Road Trip Guide to Palm Springs
Who doesn’t love a good road trip? We recently drove out to Palm Springs to shoot some photos and we wanted to share some of our favorite spots we visited along the way!
- Desert X: If you ever visit Palm Springs we highly recommend tracking down a few of the Desert X art installations scattered throughout the desert. Not only are the instillations beautiful and polarizing against the extreme landscape, but tracking them down and finding them is a wholesome scavenger hunt that takes you places you would’ve never seen inside a museum. One of the best things is if you go during weekday mornings, you’ll have each stop practically all to yourself, and are free to enjoy it in peace. It’s like having a community pool all to yourself - a delightfully tranquil experience.
- El Jefe in The Saguaro: After a long drive and getting whipped by sand and wind, we were in desperate need of tacos and a fruity drink - enter El Jefe the taco restaurant inside of The Saguaro. We’ve worked with Saguaro in the past, but it’s not very often we get to visit. Their tacos were decently sized and delicious - it really hit the spot. We highly recommend escaping the heat at El Jefe for lunch.
- Great Shakes: when in Palm Springs you gotta beat the heat in any way you can! Great Shakes is in downtown Palm Springs and is rated one of the best places you can get a signature date shake. We got the traditional version and the lemon blueberry (which was my personal favorite). They even have lactose-free options (my tummy was thankful) and they come with lil’ donuts on top. What’s not to love?!
- Shag Store: It’s no secret that we love all things SHAG. It was really cool to visit their new store in downtown and look at all the amazing pieces we’ve never seen in person before! The employees there were so pleasant and helpful, it felt like we’ve met before and were already friends. It’s a must visit if you’re in town.
- The Tonga Hut (Restaurant and Tiki Bar): This tiki place filled our tiki-loving hearts desires and then some. After a very long day, it was the ideal relaxed atmosphere with lively music and moody lighting. The pineapple fried rice and popcorn chicken appetizer was a hit, along with their extensive drink menu filled with fruity cocktail options. Would certainly recommend!
- Cabazon Dinosaurs: It’s a must stop (either on the way there or back from Palm Springs) at the Cabazon Dinosaurs. It’s a kitschy fun place that’s famous for being featured in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. It has a little museum, and sometimes the little room at the top of the dinosaurs are open where you can climb up and pretend you’re Pee Wee in that iconic scene! Mostly, it’s just a fun place to stop and take a few photos and catch a break from the drive to stretch your legs.
A big thanks to the people at Maison Nogales who let us shoot at their house. It was a really cool place that’s also available to rent through AirBNB! It had enough room for all of us to sleep comfortably and a really fun pool - perfect for any trip to Palm Springs! We’d love to go back when we’re not shooting photos and really enjoy all Palm Springs has to offer. What are your favorite spots to visit? We’d love to know!
