What should we do in Palm Springs, CA?

Lo, it is nearly February, and the PNW is dark and grey. Well, actually, it was sunny today, but it was still cold.

We're hoping to head to Palm Springs in February. We've got some of the basics covered; go see Joshua Tree, maybe try the aerial tram, check out the aviation museum...

What unexpected delights does GRM know about?

My only experience of Palm Springs was getting dumped there when it was too foggy to land in Oakland, and subsequently sent home to Portland by way of Seattle in a protracted waste of a day. It was a holiday trip, and there I was in a wool coat, blinking in the sunlight of the Palm Springs airport's outdoor concourse, the Christmas music on the PA somehow sounding wrong in the warm air...

Inicidentally, we did some poking around and are under the impression that it'a A) not on fire, and B) not choking on smoke, and C) not inundated with displaced Los Angelinos who need the place for living. File under somewhere between "correct me if I'm wrong" and "watch this space."

The tram is really neat, bring a sweater it is freezing at the top.  La Quinta is really nice. You can get a date shake near indio, check out Coachella, if you drive south you can see the salton sea, go to Bombay beach, I always like to go there it is kinda crazy.  

You can check out pioneer town up the hill towards Joshua tree. It is like a wild west tourist trap.    

 I like palm springs, have fun.  It should be nice there.  

BMW Performance Center West in Thermal CA. It's not a destination unless you are taking a driving class or really want some BMW swag.

Click here, then scroll down to check the schedule

Basically, number one thing is Not Be Cold.  Beyond that is all gravy.

Go climb some rocks in Joshua Tree and stop at the Ground Squirrel in 29 Palms.

I really enjoyed scrambling in Indian Cove, at least that's where I think I was.

You mentioned the aviation museum...DO IT! 

Annie and I have visited Palm Springs often and love it. (For us, it's not easy to get to from RI due to limited flights and awful connections, but well worth it once we're there). We stay at small inns in the historic Tennis Club district. My favorite aspect of PS is the McCormick Classic Car Auctions in November and February. There's always an eclectic group of cars being auctioned. If you're going to be there during the last weekend of February, definitely check it out. Otherwise at least visit the McCormick showroom on Indian Canyon Drive.

McCormick Classic Car Auction

https://palmspringsairmuseum.org/

Glamis Sand dunes , weekends are crazy but there are still people around weekdays , 

Imperial Sand Dunes (isdpermits.net)

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

I so wish I had a reason to be going there... with the aviation museum already on the docket maybe I'd better tuck that away for next year.

EDIT: wait, that's where the SAE applied dynamics course happens... I wonder if that ever happens early enough to coincide with our PNW doldrums escape.

Also, just another general dose of "GRM is great." Thanks for all the suggestions and little tips; that sort of stuff really improves a trip.

If you need to relax I encourage you to find some mineral hot springs. Wife and I did a few days at 2 Bunch Palms in Desert Hot Springs in '22 and it was great. Al Capone used to hang out here and we met some very cool people during our stay.

Top of the mountain was cold and snowed when I went. Would reccomend, but may be at odds with your goal. 

The Patton Memorial Museum isn't too far from the south entrance of Joshua Tree National Park.  I thought it was pretty interesting.  I could spend a whole week in the park and not get bored, though.

Just wanted to thank the folks in this thread again; we spent most of four days in Palm Springs and the area, hit a number of the suggested items, and generally had a great time. We live about ten minutes from PDX, and from there it's about a two hour flight which lands, for those not already familiar, right in the middle of PS. Nav said it was an 8 minute drive to our AirBnB.

Another big win this time was that we got a house-sitter. Usually travel involves a 4-5 hour round trip before and after to drop our dog off with my folks, and I hope to mostly still do that because our dog and my folks like each other, but they weren't available this time and it was nice to have one person take care of the dog, cats, and keep and eye on the house. But that's not PS-specific.

We...

• ate a lot of tasty Mexican food (though I was surprised that it wasn't on average any better than the vetted places local to me)
• went to Joshua Tree and by way of not doing advance research and overhearing a ranger pointing out that the rattlesnakes were waking up, we bailed on our original route and just parked where we saw some other cars and with a rallying cry of "No Step On Snek!" we had a lovely little out-and-back.
• got lunch at der Wienerschnitzel, which was worth it for the novelty, even if I don't need to do it again. (I'd eaten there as a kid in S.F., but not since)
• had a wonderful time sitting by the pool, re-reading Engineer to Win.
• did a Palm Springs Historical Society walking tour of houses in Indian Canyons. It was super-rad and confirmed that while I've always leaned Victorian/Craftsman/etc, I definitely have a spot in my heart for mid-century modernism. Our docent/guide was great, and we got a wonderful intro to the area's architecture and history.
• went to Pioneertown, which was worth driving pretty much back to Joshua Tree for, even if it was just for an hour's novelty.
• went to the Palm Springs Air Museum, which was awesome. I thought it was smaller, but it might've been even bigger than our nearby Evergreen Aviation Museum (which I need to go back to soon). Rebecca was game but figured she'd probably just park herself and read after a little while, but ended up spending the difference in our capacities for staring at airplanes having an excellent conversation with a docent in the library.
• took the aerial tram up to a good lunch with an excellent view.

We were there too late (just) for the car auction or Modernism Week (mixed blessing, I think; not sure the chaos would have been worth it, at least this time).

All in all, we had a great time and combined with the relative ease of getting somewhere that we're really escaping the February in the PNW doldrums, I'm pretty sure this is going to be a recurring trip. So hopefully I can tick off some of the stuff suggested  that we didn't get to this time, though I think we'll also be repeating a lot. Joshua Tree is so great, I really want to get our act together and do some longer hikes. Pretty much want to work my way through all the historical society tours. Need to go try the BBQ at Pappy and Harriet's. If we end up spending more time, there are some neat looking classes at the Yucca Valley Material Lab. Need to get to the art museum and see the Aluminaire house. I think we're also going to try to coordinate a trip with the SAE Applied Dynamics course, about which I'm trying not to go bonkers with bold, italics, and emoji... April and September are kinda later and earlier, respectively, than one really needs to escape the PNW, but again with the 2-hour flight; not sure how much it moves year to year.

Jesse Ransom said:

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

I so wish I had a reason to be going there... with the aviation museum already on the docket maybe I'd better tuck that away for next year.

EDIT: wait, that's where the SAE applied dynamics course happens... I wonder if that ever happens early enough to coincide with our PNW doldrums escape.

This year it is April 7-9.  We don't yet have a date on the books for 2026.

https://www.sae.org/learn/content/c0414/

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks! I've got that bookmarked and will be referring back as we make travel plans...

Jesse Ransom said:

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks! I've got that bookmarked and will be referring back as we make travel plans...

i think this is the latest we've ever run it. Normally it's the last week of March IIRC.

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

Jesse Ransom said:

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

I so wish I had a reason to be going there... with the aviation museum already on the docket maybe I'd better tuck that away for next year.

EDIT: wait, that's where the SAE applied dynamics course happens... I wonder if that ever happens early enough to coincide with our PNW doldrums escape.

This year it is April 7-9.  We don't yet have a date on the books for 2026.

https://www.sae.org/learn/content/c0414/

At least that is before Coachella starts.  Been in Joshua Tree during that mess, and don't ever want to do it again.  
 

A piece of advice for hiking in Joshua Tree - don't get lulled into a false sense of security by how flat a lot of trails are.  Ryan Mountain is a serious hike, and the first time I did it, I was unprepared for the amount of elevation change, after several much easier trails.