These are the days when the desert is alive with birds, blooms and color. The sun is warm and the sky is clear – time to get out and enjoy a walk about. Here are two places to begin:
Sunnylands
Rancho Mirage, CA
For 40 years, Ambassadors Walter and Leonore Annenberg welcomed entertainment and world leaders to their winter estate in Rancho Mirage, California. Sunnylands is a well known landmark in the Coachella Valley. The gardens and grounds are a welcoming, restful place to visit.
Sunnylands outdoor gardens are free and open to the public at this time 2/25/2021. As of this date, outdoor fee-based tours are also available: historical walking tour, landscape tour and bird walk.
For more information, directions and hours go to: https://sunnylands.org/covid/
Eric Johnson Memorial Garden and Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden
Palm Desert, CA
The Eric Johnson Memorial Gardens are several acres of specimen gardens of desert plants. They are a tribute to Mr. Johnson, the first landscape designer and architect to bring desert landscaping to the Coachella Valley.
The Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden is set within the Eric Johnson Memorial Gardens at the Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert. It features significant sculptures from the museum’s permanent collection, surrounded by a landscaped desert oasis including native plants, winding walkways, and water features. Sculptures on view include works by Fletcher Benton, Betty Gold, Donald Judd, Dan Namingha, and Jaume Plensa, among others.
For more information, directions and hours go to: https://www.psmuseum.org/visit/palm-desert
Link to audio tour of the sculpture garden: https://psartmuseum.oncell.com/en/faye-sarkowsky-sculpture-garden-213243.html