Greater Palm Springs is so vast and diverse, it's impossible to take it all in on one visit, let alone in one week. Beyond the nine cities that make up Greater Palm Springs, from Indio in the South to Desert Hot Springs in the north, the surrounding towns, landscapes, and national and state parks also offer much to explore on day trips and scenic drives. The following six thematic itinerary ideas showcase colorful characters, jaw-dropping vistas, and only-in-the-California-Desert sights and stories. These offer a small sampling of focused ways to approach planning a quintessential desert trip that's anything but ordinary.

Desert Modern Dream
Greater Palm Springs is a mecca for art, design, and culture. It is particularly noteworthy for being home to the country's largest collection of mid-century modern architecture, including residences listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Take a guided Modernism tour for a nuanced look at pristine examples of the Desert Modern style and delve deeper into design and aesthetics during one of two annual Modernism Weeks (October and February). Palm Springs is renowned for its vintage and mid-century modern shopping, ranging from charity and thrift shops to curated boutiques that specialize in collections, eras, and styles. Modernism fans flock to home décor shops such as Flow Modern, Casa Moderno, and Modern Way. And many boutique hotels exemplify the Desert Modern style, such as the Parker Palm Springs, L'Horizon Resort & Spa, and Orbit In, where guests can immerse themselves in all things Mod.

Hello, Hollywood!
Greater Palm Springs is an eternally stylish escape with deep Hollywood roots that date back to the 1920s, when Hollywood stars began flocking to the desert for weekend getaways. Visitors can easily tap into that atmosphere exploring the region's Hollywood history on guided tours; living large holidaying at celebrity vacation home rentals and attending the star-studded Palm Springs International Film Festival held every January. Channel the Rat Pack sipping a martini while watching a show at The Purple Room supper club or savoring a classic cocktail of your choice at the equally iconic Melvyn's. And, of course, take a photo with the “Forever Marilyn” statue that pays tribute to the larger-than-life Hollywood icon.

Museum Hop
Culture and history buffs and parents who want to give their kids “edutainment” experiences will enjoy a museum-hopping adventure through the desert communities. In Indio, learn about Cabazon Band of Mission Indians at the Cabazon Cultural Museum and modern U.S. military history at the General Patton Memorial Museum. Complement a visit to the National Museum of Golf Cars in La Quinta with a tour of the Palm Springs Air Museum, which houses one of the world's largest collections of flyable WWII aircraft, plus Korea and Vietnam-era aircraft.

Step back in time at the Coachella Valley History Museum; La Quinta Museum; Historical Society of Palm Desert; and Palm Springs Historical Society. Cathedral City's Museum of Ancient Wonders offers exhibitions of replicated and genuine treasured artifacts from the world of ancient civilizations, while Cabot's Pueblo Museum commemorates the work of Cabot Yerxa who settled the Desert Hot Springs property in 1913 and worked the homestead through his death in 1965.

Experience the former estate of Ambassadors Walter and Leonore Annenberg at Sunnylands Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage, where world leaders meet to discuss issues of national and international importance. Centrally located in downtown Palm Springs, the main campus of Palm Springs Art Museum encompasses three floors of inspiring and invigorating artwork in a variety of media. In the historic Santa Fe Savings & Loan bank, the art museum's Architecture and Design Center is the creative hub for midcentury architecture and design exploration featuring exhibitions and educational and community programs.

Public Art Adventures
Public art is at the forefront in Greater Palm Springs. The city centers and surrounding wide-open spaces have become a canvas for compelling public art, from murals and sculptures to thought-provoking temporary and permanent installations. Events like the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (every April) and Desert X (biannual, March 4-May 7, 2023) further enrich the local arts. Sarbalé Ke, an installation of cone-shaped colorful sculptures created for the 2019 Coachella Music and Arts Festival, remains on view in Indio. Originally made for the 2018 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, artist Edoardo Tresoldi's Etherea sculpture is now on display in downtown Coachella. The Coachella Walls mural project features 14 murals in a 10-block area; the murals tell stories of the region's agricultural workers. In Joshua Tree, Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum was eighteen years in the making and features dozens of art installations made with recycled objects, from mannequins and old TVs to toilets. The artsGPS app guides visitors to more than 100 public art pieces, and a major update to the app was released in early 2022.

Get Back to Nature
Greater Palm Springs is home to a landscape unlike anywhere else; the region is surrounded by four dramatic mountain ranges and abounds with eye-catching cacti, unusual rock formations, palm groves, and natural hot springs. One of the most popular outdoor attractions, Joshua Tree National Park offers experiences for all levels of adventure enthusiasts—camping, jeep touring, hiking, rock climbing, star gazing, and more. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway whisks visitors to the top of Mount San Jacinto for epic views, winter snow, and access to hiking trails. The Greater Palm Springs region is home to more than 100 hiking trails, where wildlife, and flora and fauna unique to the California Desert can be observed in their natural habitat and peace and quiet are abundant. The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens offers a tamer way to learn about the region's natural ecosystem and get up close and personal with wildlife.

Quirky Day Trips
Quirky, cinematic, only-in-the-California-desert sights such as Salton Sea, Bombay Beach, Leonard Knight's Salvation Mountain, Pioneertown, and The Integratron1 offer abundant day trip exploration opportunities—all easily reached from the nine desert cities. Other funky stops include Thermal, for a world-famous date shake at the Oasis Date Gardens; a visit to the whimsical International Banana Museum in Mecca; and taking in the sights and sounds of the Imperial Sand Dunes (California's largest) and Anza Borrego State Park.