Most famous for the annual music festival of the same name, the city of Coachella comprises a relatively flat and spread-out design that stretches to the easternmost Coachella Valley. The red rocks of the San Bernardino Mountains act as an omnipresent backdrop, visible from just about everywhere you go. And the natural wonders of this area expand in every direction, from Joshua Tree National Park in the east to the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains in the south.

This once arid patch of desert has evolved into a city with a rich cultural history that permeates from every white stucco-walled, red-tile roofed building. The palm tree-lined streets of Downtown Coachella spring to life with dining options, including Mexican, Italian, and Chinese cuisine. And the city has created multiple self-guided walks through Pueblo Viejo — the Old Town — that will bring you to historic buildings and intricate murals that tell the story and struggles of the people who have called Coachella home.

Make no mistake, this is the desert. Temperatures can reach extreme highs in Coachella Valley during the summer, while winters stay temperate and comfortable. Each year in April, the valley hosts what is arguably one of the country’s most popular music and arts events of the year, and hundreds of thousands of people flock to the area to see high-profile musical acts against the gorgeous desert background. Between May and October, temperatures often rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. When it starts to get cooler in autumn, the nearby city of Thermal hosts an annual air show, with another held in Palm Springs during January that features fighter planes from World War II. Palm Springs is also home to the region’s second biggest artistic event of the year, an international film festival also taking place in January.

Tahquitz Canyon

Home to the Agua Caliente Band of the Cahuilla people for thousands of years, the Tahquitz Canyon contains natural and historical wonders. Stop by the visitor’s center to check out exhibitions on the region’s history; it’s also the starting point for a two-mile loop hike up and down the staggering 60-foot waterfall. Along the trail, you’ll find incredible rock formations, ancient irrigation systems, and rock art painted with red ochre somewhere between two and three thousand years ago.

Cabot’s Pueblo Museum

Built from reclaimed local materials and handmade adobe bricks in 1941, this museum and former home was inspired by Hopi pueblo design. The museum’s four stories house 35 rooms displaying art and artifacts of local Indigenous tribes in addition to the founder’s works of art.

Pioneertown

Originally constructed to be a living, breathing, movie set in the 1940s, this town evokes the look and feel of a Wild West settlement. It still functions as an active production studio year-round with an 1880s façade. The interiors of the buildings along Mane Street house ice cream parlors, retail shops, and even a bowling alley.