What to Do in Rancho Mirage: 12 Best Things to See and Do

Rancho Mirage is the valley's "quiet money" city: 18 golf courses, wide boulevards, and almost no nightlife. That makes it a great base and a short but high-quality list of things to do.

1. Sunnylands Center & Gardens

The Annenberg estate's free visitor center and 15-acre desert garden, with a mile of paths and 50,000 arid-climate plants. Ticketed house tours sell out in minutes; the gardens never need a reservation. Closed in summer.

2. The River at Rancho Mirage

Open-air center on Highway 111 built around a man-made river: restaurants with patios, a movie theater, fountains. The default answer for an evening out in the mid-valley.

3. Rancho Mirage Observatory

The public library runs a real observatory with a research-grade telescope and free public viewing nights in season. Sessions are first-come and popular; check the schedule before you go.

4. Sunset drinks on the bluff

The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage sits 650 feet up on a mesa, with the best valley-floor view of any hotel bar in the desert. You do not need to be a guest to have a drink on the terrace.

5. Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert

Hands-on exhibits aimed at ages 2 to 10, and reliably the best rainy-day or 110-degree-day answer for families in the valley.

6. Golf

Mission Hills, Westin Mission Hills, the Omni Rancho Las Palmas courses, and Tommy Jacobs Bel Air Greens for a quick nine. Resort courses here take public play; the country clubs do not.

7. Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage

Slots, tables, a steakhouse, and a concert theater that books touring comedians and legacy acts.

8. Rancho Las Palmas Shopping Center

Across from The River: grocery, pharmacy, casual chains — the practical stop when you are staying nearby.

9. The tramway and the Palm Springs museums, 20 minutes west

Rancho Mirage's central location is its best feature. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Art Museum, and downtown are 20 to 25 minutes away.

10. El Paseo, ten minutes east

Palm Desert's luxury shopping mile, with the valley's densest cluster of good restaurants and galleries.

11. Spa day

The Agua Caliente spa, Westin Mission Hills, and Omni Rancho Las Palmas all sell day passes or treatment-plus-facility access — a legitimate way to spend an afternoon without booking a room.

12. Bike the loop

Wide, flat, low-traffic streets and a paved path network make Rancho Mirage the easiest cycling city in the valley. Morning only from May through September.