United States Destinations

Palm Springs: North America’s desert playground

By John Butler

Photo by Arthur Coleman

Palm Springs has an international reputation as the desert playground of Hollywood stars. Marilyn came to unwind. Frank, Dean and Sammy came to play. Elvis and Priscilla came for their honeymoon, then bought a home of their own.

The nearby Indian Canyons, well preserved tribal lands, also became part of movie history as a location used in Frank Capra’s classic 1935 film Lost Horizon.

In the 1920s and 30s the elite of Hollywood arrived in droves, and what was then called "The Springs" became the international playground of the stars. They played hard, and many bought hideaway homes here. Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Jack Benny, the Marx Brothers and even Albert Einstein loved to come here.

The major reason film stars and the rich and famous have flocked to the Palm Springs area, along with millions of other visitors each year is simple – it’s the fabulous weather. The excellent climate of Palm Springs is a result of its location. It lies in California’s arid Coachella Valley at the foot of 10,804-foot (3,241-metre) San Jacinto Peak, about 175 kilometres miles east of Los Angeles and 190 kilometres northeast of San Diego.

In the winter months, November through March, daytime high temperatures are in the 20s Celsius. There are an average of 354 days of sunshine each year and mountains on three sides protect the community from cool, moist (and often smoggy) coastal air.

So while more northerly climes are enduring icy winds and heavy snow, in Palm Springs you can be playing golf or tennis, exploring the area’s natural features, or simply lounging by the pool.

With more than 100 courses, the Palm Springs area offers golf enthusiasts as wide a selection of places to play as any resort area anywhere.

And many say that the natural beauty of the desert, the lush green vistas (due to the region’s deep underground aquifer water reserves) and the creativity of the courses’ architects, including top names like Pete Dye, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Ted Robinson, make golf here some of the most pleasurable – and challenging – in the world.

Palm Springs is the site of major golfing events, including the Skins Game in November, the Greater Palm Springs Celebrity Golf Classic in December, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in January, the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational in February and the Nabisco Championship in March.

The area also boasts of many popular attractions for visitors, including the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, the Palm Springs Desert Museum, the Moorten Botanical Gardens and the celebrity homes tour.

Joshua Tree National Park, 72 kilometres north of Palm Springs, is home to tall, spiked yucca trees named after the prophet. Here, two distinct deserts, the high Mojave and the low Colorado, converge with fascinating results.

Palm Springs is also an active cultural centre, with a full programme of visual arts, theatre, dance and musical events, including appearances by internationally known acts.

A major event in January is the Palm Springs International Film Festival. The event includes dozens of film screenings at various Palm Springs theatres, including U.S., North American and world premieres.

The centre of it all is downtown Palm Springs where there are some 30 restaurants, theatres, galleries and other cultural attractions, along with a variety of shopping opportunities on the world-famous Palm Canyon Drive.

Palm Springs is located in the Coachella Valley, which also includes the communities of Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage.

For further information contact the Palm Springs Visitor Information and Reservation Centre at 1-800-347-7746 or see www.palm-springs.org.