Palm Springs and the Graceful Palm Desert

Are you ready for exciting Palm Springs and Palm Desert Vacations in Southern California?

A friend and I decided to make it a two day girlfriend getaway to Palm Springs from our beach surroundings, expecting a change of environment and scenery. Boy, are we glad we took the time to do so! The question we asked each other is, "Why did we wait so long?" Answering with photos and a story about our special trip, you'll find that information posted here. But another friend, Maxine Sommers from Corpus Christi, Texas, went on a Palm Desert vacation and came back with a different take. That's the beauty of traveling to this area of Southern California. People can see and do things in Palm Desert that don't add up to the same experience, but it ends up being one of the most memorable vacations they've ever had.

When I planned my trip with my friend, we "beach girls" knew we had to go in the spring when we heard the flowers were in bloom. The weather would be nice and perhaps we would get lucky and see a few blossoming cacti or plants. So visiting in mid-March, we couldn't have timed things better. The hills that rise to the San Jacinto mountains north of the city were blanketed in yellow flowers. It's the perfect time for plein air painters, who must have a field day capturing on canvas the splashes of color compliments of nature.

The temperature was slightly below average, hovering around 78 degrees--perfect! And what we discovered was that we were visiting on the waning days of the tourist season. Unlike our beach homes where the action begins, Palm Desert closes some of its tourist attractions in June or July, keeping them shuttered or only partially open until the weather mellows around October. In some desert parks we saw signs advising that you should check in with a ranger before heading on the hiking paths. The heat can take its toll so by doing head counts, the locals have a way of watching out for us dumb tourists who haven't the faintest idea about body temperatures and potential heat hazards. Locals know darned well. They walk in the morning hours, and they dine after dark in the cooling desert at outdoor cafes. It's an amazing place to visit. Do try it if you can!

Riverside County takes pride in its Palm Springs Desert Resorts, the eight desert resort cities of the Coachella Valley: Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage. The Palm Springs Desert Resorts is a premier tourist destination located in one of the world’s most glorious deserts.

Palm Springs Desert Resorts Communities of Riverside County: 8 Cities

CATHEDRAL CITY; DESERT HOT SPRINGS; INDIAN WELLS; INDIO; LA QUINTA; PALM DESERT; PALM SPRINGS; RANCHO MIRAGE
 

Cathedral City. Regarded as “A City Where Living is Better,” Cathedral City offers a  $5.1 million IMAX Theater with a valley-wide Visitor Information Center. Named for its divine mountain terrain, Cathedral City is home to family fun, including the Camelot Park Family Entertainment Center, and Big League Dreams Sports Park which is home to three baseball fields, soccer fields, a roller-hockey rink and more. 

Desert Hot Springs. Known as “America’s Natural Hot Tub,” Desert Hot Springs is famous for its hot mineral waters which bubble from underground at 90-200 degrees Fahrenheit and flow into the thermal wells of more than 40 hotel spas. Sought by visitors the world over for its soothing, curative effects, Desert Hot Springs also serves as the gateway city to Joshua Tree National Park. The city won second place in a national drinking water taste test in 1997.

Indian Wells. “The Desert’s Perfect Playground” has been synonymous with top-ranked golf and tennis since former President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s numerous golf vacations drew national attention to the city, and Rod Layer won the desert’s first major tennis event. The birthplace of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Indian Wells hosts over 500 golf and tennis tournaments each year, including the California State Open and the Newsweek Champions Cup/State Farm Event Cup. The city is home to the nation’s only international jazz festival at New Year’s, and the prestigious Desert Town Hall Lectures.

Indio. Could it be that the flavor of Indio comes from the date shake or the annual Tamale Festival in December? The “City of Festivals” has been home to the National Date Festival for more than 50 years, and locals are proud that 95 percent of the dates in this country are grown and harvested here. Indio is the site of the Sport of Kings with year-round polo matches, the largest hunter/jumper horse show west of the Mississippi, Indian gaming centers, the Southwest Arts Festival, and hot air balloons gliding over date palms so closely that you can almost pick a date. 

La Quinta. “The Gem of the Desert” is home to the oldest resort in the Coachella Valley. Surveying the landscape, it’s no wonder Ginger Rogers chose to marry here, and Frank Capra had his very own hotel suite! La Quinta is a pearl the magnitude of a golf ball, with world-class golf courses including the often-televised championship layouts at PGA West. Discover the nationally top juried La Quinta Arts Festival and the fine dining of intimate restaurants.

Palm Desert. Palm Desert is “Where The Sun Shines A Little Brighter.” It’s a golfer’s fairway to heaven and a shopper’s haven, with a thriving retail and business community including the famous shopping boulevard of El Paseo. With star-studded performances lined up at The McCallum Theatre For The Performing Arts, the beauty and wonder of The Living Desert wildlife park and botanical gardens, as well as many spectacular restaurants to choose from, you’ll marvel at Palm Desert’s dynamism. The nation's only citywide golf cart parade takes place here each fall.

Palm Springs. World famous as “America’s Premier Desert Resort,” Palm Springs is home to many popular desert attractions including the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and Oasis Waterpark. Palm Springs Desert Museum is a showcase of Western an~1 contemporary art, natural science and performing arts in the Annenberg Theater. Palm Springs Air Museum showcases flying aircraft from World War II. The Indian Canyons, owned and operated by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, is North America's largest palm oasis. The Nortel Palm Springs International Film Festival attracts stars and cutting-edge films. The city boasts more than 140 hotels and the impressive Palm Springs Convention Center. Fine dining and shopping and the weekly VillageFest are magnets for international travelers. 

Rancho Mirage. Ambassador Walter Annenberg took up residence here, and former President Gerald R. Ford lives and golfs next to the bighorn sheep mascots of the desert who dine on flowers by the pool of a local world-class resort. Excellent restaurants, the annual Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and the Nabisco Dinah Shore championship golf tournaments give the city an unparalleled shine and a distinctive sheen. Tennis and golf by day, nightclubs by night, and some of the finest country clubs on the map lend a bright flair to this residential community known as “The Playground of the Presidents.” 

Courtesy-Palm Springs Desert Resorts CVB
For more information on the Palm Springs Desert Resorts, call 800-41.RELAX or write: PSDRCVB, 69-930 Highway 111, Suite 201, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. Visit the website at  desertresorts.com

Indian Wells Racquet Club Resort.  46-765 Racquet Club Drive, City of Indian Wells  760-772-3009  Members, resort guests, public Tennis: 8 courts, 4 lighted. Shop, lessons, ball machine, mixers, clinics, private groups.  

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway has the steepest vertical cable rise in  the United States and is the second in the world. Located in Chino Canyon at the 2,643 foot Valley Station, a 15-minute Tram ride through five different life zones in the world's largest rotating tramcar provides a spectacular 360 degree view of  the valley floor and City of Palm Springs. Phone: 888-515-TRAM  pstramway.com

Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort is a beautiful, public course played by numerous celebrities, whose signed photos adorn the club house walls.

The  WYNDHAM PALM SPRINGS  888 East Tahquitz Canyon Way Palm Springs, California 92262 is located at Palm Springs Convention Center near downtown Palm Springs, Within easy walking distance of five of the major hotels: Wyndham Palm Springs, Palm Springs Hilton, Marquis Resort, Hyatt Regency Suites Palm Springs and Spa Hotel and Casino, attending conventions here is like being at a resort. See the Wyndham Palm Springs Resort.

Not far from Palm Springs are two additional delightful destinations, Cabazon with a resort & casino, and Idyllwild, which is located on the other side of the steep-faced San Jacinto mountain range that abuts Palm Springs. Often  topped with a white frosting of snow, one can only surmise when standing in the warm Palm Desert what must be on the other side of that mountain. Two ways to find out or get an idea include 1) taking the tram up the mountain side. How can the desert be so hot, yet there is snow up there? 2) Visit the other side of the mountain, which includes Idyllwild. What a different world! Pines, mountain resort living and a paradise so close, yet so far away. It is one more amazing artifact of California's historic past that can be seen today in its cities and regions with starkly different climates.