First stop: brunch. Fortunately the line outside this breakfast favorite on the north end of downtown Palm Springs—no reservations here—isn't the only alfresco part. On the patio, the signature order is a flight of bacon, each rasher adorned with a different flavor. Some days it's something as sophisticated as bits of kumquat; at my meal, the most delightful was a slice of bacon coated in Nerds. 

Children of the 1980s will recognize these roadside attractions from cinema classics like The Wizard and Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Located a 20-minute drive north of the city, the goofy Brontosaurus and T. Rex, wrought in concrete and steel, are a nice cheesy appetizer before the retro glam of Palm Springs. Spring for the $15 entrance fee to wander a small park filled with more than 100 dino reproductions—it's less of a science lesson than art appreciation.

Though the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians recently debuted a large and impressive museum adjacent to their downtown casino, the best place to understand the tribe's ancestral homelands is in the parks south of town. Deep in the sandy hills, verdant oases sit along the waterways, while the drives to and from have turns through rock formations worthy of a car commercial. At Palm and Andreas canyons, trails wind through and above the green palm trees for alternating doses of shade and sun.

Party pools aren't in short supply across the Coachella Valley, but staying in a hotel room adjacent to one is a commitment. Better to sample swimming holes a la carte through pool day passes, available everywhere from the Ace Hotel or the new Drift Palm Springs. The Saguaro, with its rainbow exterior, feels like the spiffed-up version of an MTV Spring Break set, with floaties and loungers for being seen. The revamped Holiday Inn has been dubbed "the most Instagrammed hotel in the Coachella Valley." (Pro tip: purchase day passes at website Resort Pass, as some hotels will only do pricey cabana rentals through their own sites.)

Don't try to get out of paying the entrance fee for this two-mile hike to a swimmable (ish) waterfall; like Indian Canyons, these lands are managed by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, and the admission station (indoors, sadly) also serves as a checkpoint for the required bottle of water per person. They do sell water, and at a price—just $2.50 each—that clearly prioritizes hydrating hikers over gouging a captive audience. The scenic canyon hike ends at 60-foot falls where brave souls can recreate a famous photo of Jim Morrison standing in the pool—but beware, the water is frigid. 

Though outdoor dining is hardly rare across a city that is almost always sunny (estimates range from 74 to 96 percent of the time), the French-themed Farm delivers something different among a sea of margaritas and cacti displays. The recreation of Provence sprawls through an alleyway between buildings, wicker chairs, and tiny chairs everywhere—only a smattering of tables sit inside. Rich foods are balanced by an extensive wine list.

How to end a day of sunshine after the sun itself has disappeared? The Kimpton Rowan pool sits atop what passes for a skyscraper in low-slung Palm Springs, all of seven stories tall. After daytime splashes are over, the space is primarily a bar with a view, though any seat facing westward at twilight is going to be more scenic than the city vista to the east. Here the space has walls and no roof, but the former are necessary; by night the winds whip across the valley, hardly as appealing as the endless sunshine the desert provides all day.