With its kitsch, color and joyous queer scene, Palm Springs, Calif., is all in on earthly pleasures.

December through March is the city’s sweet spot: Highs average in the 70s, and there’s just enough rain to replenish seasonal waterfalls and encourage cactus blooms.

Deep in the driest corner of California, the Coachella Valley is a land of oases, from its sacred mineral springs to its fabulous pool culture. In winter, the population swells as snowbirds flock south and grateful tourists soak up the sunshine and Rat Pack nostalgia.

But Palm Springs is not trapped in time: A futuristic pyramid art installation awaits at Sunnylands Center & Gardens, the glamorous winter home of the Nixon-era diplomat-philanthropist Annenberg family; a new hot spring spa opened downtown last year; and one of the city’s hardest-to-book restaurants, Bar Cecil, is opening a lounge next door in the spring.

ITINERARY

FRIDAY

3 p.m. | Delve into the desert

Start at the Moorten Botanical Garden (admission $7), on the south end of Palm Springs, for an intriguing introduction to the area’s dramatic desertscape. At the 1-acre property (the Moorten family’s multigenerational labor of love), meander through the region’s resilient succulents, cartoonish cacti and desert trees. Then, visit downtown’s Palm Springs Art Museum (admission $20), which has an expansive collection of California Modernist and contemporary art. Along with Ansel Adams photographs, Frank Gehry furniture and Richard Neutra drawings, the museum is hosting an exhibition of David Hockney works (through March 31) and frequently presents live music such as the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus.

5 p.m. | Stay classy

The supermarket-size Market Market, a few minutes’ drive from the museum, is a vintage emporium with dozens of individual vendors. In one stall, find pastel-hued tie-dyed overalls; in the next, housewares like cactus-shaped napkin rings or a Russel Wright-designed seafoam green dining set. The in-house Palm Springs Bottle Shop sells eclectic gifts, like a gin made with foraged desert botanicals. For dinner, head next door to Bar Cecil, which opened in 2021 and quickly became one of the city’s hardest-to-get reservations. Arrive early to claim a first-come, first-served spot among the 12 high-backed, cerulean bar stools. The art-filled space, known for its martinis, serves exceptional renditions of classic dishes, like deviled eggs topped with flower petals ($14), a bone-in Duroc pork chop with bright Broccolini and potatoes au gratin ($48), and a raspberry Pavlova ($15).

8 p.m. | Hotel bar-hop

Flit between some of the town’s most interesting hotel bars, where much of the local nightlife happens. Start on the north end, at the rosé- and Champagne-centric and neon-lit La Boisson at Fleur Noire Hôtel. Take your glass to the hotel’s poolside courtyard, which has firepits and walls adorned with lush flower motifs. Around the corner, the Barbara Bar at Trixie Motel is the product of a hit renovation-reality TV show. The motel is as colorful, fun-loving and over-the-top as its creator, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Trixie Mattel. Hop in a car to wind down at the Parker Palm Springs’ Counter Reformation, an appealingly dark and moody bar with a confessional in the corner and a small, excellent list of wines in three sizes (all starting at $11), which allows for sampling, drinking or indulging.

SUNDAY

8 a.m. | Bike for breakfast

Pick up an e-bike at Bike Palm Springs (half-day rentals from $25; maps available) to cruise midcentury-modern neighborhoods on a self-guided tour. Along your route, stop in to Peninsula Pastries, a few blocks south, where glass cases display softball-size chouchous (chantilly-cream-filled choux pastries, $9.50) and pear almondine tarts ($8.50). Then ride east — dipping into neighborhoods like Deepwell Estates and Twin Palms Estates — to Nature’s Health Food & Cafe for an unconventional take on the date shake, a century-old Coachella Valley tradition that originated at Shields Date Garden in nearby Indio. Thick, deeply flavorful and less cloying than the original, this vegan rendition ($9) uses Shields’ date crystals, chewy pieces of fresh date, soy ice cream and banana. Take your treats to go or eat at the cafe patio’s tile mosaic tables.

10 a.m. | Thrill to history

Ride to the Smithsonian-affiliated Agua Caliente Cultural Museum (admission $10) to learn about the region’s indigenous and geological history. The museum, opened in 2023 by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, shares a cultural plaza with the tribe’s new 73,000-square-foot Spa at Séc-he — the area’s largest and most elaborate hot spring spa and the only one in downtown Palm Springs. (Because of its size and $155 day pass, it’s an all-day experience.) The museum starts with an immersive animation of the Cahuilla creation story in a 360-degree theater, where the benches shake when the Earth moves. The museum’s exhibits span from time immemorial to recent history, including scale replicas of the Indian Canyons, Cahuilla basketry and black-and-white photography from the early years of Euro-American settlement.

11 a.m. | Shop Palm Canyon Drive

The city’s main drag, Palm Canyon Drive, is an approachable stretch of old-school hat shops, New Age crystal vendors, locally owned boutiques and galleries. Drop into Wabi Sabi Japan Living, run by a couple who visit family in Japan annually and import their favorite home goods, including novelty chopsticks, prized craftsman-made knives, exceptional sakes and celebrated Japanese whiskeys. Then visit the Michael Weems Collection, a gallery with captivating art prints (including evocative Joshua Tree photographs and American Moderne color studies), porcelain trays illustrated with Palm Springs architecture, cheeky tote bags (with slogans like “Palm Springs ... Sunny Skies ... Shady People”) and queer art with phalluses hiding in plain sight.

Noon | Go spicy, then soak

From the street, family-owned Mexican seafood restaurant Crudo Cervicheria doesn’t look like much. But out back, tables are set in a large flower- and sculpture-filled courtyard. Stick to the excellent ceviches and tacos on the wide-ranging menu, like the fiery scallops negros, sliced thin in a sauce of charred chiles and topped with pickled onions ($22), and fried cod tacos on tender housemade corn tortillas ($18). For a midday indulgence, add a pomegranate-jalapeño margarita ($11). Then drive 20 minutes north to Desert Hot Springs, a dusty desert town where hot mineral springs are hidden in walled sanctuaries like the Good House, a cactus- and palm-filled compound with canary yellow cushioned lounge chairs, a yoga lawn, a dry sauna and steaming water bubbling from the property’s spring. Two-hour passes ($40) offer a restorative break.

3 p.m. | Venture to the Old West

Palm Springs is the gateway to Joshua Tree National Park. To glimpse the Seussian wonder of the trees that give the park its name, drive a half-hour north to the Hi-View Trailhead for a one-hour (round-trip) hike from the outer edge of the park, where you’ll find cinematic views of the park’s surreal landscape (no fee for trail). Then take a gorgeous, winding drive 15 minutes into the boulder-strewn hills to Pappy + Harriet’s, a soulful, old-school roadhouse in one of Southern California’s stranger enclaves: Pioneertown, a living movie set and planned community built in the 1940s with an Old West (circa 1880s) theme. Bands don’t play until the evening (Paul McCartney is among the big-name acts to have performed there), but the bar-restaurant is worth a stop to soak up the atmosphere with Harriet’s tri-tip chili ($11) and a cold beer.

7:30 p.m. | Select your spread

Opened in October, Lola Rose Grand Mezze at the long-anticipated Thompson Palm Springs serves a Persian-accented Middle Eastern menu in a choose-your-own-adventure spread. The $90 petite mezze is more than enough for two. Choices include tahdig (a crisp-shelled Iranian rice dish); baby beets in a pistachio vinaigrette with harissa goat cheese, green beans and a texturally thrilling quinoa “granola”; and a not-to-be-missed, slick-skinned “celebration bread.” For a transportive, post-dinner cocktail, head to the airline-themed PS Air Bar, where the narrow bar has fuselage-shaped walls, a silver ceiling with cotton ball clouds and faux windows. The servers sashay down the aisle in captains’ uniforms and the serving-cart-like bar pours aviation-inspired cocktails like the “Jet Lag” (featuring espresso vodka, $16).

SUNDAY

8 a.m. | Meet the boss

Stop into Latina-owned Cafe La Jefa, where flamingo and palm frond wallpaper brightens a corner of the Flannery Exchange marketplace. Get a breakfast sandwich (on brioche with bacon and chipotle aioli with a side of homestyle potatoes, $19), dulce de leche French toast ($17.50), or bagels and pastries supplied by Townie Bagels. Then shop at Covet (opens at 9 a.m.), a boutique of house-designed jewelry and accessories such as a cactus-printed bandanna or a midcentury-style necklace with a turquoise-studded sun pendant. Next door, at stationery store Bobo Design Studio, illustrator Angie Chua sells her designs, including a national-park-themed travel journal with nature-inspired washi tape.

9:30 a.m. | Hike sacred canyons

Drive 15 minutes south to Indian Canyons (admission $12), a trio of palm oases the Cahuilla consider sacred. Less crowded than the better-known Tahquitz Canyon, which is within walking distance of downtown, each is distinct. Palm Canyon is the state’s largest reserve of California fan palms. In Andreas Canyon, a crystalline stream flows year-round and an easy 1-mile loop winds beneath red cliffs, cooing birds and sycamore trees. (For trail maps and advice from a tribal ranger, stop at the Palm Canyon Trading Post first.) Murray Canyon is a moderate-to-ambitious hike but can also be explored on guided horseback tours ($185, approximately 90 minutes) from Smoke Tree Stables.

11:30 a.m. | Perch on the porch

Brunch spot Wilma & Frieda, whose wraparound porch overlooks a fountain-side statue of actor and onetime mayor Sonny Bono, is perpetually packed. Expect heaped portions of diner classics like fluffy biscuits blanketed in sausage, bacon and thyme gravy ($19.50); griddled meatloaf ($21.75); and California-isms like chilaquiles (salsa-soaked tortilla chips) topped with soy chorizo, queso fresco and avocado ($19.50). After brunch, stroll north on Palm Canyon Drive, taking in the city’s echoes of Hollywood: the Palm Springs Walk of Stars, a bronze-cast Lucille Ball on a bench, and the oddly captivating “Forever Marilyn,” a 26-foot-tall statue of Marilyn Monroe.