Sunnylands Center & Gardens

Sunnylands Center & Gardens is the free-to-visit public face of the Annenberg estate in Rancho Mirage - a nine-acre desert garden with more than 50,000 arid-climate plants, a modern visitor center with rotating exhibitions, a short film about the estate's history as the "Camp David of the West," and a cafe with a terrace looking back at the mountains. You can walk the garden loop in 30-45 minutes on paved and gravel paths, and the labeled plantings make it one of the best places in the valley to learn what actually thrives here. The historic house itself is separate: interior tours are ticketed, released online in advance, and sell out quickly in season, so plan the house and the garden as two different decisions. The center is closed during the hottest stretch of summer and its hours are seasonal, so confirm before driving out. Photographers should come in the first hour after opening, when the light rakes across the garden and the crowds have not arrived.