Palm Springs Activities

While Palm Springs packed with modern and mid-century architecture (drive around for a few minutes and you'll see several marquee name homes), the best way to see it all and get the backstory is by guided tour. A three-hour, fully-immersive tour (we told you there's a lot to see!). To keep things intimate and encourage conversation, groups are kept to six people tops. These sell out fast, so a self-guided tour using the Palm Springs Modern app is a great alternative.

The concept for the tramway was born in 1935, but the project didn’t come to fruition until 1963: It was really ambitious. After boarding at the Valley Station, the ride up the mountain (elevation 8,516 ft) takes no longer than ten minutes and the views of Chino Canyon from the rotating tramcar are nothing short of breathtaking. At the top you’ll find Peaks restaurant (the food isn’t too memorable but the setting is extraordinary), the ultra laid back Pines Café, and The Lookout Lounge cocktail bar. There are hikes and the like available (you'll probably share your tram with a troop of eager campers). Because temperatures in the valley and the top of the mountain vary drastically, riding the tramway offers a much-needed reprieve from the desert’s sweltering heat in the summer—off-season, pack a sweater.