21 Things to Do on a Palm Springs Girls Weekend

The best things to do on a Palm Springs girls weekend are a long pool day, one early hike, an afternoon of vintage shopping and a night out downtown. Book a Palm Springs girls weekend at The Muse and the first few ideas on this list happen without leaving the courtyard. Still deciding on dates and rooms? Start with our Palm Springs girls trip planning guide, then come back here for the fun part.

Things to do without leaving the hotel

1. Throw a themed pool day. Pick a color or a decade, inflate the flamingos and let the courtyard pool do the rest.

2. Take over the hot tub after dark. It fits six, which is either the whole crew or the people who claimed it first.

3. Get glam at home. Hair and makeup come to you before the big dinner.

4. Book in-room massages. 60 or 90 minutes per person, booked at least 48 hours ahead.

5. Do private yoga in the courtyard. $150 for the whole group with three days' notice.

6. Have dinner cooked for you. A private hibachi dinner at the hotel means nobody has to agree on a restaurant.

7. Hire a photographer. Better than 40 near-identical selfies by the pink wall.

Glam, hibachi, photography and the rest live in Muse Experiences. Bringing 10 or more? A full hotel buyout makes the pool private to your group.

Desert adventures worth the early alarm

8. Ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The rotating cars climb the side of Mount San Jacinto, and it's much cooler at the top.

9. Hike Indian Canyons. Palm groves and easy trails on Agua Caliente land. Go early and bring more water than seems reasonable.

10. Walk Tahquitz Canyon. A canyon trail that ends at a seasonal waterfall.

11. Tour the wind farm. Palm Springs Windmill Tours explains the giant turbines you passed on the drive in.

12. Take a jeep to the San Andreas Fault. Desert Adventures runs guided Red Jeep tours out to the fault line.

13. Day trip to Joshua Tree. Our Palm Springs to Joshua Tree guide covers the drive and what to see.

14. Stargaze. Get a little out of town and look up. Our stargazing guide has the spots.

Around town in the afternoon

15. Shop the Uptown Design District. Vintage furniture, retro clothes and earrings you'll wear exactly once.

16. Drive past the mid-century homes. Low rooflines, breeze blocks and very photogenic front doors.

17. Visit Moorten Botanical Garden. A small, shady cactus garden that's easy to fit between lunch and the pool.

18. See the Palm Springs Art Museum. It's about 1.4 miles from the hotel, and it runs free Thursday nights. Check the calendar before you go.

19. Rent bikes. Flat streets and wide neighborhoods make a slow ride easy in the cooler months.

Where the night goes

20. Hit VillageFest. The Thursday night street fair takes over Palm Canyon Drive with vendors and food.

21. Book a drag brunch, then do Arenas Road. Start with our drag brunch guide, then end up on Arenas Road, the city's liveliest strip of bars.

How to fit it all into one weekend

You won't, and that's the point. Pick one desert adventure, one afternoon in town and one big night. Everything else happens by the pool. Summer afternoons often top 100 degrees, so do anything outdoors before 10 in the morning and spend the heat in the water. October through May gives you warm days, cool nights and more room to wander.

Palm Springs girls weekend FAQ

Cancel your afternoon plans. The pool is warm.