Palm Springs LGBTQ Guide for Millennials

Palm Springs offers LGBTQ millennial visitors the best of all worlds – from the sublime to the serene – and natural beauty that is both tranquil and rejuvenating. We pride ourselves on being both gender and color blind – we welcome every persuasion, age group and demographic to enjoy our beautiful city. We believe that the diversity of young and old, gay and straight, families and couples all celebrating our Palm Springs ambiance together adds to the special character of our destination.

Enjoy An Active Stay

For millennials, life is about experiences. Here in Palm Springs, we’re not about those all-inclusive vacations where you never leave the resort. Think more off-the-beaten path adventures that are authentic and unforgettable (and Instagram-worthy). With over 350 days of sunshine, Palm Springs is always a good choice. While other parts of the country emerge from a brutal winter, we savor warm vibes and issue even warmer welcomes.

Hike To Tahquitz Falls

Take your special someone on a Palm Springs hike to the Tahquitz Canyon waterfall. Water flows freely over the 60-foot cascade, so snap a selfie that look nothing like your last 4,000 Zoom calls. Tahquitz features an irrigation system that dates back thousands of years. The Canyon also doubles as an epic outdoor gallery, including rock wall art commemorating the culture of the Agua Caliente tribe. Their proud legacy embraces the landscape and ripples from the past to the vibrant here-and-now.

Hike Palm Canyon Trail

If you gained a few extra inches during the past few months, join the club! But you don’t need to take those pounds sitting down, so lace up and get outta town. Head due south from Highway 111 and discover Palm Canyon Trail, the gateway to a forested wonderland. The lengthy excursion requires effort, but provides a considerable payoff: the largest palm oasis on the continent. This offers a great experience you just can’t get anywhere else.

7 Hikes in Palm Canyons

Book a Bike Tour

For more rugged terrains, chart a course for Big Wheel Tours. Their knowledgeable guides will raise your perspective as you plumb the depths of the Earthquake Canyon Tour. Trace the treacherous path of the legendary San Andreas Fault as you excavate discoveries 1,600 feet below where you start the ride. Or you could think global and ride local with an Indian Canyon Tour.

Spend Less, Explore More with these Self-guided Tours.

What LGBTQ millennial doesn’t want to spend less and experience more? While we have a number of guided tours to showcase Palm Springs, you can also explore the city on your own. Here are a few curated bike tours we curated for you to get started.

Deepwell Ranch Estates Bike Tour

South Palm Springs Bike Tour

Palm Springs Bike Trails

Instagram Worthy Restaurants

We know millennials are very active on social media, so here are a few restaurants that photograph well and put you in the best light. But most importantly, they also gave great food!

Boasting modern architectural design, Workshop Kitchen + Bar offers a sleek and industrial interior. Wood, concrete and blackened steel provide a contemporary edge, with cathedral-like, modern light fixtures over the bar and its main seating area, earning this spot the a James Beard Award for best restaurant design.

Azucar is located inside the 1930s La Serena Villas hotel where you dine poolside.  Want a different view?  Head upstairs to Sugar High where you’ll be treated to a special rooftop deck surrounded by the breathtaking San Jacinto mountain views. The furnishings throughout the hotel and restaurant areas were hand-picked to be casual and comfortable and are positioned indoors and outdoors around fireplaces, and the pool.

Eight4Nine is an upscale, casual, eclectic dining space with a white interior and purposefully-positioned hot pink accents. The seating varies from a white, tufted-button couch to Louis XIV ghost chairs, complemented by a unique assortment of fixtures arranged strategically in the center of the dining area.

LuLu California Bistro also loves the camera. Lulu‘s patio is the perfect place to people-watch while having a casual dinner right in the heart of downtown Palm Springs. It’s okay—let your eyes wander, as the eclectic art on the walls is awesome.

LGBTQ Owned Restaurants & Bars 

Be Seen on the Scene

Be a dreamer and doer.  Maximize mixing-it-up as only Millennials can do.

Where better to mingle than at the appropriately named Chill Bar? Latin Night pours on the positivity, summoning diversity and fun. Iconic drag queens slay the schedule at Chill Bar, performing every type of gig. Thicc Thursdays (not a spelling error) get a jump on the weekend and throw body shaming out the window.  Then, make way for Dirty Disco on Saturday.

Just across the street, Hunters Nightclub adds a youthful kick to the gay scene. Go-go dancers light up the stage, bears cavort in the gregarious space, and enthusiasts of all stripes assemble a rainbow flag of inclusivity.

Oscar’s Palm Springs is your destination for fabulous entertainment and super fun weekly events all while having a great meal with wine and cocktails.

The Colors of Pride

The City of Palm Springs host several annual events specifically for our LGBT visitors and residents. Our Greater Palm Springs Pride Parade along Palm Canyon Drive in downtown is one of the only such parades in the Coachella Valley. During the White Party every April and the Dinah Shore Weekend in the fall, we welcome more than 100,000 revelers to Palm Springs.

Palm Springs is a Work of Art

Our happening hometown offers galleries galore, whether you click with classic art or crave kitsch.

Palm Springs Art Museum is a monument to variety, housing everything from Native American exhibits to experimental collections. And just outside its front doors, Forever Marilyn towers over your sojourn. Nobody will believe you visited our midcentury Mecca unless your Snapchat, Instragram and/or TikTok feeds prominently feature this shimmering spectacle to excess.

Download this handy public art map and wow your besties. You’ll be their tour guide to the triumphant, but no single map can encapsulate all of our hidden gems. For example, take your trip to the next level on rainbow wings designed by Colette Miller. The Palm Springs incarnation of these angelic outcroppings can be seen at the Kimpton Rowan downtown.

Palm Springs Public Art – Colorful Benches Downtown

So we hope you’ll discover just the right mix of fun, relaxation, adventure, and discovery that will enhance your visit.