Harman<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n If you travel to Twentynine Palms on a Saturday, the weekly farmers market<\/a> at Freedom Plaza, next to the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center, serves up the area\u2019s most eclectic eats, all in one place. In addition to fresh produce, dig into Thai, Ethiopian, Japanese, Jamaican, Italian, Mexican, and Hawaiian cuisine. Try a Spam and egg musubi from Hawaiian BBQ (salty), Jamaican jerk chicken with seasoned cabbage from Alkhemets Kitchen (bitter), lavender lemonade (sour), and pecan cranberry brittle from Desert Brittle Candy (sweet).\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n This renovated 1962 building houses a collective of small, well-curated shops. Among them, Very Very stocks shelves with desert-inspired art and design objects from local makers, plus popular \u201cOther Desert Cities\u201d T-shirts (the phrase is a play on Interstate 10\u2019s dismissive highway signs) created by owners Dana Longuevan and Rich Good, a graphic designer who\u2019s also the guitarist of The Psychedelic Furs<\/a>. The couple opened the store \u201cto showcase our friends\u2019 work as well as our own,\u201d Longuevan says. Good\u2019s photos and screen prints, and Longuevan\u2019s colorful rock paintings, are for sale along with guitar picks, clay jewelry, Death Valley Nails black glitter polish, ceramic cactuses, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n Hi Desert Times Magazines displays an intriguing inventory of independent magazines and local zines focused on art, style, literature, and culture, such as <\/span>Eaten<\/i><\/span> (food history) and <\/span>The Gentlewoman<\/i><\/span>. \u201cI\u2019m determined to do whatever I can for print,\u201d owner Liz Lapp says. The store also sells vintage magazines and posters, local artwork, and d\u00e9cor. Monthly collage workshops feature themes like \u201cmothering\u201d and \u201caliens.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Corner 62<\/a>\u2019s Scorpion Lollipop sells craft beverages (wines, beers, sodas, kombuchas, coffees, teas) and kitschy gifts \u2014 plastic glow-in-the-dark witch fingers, nail art stickers, irreverent greeting cards, and yes, scorpion lollipops with real scorpions entombed in candy, if you dare.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n About eight blocks north of Route 62, at Adobe and 2 Mile roads, is The Historic Plaza<\/a>, where in the 1920s, early settlers Frank and Helen Bagley established Twentynine Palms\u2019 first general store, which became the community hub until the town\u2019s retail scene moved closer to Route 62. A mural honors the Bagleys, and a public art sculpture in the middle of the plaza, \u201cChain of Life,\u201d honors the city\u2019s connections to water. A nonprofit group has worked to maintain the plaza\u2019s historical look while also welcoming new businesses and hosting community events. Two new stores in the shopping center are especially worth a visit. <\/span><\/p>\n Immerse yourself in zen and desert fragrance at Mojave Moon Apothecary. Co-owner Heather Basile started out selling perfume oils she makes at home, then decided to open a storefront where she could also sell herbs, teas, crystals, rocks, lavender, and petrified wood. \u201cI enjoy natural and old things,\u201d she says. <\/span><\/p>\n Two doors over is Sun of the Desert, a warm and earthy retail man cave that\u2019s both old-fashioned and contemporary. Products include black pine tar soap, beard balm, a tattoo dictionary, vintage Levi\u2019s and work shirts (in prime condition), and sriracha margarita mix, with many items displayed in vintage fishing tackle boxes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n On Route 62 at the western edge of Twentynine Palms, look for the large white wooden sign with orange painted letters proclaiming \u201cBooks.\u201d Raven\u2019s Book Shoppe<\/a> is a one-story building packed from floor to ceiling and front to rear with stacks of used and rare books in all categories. The selection of science fiction and metaphysical books is especially robust.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SOTD29-2-cc.jpg” title_text=”SOTD29-2 cc” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”891ded8d-bfb6-4883-9783-3a50da9dba2e” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Sun of the Desert at The Historic Plaza.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”e6b43398-9dc0-46ed-9cc4-b9de69bf0e6a” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n PHOTO courtesy Sun of the Desert<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n For dinner, consider the vowel-challenged but culinary-forward GRND SQRL<\/a> gastropub. The SQRL Burger (beef, cheddar, caramelized onions, bacon, and tarragon aioli) and Dank House Salad (romaine lettuce, beets, Brussels sprouts, apples, walnuts, blue cheese, and horseradish vinaigrette) are popular, along with any of the local beers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n10 a.m.<\/span><\/h4>\n
The Jelly Donut<\/span><\/h3>\n
11 a.m.<\/span><\/h4>\n
29 Palms Visitor Center<\/span><\/h3>\n
11:30 a.m.<\/span><\/h4>\n
29 Palms Farmers Market <\/span><\/h3>\n
1 p.m.<\/span><\/h4>\n
Corner 62 <\/span><\/h3>\n
3 p.m.<\/span><\/h4>\n
The Historic Plaza<\/span><\/h3>\n
4 p.m.<\/span><\/h4>\n
Raven\u2019s Book Shoppe<\/span><\/h3>\n
6 p.m.<\/span><\/h4>\n
GRND SQRL or Kitchen in the Desert<\/span><\/h3>\n