Nicole Hayden, Desert Sun reporter and weekend adventurer, offers a list of her favorite desert memories and experiences yet to tackle. These are the things in the Coachella Valley you'll want to add to your bucket list.

The romance of the unclaimed West with land still left to stake as your own is mostly a long-ago dream. But a reminiscence of that can still be felt in Slab City, a makeshift community of RV snowbirds, wandering artists and individuals fleeing a capitalist world. The community sits atop the former Fort Dunlap, abandoned by the U.S. Marine Corps in 1956. The base was dismantled except for the slabs that served as its foundations. The community has built faux-streets, a coffee stand, shacks and even a library around those slabs. Nearby, visitors can find a murky hot spring, a sculpture garden and Salvation Mountain, a man-made hill coated in paint and messages of love. The drive to Niland is about an hour and a half. It might be tempting to camp overnight in Slab City for a fourth date, but that might best be saved for a fifth date (advising from personal experience).

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Star-gazing parties

The desert community is not short on astronomy experts (Rancho Mirage even has a city astronomer). But the most organic way to soak up that knowledge is during a star-gazing party, which are hosted in Joshua Tree and in Palm Desert. Local experts bring their heavy-duty telescopes and focus each instrument on a different marvel in the sky, answering every question you ask and even the ones you don’t. Pro tip: most people don’t bring snacks, but why not make it a party?

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Drive-in theater

It’s a classic summer staple — Smith’s Ranch Drive-In Theater in 29 Palms. It’s both family-friendly and romantic at the same time. Do you have a friend with a pickup? Great, let me know — I’m looking for a pickup to borrow for just this occasion. You can’t go to a drive-in movie without a truck bed filled with blankets, pillows and snacks. (Friends reading this, can we please go this weekend).

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Cactus hunting

Are you a low-desert dweller in need of a low-cost date or a new cactus? Then head to Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium in Palm Springs, a 1-acre family-owned garden filled with cacti and succulents. Every Instagram model stops here to take the same photo, but I totally understand why — it’s a beautiful dream. Just don’t forget to purchase a tiny cactus of your own before heading out. For those in the high desert, the Cactus Mart in Morongo Valley delivers a plethora of cacti to purchase. Don’t forget to say hello to the cat and chickens wandering through the gift shop.

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Integratron

I am not a fan of sound baths or meditation or anything that requires I sit in quietude. BUT, I still recommend Integratron in Landers, about 20 miles north of Joshua Tree, because it’s a high desert staple steeped in history. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service. According to its website, the dome is a resonant tabernacle and energy machine siting on a powerful geomagnetic vortex. I spent my sound bath staring up at the ceiling, marveling at the history, wonder, hope and architectural feat of the building. Also, I couldn’t help but wonder how the all-wood dome was so strong without a single nail holding it together. But please don’t be the kissing couple who were next to me or the man whose snores echoed through the dome.

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Monarch Hot Springs

(THIS ONE IS TOP SECRET SO DON’T TELL ANYONE.) In the middle of a field in Desert Hot Springs, a resident has built a beautiful private hot spring and rents it out in two-hour increments on Airbnb. During the spring time, it is surrounded by wildflowers while glimpses of snow-capped mountains can be seen in the distance. It’s a private, serene experience, but you’re not allowed to wear makeup, lotions or deodorant in order not to taint the spring. And don’t try telling the owner you just woke up like that because those eyebrows didn’t draw themselves.

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Supper at Sparrows Lodge

Tucked into the sleek, modern design of Palm Springs is a little escape to what feels like a chic Midwestern lodge complete with interior wood walls and a large stone fireplace. The unique offering from Sparrows Lodge, though, is the family-style supper offered twice a week around a long, family dinner table outside. On Wednesdays, the supper centers around a chicken entree and on Saturdays, the entree is steak. The menu changes for each dinner and reservations are required.

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Wine tasting at On the Mark

This little boutique cheese shop is a secret gem of Palm Springs. I follow On the Mark on Instagram so I can marvel at charcuterie boards they make each week. Lately, they’ve been offering wine, rosé and beer tastings at very reasonable prices. But that’s not even why I go. I go for the bite-sized food pairings that go with each drink, such as homemade pulled barbeque chicken nachos to complement the beer and cheese drizzled with honey to pair with wine.

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Sex life of dates

I’ll be honest, I still haven’t had a date shake, but I am saving myself to have one here. Shields Date Garden in Indio has been educating visitors about dates for nearly a century. The garden has a cute 1960s shake counter where you can sip on the sweet treat before heading to the sample counter to try the variety of dates grown on the 17-acre grove. But the highlight of the visit is watching the film “The Romance and Sex Life of the Date,” which plays continuously each day.

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The Sugarloaf Café near Mountain Center

I don’t really want to tell you about this one because I’m afraid the L.A. hipsters will taint The Sugarloaf. But inside this dreamy, rustic roadside diner you won’t find the standard fare. Instead, the menu offers breakfast options like pork chops and cheezy grits or French toast bread pudding. For lunch: brisket, smoked chicken and falafel are all promising. Also, I’m down with any restaurant whose slogan is “Always room for pie.” I gave in and ordered the lemon pie for breakfast after a quick camping trip near Pinyon Pines on a recent weekend and only regretted that I didn’t order additional slices.

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Boomers Palm Springs

Boomers (a chain) is advertised as the best family entertainment around and I completely believe that. The tacky but lovely venue offers miniature golf, go-carts, arcade games, bumper boats, batting cages and a very small rock wall that even I could scale. The venue has serene views of popular Cathedral City shops like Target and Trader Joe’s. This is my dream date and I’m not sure why no one has been enticed by my suggestion yet — the place even has hot dogs and soft pretzels for dinner!

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TKB Deli & Bakery

Tucked into a strip of businesses in Indio hides the well-known secret of TKB. It was voted Yelp’s #1 Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. for 2018 and it lives up to its title. The sandwiches are large and flavorful, with desserts that are arguably even better. Some sandwich favorites are: the Mexican Marilyn Monroe, the Trump, Buffalo Soldier, Mexican Meatloaf and the Greek Goddess.

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Lavender festival in Cherry Valley

Fields of aromatic lavender. Lavender soap. Lavender lip balm. Lavender crowns. Lavender tea. Lavender chocolate ice cream. Lavender honey ice cream. Lavender lemonade. Lavender-braised beef. Lavender crème brulee. Lavender balsamic vinegar. Lavender olive oil. Lavender selfies. Lavender dreams. The highlight of the outing was paying extra for a family-style dinner buffet cooked with ingredients freshly picked from the farm. The dinner was served in an old olive grove on the garden property, with string lights twinkling above large wood farm tables.

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La Copine in Flamingo Heights

The tiny, hip diner doesn’t take reservations, but has enough amenities to make the wait fly by. Cozy up with one of the Mexican Saltillo blankets piled up near the door of La Copine for customers to curb the chill of the desert wind while you sip on canned rosé from the patio bar cart. The wait is worth it. Menu favorites are the fried chicken and the duck fat potatoes sprinkled with rosemary and lemon aioli. For dessert, you’ll have a hard time choosing between the chocolate panna cotta or the lemon cake. Get them both.

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Kreem

The best homemade ice cream in Palm Springs is served up at Kreem. My favorite flavor is s’mores with toasted marshmallow and large chunks of graham cracker mixed into their signature creamy chocolate ice cream. Other favorites: banana cream pie and their newly released peanut butter flavor. The shop also offers a large, diverse selection of vegan ice creams including activated charcoal, ube, chai and chocolate.

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Apple picking in Oak Glen

Just a short drive from the desert takes you back in time and to cooler temperatures to pick apples, pumpkins and sunflowers at the base of the mountain in Yucaipa. Riley’s Farm offers everything needed to paint a vintage harvest dream. Don’t leave without taking home a salted caramel apple pie — best consumed warm with coffee. The property is both dog and child friendly, but if you have a child-eating dog please leave it at home.

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Smoke Tree Stables

This is on my personal bucket list — beautiful horses on beautiful winding trails through the desert, along streams and palm groves. I’ll meet you there. During the summer, one-hour trail rides at Smoke Tree Stables leave every hour from 8 a.m. to noon and follow a trail along the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains. For double the price, riders can take a 1 hour, 40-minute stroll from Andreas Canyon to Murray Canyon and back. That ride leaves at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. daily.

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Photo booth photos

The Ace Hotel and Swim Club is one of the most basic Betch website tourist destinations you can visit in Palm Springs and it’s probably an Instagram sin for influencers to leave the desert without stopping by to get some pics. BUT. But, there are two things I love at the Ace: the photo booth and the banoffee pie. The banoffee pie is layered with toffee, banana and whipped cream. The vintage photo booth slows down time as it develops actual film instead of printing a digital strip. The photos will come out wet and coated in chemicals.

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Counter Reformation at The Parker

I enjoy slipping into this hidden bar through the winding gardens of The Parker Palm Springs hotel simply for the religious cheese and wine experience it offers, complete with saint cards to take with you. I have a Saint Bibiana card, the patron saint of hangovers, in my purse, in addition to a card with proverbs 31:6-7 on it: “give strong drink to him who is perishing and wine to him whose lips are bitter.” Thank you, Counter Reformation, for those tokens. The cheese monger’s choice is the chef’s selection of cheese for the day, complete with warm grapes and jam. Warm grapes! A sensation of melting sugar in your mouth.

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Pottery classes

Have you had one of those break-down-sobbing-in-an-airport-terminal, frightening-the-old-business-men-around-you kind of days? Yeah, me too. My response: Ceramics. Desperately seeking balance and stillness and the feeling of earth in between my fingers, I signed up for a 5-week-long wheel-throwing class. The desert is home to a handful of talented ceramics artists to learn from, whether you’re on the west or east side of the valley. I took a class at Silica Studios in Palm Springs and walked away with beautifully imperfect bowls, vases and platters. In La Quinta, Old Town Artisan Studios offers classes as well.

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Airplane ride

I am seeking a friend to fund my $1,895 ride in a P-51 Mustang, an aircraft that served in World War II and in the Korean War as a tactical fighter-bomber and bomber escort, according to the Palm Springs Air Museum website. The bomber gives riders a glimpse into the memories of “dogfights in the skies of Europe.” If that’s not within your budget, perhaps try a C-47 ride for $99. The aircraft was used during World War II by the allies and remains in use by various military services. Or, keep your love of aircraft on the ground by touring the Palm Springs Air Museum, with aircraft and artifacts from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

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Whitewater Preserve

The Whitewater Preserve includes thousands of acres sucked between the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains, including dunes that lie at the meeting of the Whitewater and San Gorgonio Rivers. The acres are home to deer, bear and the magical bighorn sheep. Desert Sun staff recommends hiking to Rainbow Rock Canyon, which is a 6.3-mile out-and-back trail that takes you past colored rocks (think pink, green and blue pinstripes on the stones) to a glittery waterfall. On the way, you'll climb through overgrown thickets and might even spot some of the feral cattle that roam the hillsides. Pro tip: The area around the waterfall is shaded, so it's perfect for a picnic. Just take out whatever trash you pack in! Unfortunately, the preserve is closed to the public following damage from the storms in February. But officials say its slated to reopen in September — when cooler weather will make the hikes more enjoyable anyway.

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Noah Purifoy’s outdoor museum

In 1989, Noah Purifoy created the Outdoor Desert Art Museum of Assemblage Sculpture in Joshua Tree with more than 100 pieces of sculpture built along 10 acres of the desert. The pieces are made of steel, wood and other found material. More than two decades before that, he said, “I do not wish to be an artist, I only wish that art enable me to be.” And for the past three decades, his art has played a part in enabling the High Desert to continue to grow as an alternative, free-ranging art scene. The outdoor exhibit is open to the public every day and is free.

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Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

The first week I moved to Palm Springs my best friend forced me to take a break from unpacking and head up the tram — which he read on Google was a Palm Springs must-do. I’m pretty sure I saw Aubrey Plaza hiking through the winding trails or maybe my fatigues mind just made that up. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway the world’s largest rotating tram car and ventures above 2½ miles of cliffs. The elevation gain to the Mountain Station is 8,516 feet and leads visitors to over 50 miles of hiking trails in much cooler temperatures than on the valley floor — which is why an $80 unlimited summer pass is offered from May through the end of the season. A pro tip: Head up during the golden hour and down after the sunsets to get two very different breathtaking views of the same scene.

Ride to the sky:Palm Springs Aerial Tramway over the years

Thousand Palms Oasis in the Coachella Valley Preserve

The Thousand Palms Oasis has a lot of palms, if that’s what you’re into. But seriously, you'll see them in a whole new light as you traverse the maze of bridges over bubbling streams beneath the palms' canopies. It's significantly cooler in the shade of this spot, so don't be afraid to make a trip on a warm day. It's also home to a variety of wildlife great for birdwatchers and lizard watchers alike. (Just don't get too close to the palm tree skirts: They're home to rats.) The preserve includes 30 miles of trails, picnic areas and wildflowers. It is free to the public.

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Desert Sun reporter Nicole Hayden covers health and healthcare in the Coachella Valley. She can be reached at Nicole.Hayden@desertsun.com or (760) 778-4623. Follow her on Twitter @Nicole_A_Hayden.