Ultimate Guide to Palm Springs California
Ultimate Guide to Palm Springs California
All that sunshine
With more than 300 days of sunshine a year, scant rain and a center designed for pedestrians, Palm Springs is an eminently walkable city. Charming shops and sophisticated galleries sit side-by-side with clothing boutiques and restaurants on both Indian Canyon and Palm Canyon Drive, perfect for a day's retail therapy. Stroll the palm-lined thoroughfares to catch a glimpse of some of its historic buildings. Dozens of architects descended on the city during the Fifties, crafting everything from city hall to the visitor's center to banks, libraries, motels and homes in sleek desert simplicity, and in many ways, Palm Springs has come to exemplify the Midcentury style.
History of Palm Springs
Soon afterward the Southern Pacific Railroad drew settlers to California, many of whom came to the area for the healthful benefits of its dry air and nearby hot springs. During the 1930s, desperate Hollywood stars flocked to Palm Springs as a refuge from the gossip of Los Angeles and cemented the city's reputation as a haven for the wealthy and famous.
Festivals & day trips
With its reliably beautiful weather, the area is perfect for hosting festivals, among them the Palm Springs International Film Festival and Coachella Music and Arts Festival. The film festival keeps the city's ties to Hollywood alive and consistently invites new acting, producing and directing talent from America and abroad. Held in January, it draws more than 100,000 visitors.
Coachella is located in nearby Indio and is held during the month of April. Its music is a mix of electronic, indie, rock and hiphop and its art often avant garde and memorable. Past crowds have numbered more than a quarter of a million, and their influence on festival fashion and music have wide-reaching cultural effects. Smaller festivals are scattered throughout the year, and visitors can check event dates to see what is happening during their stay.
There are other resort cities and sites of interest within an hour's drive or less from the city, making an ideal half-day excursion. Joshua Tree National Park is an area of stunning beauty nearly a million acres in size and encompassing many desert ecosystems. The cities of Indian Wells, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage are within a half hour's drive, and many of them share the exclusivity of drawing Hollywood's brightest stars. They also offer sublime golfing, delicious eateries and boutique shopping.
There are few cities as iconic as Palm Springs California. Its architecture and lifestyle are a legacy it shares with the rest of the world, and its impact on filmmaking and fashion will continue to dominate into the future. With its California sunshine, stark natural beauty, cultural resonance and sites of interest, it makes the perfect getaway at any time of year.
Where to stay
We stayed at the Miramonte Indian Well Resort & Spa:
Miramonte Indian Wells Resort & Spa in Palm Springs California
Where to eat
Domo Sushi, El Paseo, Palm Desert, CA #domosushielpaseo Instagram | Facebook
Where to play
Get social with Palm Springs
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Visit the Greater Palm Springs website to plan your trip!
We hope that you are inspired by our Ultimate Guide to Palm Springs California. Happy travels!
Thanks to A Girl's Guide To Cars, Miramonte Resort and Visit Greater Palm Springs for sponsoring A Girl's Guide to Cars Conference. This Ultimate Guide to Palm Springs California @VisitGreaterPS #FindYourOasis #PalmSprings post is sponsored. All opinions are my own.
It seems like this would be a nice place to do some exploring. There’s a lot of culture and history to Palm Springs so it would be fun!
Wow, this looks so beautiful!! I would love to visit now that it is so cold here. I have never seen real palm trees.
I’d love to visit Palm Springs! I love your recommendations on places to stay and eat. Makes visiting much more simple.
Palm Springs looks beautiful! I want to visit here hopefully this year!
Thank you for the piece of history. I love reading the history of these wonderful places. I hope to visit Palm Springs soon!
It seems like this would be a great place to visit. There’s a lot to see in Palm Springs so it would be awesome!
Palm Springs is an area I’ve always wanted to visit! This guide is perfect!
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I’ve always wanted to visit Palm Springs. What a great guide Stacie! Truly shared the best of it.
I am dying to visit Palm Springs actually. 300 days of sun a year? That is nuts. Looks so cosmopolitan actually. The plan trees are so iconic.
Yet to explore this besutiful place- palm springs. Definitely adding it on my California travel list. 😍
Palm Springs is such a dream destination for me. Since that time I read a book with its setting at Palm Springs, I was filled with wanderlust for the place. Hopefully I get to have a chance to visit!
The scenery here with all the palm trees on the side of the road is quite awesome.
What an interesting history lesson about Palm Springs. I’d certainly love to frolic there for a week or two. The weather sounds perfect and it’s so picturesque!
Palm Springs is one of me favorite areas. It’s on the opposite end of the US for me, but worth the travel!
You had me at 300 days of Sunshine. I’m from WA and could really use less rain and more sun!
I live in Cali and wouldn’t trade it for the world. It’s such an amazing place to live!
I have heard so much about California. I would love to visit Palm Springs someday.
I would love to visit here. Love the pics.
Born and raised in California! It’s the best place to ever be! Wouldn’t change it for the world.
i have yet to go to Palm Springs. I would love to visit this is a new guide.
i love this so much because i live in palm springs and have so much pride in our city!!! thank you for sharing your perspective!
Back in the days when I lived and worked in California, Palm Springs was part of my territory and I made a few trips up there. Yes, it is very beautiful and has a laid back vacation spot feel to it.
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