Destination · California desert

Palm Springs & Joshua Tree

Mid-century houses, a desert full of outsider art, and a wellness scene that is part real and part theatre. The job is telling which part is which.

The short answer

Fly intoPalm Springs (PSP)

Trip lengthsTwo days to a week

Modernism WeekFeb 11–21, 2027

Desert XOct 30, 2027 – May 7, 2028

GuidePalm Springs & Joshua Tree · $59

Worth it Worth it

Is Modernism Week Worth Going To?Worth it if you read building credits and book the moment tickets open. Skip it if you simply want to see the architecture, which is free all year.
Noah Purifoy's Outdoor Museum Is Worth the Off-Road Adventure to Get ThereWorth the dirt road. Ten acres of assemblage art standing in the open desert, free, every day — go in the morning, and skip it if it has rained.

Skip Skip

Nothing called yet.

The reading

2 pieces, grouped by what you're deciding

Is it worth it

Worth it

Is Modernism Week Worth Going To?

Eleven days in February when Palm Springs opens several hundred ticketed events about midcentury architecture. Whether it is worth going depends almost entirely on whether you booked in time.

Worth it

Noah Purifoy's Outdoor Museum Is Worth the Off-Road Adventure to Get There

An artist who turned the wreckage of the Watts Rebellion into art spent his final 15 years building a sculpture museum in the Mojave Desert. You really need to see it where he made it.

The map

Schematic preview. The tappable map layer comes with the guide.

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