10 LGBTQ+ Arts & Culture Venues in Palm Springs, CA

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is perfect for travelers who want dramatic views without a strenuous hike. Its rotating tramcars provide 360-degree panoramas of the Coachella Valley as you ascend over 8,000 feet in ten minutes. The Mountain Station features a cocktail lounge, restaurants, and a Natural History Museum. It's a known engineering feat: construction in 1963 used helicopters for 23,000 missions without any mishap. Bring a jacket; the temperature at the top can be 40 degrees cooler than on the valley floor. Regulars know that a light jacket is essential even in summer. If you're feeling adventurous, you can hike down through Mount San Jacinto State Park. For more local culture, consider visiting the Palm Springs Art Museum downtown.

You'll notice the desert landscape first, but The Living Desert is part zoo, part botanical garden, and part natural history museum. Established in 1970 by trustees of the Palm Springs Desert Museum who wanted to preserve the local ecosystem, it's a nonprofit accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. You can feed giraffes and explore a butterfly exhibit among the native plants and animals. The grounds are best visited in the morning when it's cooler. Bring water or buy some at the cafes. The guided tram tour covers a lot, but some regulars prefer walking with a map to go at their own pace. In November and December, the Wild Lights event is a seasonal treat. For free admission, use Bank of America's Museums on Us program.

A giant white dog sculpture greets you in the lobby of this small but thoughtfully curated contemporary museum. It's a quiet escape from the sun, with surprising finds: Picasso canvases, a Warhol paper dress, and past exhibitions of Robert Mapplethorpe and Wayne Thibault. The sculpture garden next to the cafe is a nice spot to linger. Free admission runs Thursdays from 4 to 8 pm. The rest of the week, it's open Friday through Sunday. The basement holds a theater and lecture hall. If you're planning a visit, check the website for special exhibitions. The shop has quirky gifts and maps of modernist Palm Springs.

In Palm Desert off Monterey Ave, McCallum Theatre is where touring headliners land. Dame Edna and David Copperfield have stopped here. It's a go-to for theater in the desert, with strong reviews from locals. You'll find it a natural stop during November's gay pride events.

Housing one of the world's largest collections of flying WW2 warplanes, the Palm Springs Air Museum is a nonprofit founded in 1996 primarily by veterans. It's been named one of CNN Travel's 14 Best Air Museums worldwide. The fleet extends beyond WW2 to include Korean and Vietnam era aircraft, plus a library of 6,300 volumes on aviation and military history. You'll find rare combat photography, original artworks (including a Tuskegee Airmen mural), and artifacts spanning uniforms and memorabilia. The museum is dog-friendly with free WiFi, and situated right next to the Palm Springs Airport so you can watch planes take off. It's a great spot for photographers, with 51 photos in our gallery capturing the relics. If you want more arts, check out the nearby Palm Springs Art Museum (temporarily closed) or catch a show at McCallum Theatre.

It's a quiet, art-focused space where the crowd tends to be collectors and design enthusiasts. Smith Vargas Fine Art regularly features guest artists, so there's always something new to see. The gallery sits in the Uptown Design District, making it a solid stop if you're shopping or gallery hopping. Open daily 10:30am-5pm or by appointment.

Think desert adventures are just for straight adrenaline junkies? This Palm Springs tour company puts an eclectic team of guides at the wheel, taking you up and over boulders and across fault lines to see the raw nature beyond the resorts. It's a historical site that doubles as an outdoor playground, run by folks who know the terrain inside out.

Rehearsals are Monday nights at 6:30 PM at Metropolitan Community Church, making it easy to drop in and listen. As the fourth independent community chorus in the valley, this male-only group creates excellent music for audiences throughout the area. Visitors are welcome.

You might expect an art gallery to be stuffy, but Hedge in Cathedral City breaks that mold. This queer-owned space blends an ever-shifting collection of vintage and modern home furnishings, hand-selected by owners Charles Pearson & Thomas Sharkey. It's part gallery, part treasure hunt, with an upscale feel that still welcomes locals. The 5/5 Yelp rating from 38 reviews suggests they're doing something right. Hedge is a place for discovering unique pieces, from mid-century furniture to eclectic decor. Since hours aren't posted, your best bet is to check their social media or call ahead. Regulars know the inventory changes fast, so each visit offers something new. If you're exploring the area, you can also check out the Palm Springs Art Museum nearby.

SUPERBLOOM is an immersive art experience that connects color with emotional intention, offering a hands-on space to reimagine everyday items or bring your own. Founded in New York City and opened in Palm Springs in 2021, this gallery is owned and operated by Alexis and Chris Ramirez. It's dog-friendly and offers free Wi-Fi, making it a relaxed stop for creative exploration. The space invites you to experiment with color in a personal way. It's open daily from 9am to 5pm. A visit here pairs well with a trip to the Palm Springs Art Museum, though you'll find SUPERBLOOM's interactive approach refreshingly different.