Page 116 - 2017 Travel Guide to California

COACHELLA MUSIC FESTIVAL, top;
vintage car show during Modernism
Week in Palm Springs, above; cholla
cactus sunrise, Joshua Tree National Park,
opposite top; wildflowers in Anza-Borrego
Desert State Park, opposite below.
INSIDER’S
»
TIP
You don’t need wheels to get
around Palm Springs. The city
thoughtfully operates “The
Buzz”—four trolleys that follow a
circuit between the RIVIERA
RESORT AND SAGUARO HOTEL via
downtown and the major sites.
The courtesy shuttles run 11 a.m.-
1 a.m., perfect for night-owl par-
tying. Plus, a “Buzz Perk Card”
offers discounts and perks at local
businesses. new.buzzps.com
114 2017 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
landscapes of Anza-Borrego Desert State
Park and Joshua Tree National Park, where
boulder formations prove an exciting chal-
lenge for climbers.
Fabulous winter weather spells Nirvana
for hikers, rock-climbers, cyclists and other
outdoorsy folk. Incising the slopes of the
San Jacinto Mountains, the three Indian
Canyons tempt hikers with 30 miles of trails
and picnic sites. Fed by natural springs,
stands of desert fan palms crowd the canyon
floors, providing sheltering oases for kit fox,
bighorn sheep and coyote. Ancient petro-
glyphs can be seen while hiking Andreas
Canyon and Tahquitz Canyon, with its spec-
tacular 60-foot-tall waterfall.
Cultural Connections
Culture vultures delight to find the desert is
far from dry. The Native American Agua
Caliente occupied the Palm Springs region
long before Europeans arrived. Their proud
legacy is on show at the Agua Caliente Cul-
tural Museum in downtown Palm Springs.
History buffs also delight in the Palm
Springs Air Museum, replete with World
War II-era warplanes from a P-51 Mustang to
a B-17 Flying Fortress. The monied elite that
pours into Palm Springs for the winter is a
huge patron of the arts. Hollywood star and
long-time resident Kirk Douglas was a major
donor to the Palm Springs Art Museum, one
of California’s top regional art venues—its
Plein Art, MesoAmerican and Contemporary
Glass collections are outstanding.
Down valley, more than 150 unique
works of art decorate the streets of Palm
Desert, grouped for four self-guided tours.
Colorful murals grace historic downtown
Indio, painting a big picture on the city’s
past. And since 2005, visitors can explore
the vast Sunnylands Estate, in Rancho
Mirage, where billionaire Walter Annenberg
hosted President Richard Nixon after he
resigned in 1974, and President Ronald
Reagan on a score of New Year’s Eves.
Festivals to Casinos
Palm Springs has festivals to please every
taste. The season kicks off in January with
the Palm Springs International Film Fes-
tival, when Hollywood’s finest hit town. In
March, the world-class Indian Wells Tennis
Garden fills to overflowing for the annual
BNP Paribas Open. And in April, be there or
be square for the Coachella Music Festival,
hosted in the warm open air of neighboring
Indio. Almost 200 performers rock half a
million attendees; unannounced surprise
performances have included Beyoncé, Paul
McCartney and Gwen Stefani.
Higher culture? Palm Desert’s McCallum
Theater resounds to laughter and cheers of
delight with a lineup that can range
from Itzhak Perlman and The Vienna Boys
Choir to The Nutcracker ballet and the
Peking Acrobats.
Since the valley’s Cahuilla Indian terri-
tory is a sovereign nation, it’s exempt
from California’s state ban on gambling.
Try your hand with Lady Luck at any of
half a dozen casinos. Most have venues
that host class acts from world-title
boxing to top performers such as Kesha,
Sheena Easton, and the desert’s own Barry
MIGUEL NORIEGA/CREATIVE COMMONS/FLICKR; RANDY HEINITZ/CREATIVE COMMONS/FLICKR. OPPOSITE: SIERRALARA/SHUTTERSTOCK; SUMIKOPHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK