Start February off with a visit to the Palm Springs Vintage Market on Feb. 7 at the Camelot Theater. PHOTOGRAPH BY ANNA KULA
1. Become a design buff.
Modernism Week, the desert’s annual celebration of midcentury architecture and design, hosts a digital-only edition Feb. 1–14 with streaming tours, talks, and an online auction. (An in-person version is set for April.) modernismweek.com
PHOTOGRAPH BY @CARLV12 — CARLOS VARGAS
2. Grab locally grown goodies.
Spend a weekend morning shopping for everything you need to whip up a healthy and delicious dinner — produce, organic meats, artisan breads, and more — at the Coachella Valley Certified Farmers Markets, where 85 percent of the products offered hail from within 100 miles of the valley.
certifiedfarmersmarkets.org
3. Have a romantic night in.
Need a recipe for transforming an evening at home into a dreamy Valentine’s Day date? Here you go: mood-setting candles from Joshua Tree Candle Company, a bottle of red from The Vine War Bar in Palm Desert, and elevated takeout from Palm Springs’ Workshop Kitchen + Bar. You’re welcome. jtcandle.com; thevinewinebar.com; workshoppalmsprings.com
4. Find a new favorite artist.
Palm Desert’s Coda Gallery features vibrant exhibitions from contemporary artists working in a variety of media. This month, discover thought-provoking paintings by Jamie Perry (Feb. 5–18) and stunning blown glass by Seth Fairweather (Feb. 19–28).
codagallery.com
5. Activate stealth mode.
The Palm Springs Air Museum offers a special F-117 Stealth Fighter experience Feb. 6, providing visitors the opportunity to hear from an aviation expert and peek inside the super-secret plane’s cockpit. palmspringsairmuseum.org
6. Dance up a sweat.
The Center Palm Springs hosts a digital Zoomba dance party every Monday from 10 to 11 a.m. Join instructor Shaun Samaro’s virtual classes, which suit everyone from newbies to Dancing with the Stars champions. thecenterps.com
7. Experience history.
Businessman, adventurer, and artist Cabot Yerxa spent 24 years building his extraordinary 35-room pueblo in Desert Hot Springs. Today, the art- and artifact-packed building is Cabot’s Pueblo Museum. Explore the home and its history from your sofa by booking a virtual tour with museum staff. cabotsmuseum.org
PHOTOGRAPH BY DANIELLA STALLINGER
8. Reboot your space.
After spending so many months inside, head to the Palm Springs Cultural Center parking lot Feb. 7 to refresh your space with retro furniture, art, glassware, and more at the Palm Springs Vintage Market. palmspringsvintagemarket.com
9. Eat ice cream for breakfast.
Celebrate Ice Cream for Breakfast Day on Feb. 6 with a scoop of strawberry — hey, it’s fruit! — from Cathedral City’s Vienna Donuts & Ice Cream or La Michoacana All Natural. They both open their doors at 9 a.m. 760-321-5855; 760-832-8070
PHOTOGRAPH BY NATE ABBOTT
PHOTOGRAPH BY ADRIAN ROMERO
10. Buy a handcrafted gift
for a friend.
With social distancing guidelines keeping social circles tight, let a pal know they’re on your mind with a little something from Mojave Flea Trading Post’s new 7,000-square-foot Palm Springs “department store” of vintage and artisan finds.
mojaveflea.com
PHOTOGRAPH BY BRAD HUDSON THOMAS
11. Meander through
a real-life Monet.
Impressionist paintings inspired the idyllic gardens surrounding Sunnylands Center in Rancho Mirage. A series of five free podcast episodes act as a guide through the history and design of the spectacular terraces, lawns, and flower-filled fields. sunnylands.org
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY THE ANNENBERG FOUNDATION TRUST AT SUNNYLANDS
12. Hit the green
for a good cause.
Show off your smoothest stroke Feb. 13 at the Classic Club’s Charity Golf Classic in Palm Desert, where golfers compete in challenges like “longest drive” and “closest to the pin” to win a new car and raise cash for local nonprofit Food Now. classiclubgolf.com
PHOTOGRAPH BY JAIME KOWAL
13. Put together a puzzle.
Level up everyone’s favorite quarantine pastime with frame-worthy brainteasers from Rancho Relaxo in Rancho Mirage. If the 1,000-piece, postcard-style “Greetings from Palm Springs” is too challenging, try a 300-piece print of Andy Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s soup can. M’m, m’m, good! ranchorelaxo.com
14. Discover a discounted read.
Comb the shelves at secondhand bookshop The Book Rack in La Quinta for a slashed-price bestseller or coffee table tome. Pro Tip: Check the cart out front for a superb selection of titles, including hardcovers, for only a couple bucks each. 760-771-3449
15. Peer into the future.
For 20/20 insight into your 2021, Crystal Fantasy in downtown Palm Springs invites mediums, reiki masters, tarot and palm readers, and energy and crystal healers into the shop for its Psychic & Healing Arts Fair each weekend. crystalfantasy.com
PHOTOGRAPH BY GETTY IMAGES
16. Do your part.
Help Coachella Valley charities provide relief to locals in need. Take on a shift of socially distanced food sorting and distribution at FIND Food Bank in Indio, or donate blood at LifeStream in La Quinta, where you find out if you’re equipped with COVID-19 antibodies in the process. findfoodbank.org; lstream.org
17. Play in the snow.
Ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway two-and-a-half miles to the powdered peak of Mt. San Jacinto, where temperatures are about 30 degrees lower than the desert floor. In the right conditions, you can toss snowballs and rent skis and snowshoes for a challenging trek. pstramway.com
18. Check out
cool cars.
Head over to the Palm Springs Convention Center and view one of the biggest car auctions in the Coachella Valley. McCormick's Palm Springs Collector Car Auctions presents its 70th at the close of the the month, Feb. 26-28. classic-carauction.com/Auction-70
PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID A. LEE
PHOTOGRAPH BY ANNDEE LASKOE
19. Go on a windmill tour.
While many in-person excursions have been scrapped, Palm Springs Windmill Tours still swirls. The self-guided, 10-stop journey is packed with information about the thousands of windmills located between the San Jacinto and San Gorgonio mountains. (For starters, did you know they were first built in the 1980s?)
windmilltours.com
Ride a horse.
Infludential former Palm Springs mayor Frank Bogert got his start hawking horseback rides to guests at local hotels back in the 1920s. Smoke Tree Stables provides the opportunity to explore Murray Canyon in Palm Springs the “cowboy mayor” way: atop a saddle. smoketreestables.com
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY SMOKE TREE STABLES
• READ NEXT: Three Tips to Explore Palm Springs on 2 Wheels.