Greater Palm Springs - Nine Cities, One Oasis - is gearing up for a hot 2020! The much-anticipated Hotel Indigo in Coachella and Andaz Hotel in Palm Springs are scheduled to open late 2019. For sun-seekers around the country, Palm Springs International Airport is announcing a multitude of new and increased flights to cities around the USA, launching as early as September. In October, Joshua Tree National Park turns 25, and the wellness festival Wellspring returns for the second year. For more info and news on Greater Palm Springs events and happenings, check out our Blog, Social Media, and Photo pages.
From Plane to Poolside: The New Palm Springs Flights You Can Book This Year
Autumn 2019 is sure to bring more Joshua Tree selfies, more mountain hikes and more hours by the pool thanks to new and increased airlift announced this summer in advance of high tourist season in Greater Palm Springs. Be sure to check out www.visitgreaterpalmsprings.com for updates on more flights this year and for 2020.
Sep. 16, 2019 – Contour Airlines launches nonstop daily flights from Sacramento, California (SMF)
Oct. 3, 2019 – American Airlines returns with daily service from Chicago, Illinois (ORD)
Nov. 4, 2019 – Frontier Airlines returns with 2-3x weekly service from Denver, Colorado (DEN)
Nov. 5, 2019 – Alaska Airlines launches nonstop daily flight from Everett, Washington (PAE)
Dec. 24, 2019 – Delta launches daily flights from Atlanta, Georgia (ATL)
Jan. 6, 2020 – Delta adds a second flight from Minneapolis, Minnesota (MSP)
Jan. 7, 2020 – Alaska Airlines adds a third flight from Portland, Oregon (PDX)
6 Adventures for Coachella’s New Luxury Resort: Hotel Indigo
With Coachella (the city, not the music festival) welcoming Hotel Indigo in Fall 2019—the city’s first luxury resort—more sun-seekers than ever are expected to flock to the eastern-most cities of Greater Palm Springs: Coachella and Indio. For guests ready to step beyond the resort’s 35 acres (complete with a 10,000-square-foot Las Vegas-style saltwater pool and an 11-acre lawn “playground”), these six local outdoor and culinary adventures are not to be missed. Check out the Visit Greater Palm Springs website for more details on other exciting hotel openings.
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Savor the authentic Mexican food at Jalisco Restaurant in Coachella – Chorizo breakfast burritos and lunch sandwiches smothered in spicy sauces are the daily orders rushing through this casual neighborhood eatery.
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Explore the San Andreas Fault zone in Indio – The tour guides of Desert Adventures Red Jeep Tours traverse the mountains and hills surrounding Greater Palm Springs to point out fun and unusual facts about the area. (For instance, palm trees aren’t trees, they’re actually a grass).
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From farm to table: Take an agricultural tour of Greater Palm Springs – Tallgrass Hiking & Tours takes you to the eastern Coachella Valley, where local farms grow grapes, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, and vegetables—plus the largest production of dates in the world. Tip: Be sure to try a local favorite, a date shake, during the stop at Shields Date Gardens.
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Taste Yelp’s #1 sandwich restaurant in Indio: TKB (The Kid’s Business) – Tasting the fresh desserts, bread and mouth-watering sandwiches of this local eatery, travelers are sure to discover why Yelp users rated TKB #1 in their top 100 places to eat.
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Take in the Coachella murals – From the Shady Lane wall (the nation’s second-longest mural at 1,400 feet) to “What Lifts Your Wings - Coachella” by Kelsey Montague, public art displays are erupting in the city of Coachella and are free to view.
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Run with Los Muertos for Day of the Dead – This Mexican holiday celebration, which honors loved ones who have passed and is part fitness challenge and part block party, turns up the volume on November 2, 2019.
Palm Springs 2020: The Hotel, Sports Arena and Native American Museum You Need to Get Excited About
The City of Palm Springs truly is like no place else, and in 2020 visitors can enjoy three new unprecedented openings launching within blocks of each other: The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, which will be the largest Native American museum west of the Mississippi River and will debut never-seen-before artifacts; a 10,000-seat sports arena; and the Andaz Palm Springs. Next to the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, a spa and bathhouse will feature the Agua Caliente Hot Mineral Spring, a mineral salt cave and a snow room). The new state-of-the-art sports and entertainment arena in downtown Palm Springs is looking to host the 32nd American Hockey League franchise expansion team and top touring artists and premium live events. The Andaz Palm Springs—scheduled to open Late 2019—is the latest new hotel set to further maximize the city’s cool cache. The new hotel will feature a rooftop pool, a swim-up bar, a spa on one entire floor and an Argentinean steakhouse.
Check Out These Three Exciting Resort Renovations for 2019
Located in the City of Indian Wells—home to the world-famous BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament and Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells/La Quinta fitness competition—the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells is investing $20 million into upgrades for the 530-room resort, including two dueling 30-foot water slides and a lazy river, which is scheduled to open in December. The Renaissance Indian Wells invested $24 million into remodeling its lobby, bar and lounge, fitness center and 560 guest rooms, which is scheduled for completion in August. In Palm Desert, the sprawling JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa is scheduled to complete a $50+ million “reinvention” in August that will feature new furnishings, carpets, and wallpaper across 884 guestrooms.
4 Ways to be ‘Find Your Wellest’ in Greater Palm Springs in Time for Wanderlust’s Wellspring Oct.4-6
Wellspring is a 3-day wellness festival built “to inspire positive change – in ourselves and the world around us. Do good, be well.” With an abundance of natural elements (300 days of sunshine, protective mountains, aquifer and mineral spas, the windiest spot in the continental USA) being well Greater Palm Springs often means getting outside. Here are 4 ways to ‘Find Your Wellest’ in Greater Palm Springs:
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Heal in the hot springs: Desert Hot Springs is home to a wide array of mineral pools filled with water from the hot- and cold-water aquifers the lie beneath the valley floor. Check out the many independent inns and resorts in Desert Hot Springs to find the one that’s your perfect match.
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Experience peace and yoga at Sunnylands: The former desert home of Walter and Leonore Annenberg, the 200-acre Sunnylands estate in the city of Rancho Mirage has been preserved to be almost exactly the same today as it was when it was built in the 1960s. There is a visitor’s center that can be accessed for free, as well as beautifully landscaped grounds and outdoor yoga classes during the season.
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Grow from within, eat better: With farmer’s markets schedule throughout Greater Palm Springs nearly every week of the year, and local produce making its way into local restaurants, sometimes the easiest way to feel better is to feed the soul with healthy food.
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Find your Zen: Stop to start…and meditate to clear your mind and just be. In Greater Palm Springs, there’s plenty of mindful options to chill out—and find out what it means to be better in the here and now.
Joshua Tree National Park celebrates 25th anniversary October 31
Joshua Tree was designated as a National Park on October 31, 1994. Its dazzling vistas—that include out-of-this-world rock formations and iconic Joshua Trees—are a popular backdrop for music videos, photoshoots, and selfies. Also certified as an International Dark Sky Park, The Milky Way can often be viewed overheard. Perhaps the best way to celebrate the national park is to visit and “leave no trace behind.” So check out these stops and events to make the most of your time in the high desert of Greater Palm Springs:
- Joshua Tree Music Festival Oct.10-13
- Sky is the Limit stargazing tours
- La Copine Restaurant (opens again in September 2019)
- Highway 62 Open Studio Art Tours Oct.5-6, 12-13 and 19-20
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Famed for beautiful weather and relaxed lifestyle, Greater Palm Springs is made up of nine distinct resort cities: Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella. This vacation oasis boasts luxury resorts and hotels, world-class spas, championship golf and tennis and one of California’s most vibrant arts, dining and entertainment scenes. For more information, visit www.VisitGreaterPalmSprings.com or email media@gpscvb.com.
