Palm Springs Walk of the Stars

The Palm Springs Walk of the Stars is the city's own version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in some ways a more interesting one. Since 1992, stars have been set into the sidewalks of downtown and Uptown Palm Springs to honor people with a connection to the city, and there are now more than 480 of them. The mix tells the story of Palm Springs: Hollywood entertainers who made it their weekend escape, alongside architects and designers who shaped its look, civic pioneers, humanitarians, athletes, authors and military figures. Recent honorees have included Mary Bono, the 476th star, and Helen Hunt Jackson, the 477th, and the count keeps climbing. The stars are concentrated along Palm Canyon Drive and the streets around it, and they are set facing different directions so pedestrians walking either way can read them. The best way to explore is with the official Walk of the Stars app, which lets you search honorees by name, category or induction date, read biographies, see each star's location and follow a GPS-guided walking tour. The program is run with a nominating committee; anyone except the nominee can submit a nomination in one of seven categories, and approved honorees or their sponsors fund the star. Dedication ceremonies are free and open to the public, generally held between October 1 and May 14, often at the program's ceremony site on South Palm Canyon Drive. It all costs nothing to see, and it turns an ordinary downtown walk into a treasure hunt.

Part of the fun is the surprise of whose star you are standing on. Walking down Palm Canyon Drive, you might pass a screen legend, then a midcentury architect whose buildings you saw that morning, then a philanthropist or a long-serving local who shaped the town. Fans of the Rat Pack era, Hollywood's golden age and Palm Springs modernism will find plenty to look for, and the app makes it easy to search for favorites before you set out. Photographers and families enjoy hunting for particular names, and the walk naturally leads past Forever Marilyn, Downtown Park, the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza and the art museum.

Practical tips: walk in the morning or evening in warm months, since the sidewalks radiate heat at midday. Download the app before you go and keep your phone charged for GPS. If you can, check whether a dedication ceremony is scheduled during your stay; they are free, open to the public and give a glimpse of the city's community spirit, sometimes with notable guests. Thursday evenings add VillageFest's street fair to the mix along the same stretch of Palm Canyon Drive.

The Walk of the Stars is not a destination that needs its own day; it is a layer that makes downtown more rewarding. Combine it with VillageFest, a visit to the Palm Springs Art Museum, or brunch and shopping in the Uptown Design District, where more stars continue north. First-timers and families will enjoy it most, and anyone with a soft spot for old Hollywood will find it hard to stop reading.