Palm Desert & Palm Springs
 

What to do and see in this area during the latter half of August.

I would NOT advise going to this area in August. The temperatures in the summer soar above 100 degrees on most days and are really too hot to enjoy sight-seeing. Even year-round residents move out of the area or limit their activities to before and after the daylight hours. Come during the winter and spring -- it's marvelous then!

Heed the advice of the previous poster. The temps are generally 110+. Two of the major attractions are shut down right now including the tram which would be the only one worthwhile in the summer.

I visited Palm Desert for the first time in September with my husband. We stayed at the Marriott for 5 nights. The weather was hot, but actually quite lovely with no humidity. We travel quite a bit, so have some basis for comparison. My opinion is that there was nothing to do! We found a desert-scape golf course that was great, but at $150 per round per person, we only played a couple of times. The Marriott golf course was similarly priced, but it looked like a Minnesota golf course, except with some palm trees. We ate at Shame on the Moon, which was super, but the other restaurants we tried were mediocre. The downtown areas are boutique-y and expensive. I was so bored that I went to the spa and had a triple-treatment, something I had never done before! Other posters who know Palm Desert, did I miss something?

People go to Palm Springs in the colder months to play golf. If you like the desert, there's a day trip in Joshua Tree Park. That's about it. I've also found the restaurants to be just OK, much better ones in LA. My son worked one summer in Palm Springs training guide dogs. It was terribly hot and very windy with sand blowing through the air. He's a golfer, but even he says it's not for the summer. Can you go instead to San Diego? Not far from Palm Springs but a world of difference in August.

The above posters are correct, it's hot! So make sure you have a nice hotel because you need to spend the heat of the day in there. There are GREAT golf deals in August, pick up a copy of the Sunday LA Times and look in the Palm Springs advertising section of the Calendar. Lots of deals. Just make sure you get an early tee time. Another option is to hike the canyons - early in the morning.