The Coachella Music Festival is one of the world's most well-known weekend retreats, where you can immerse yourself in the titans of the alternative music scene. Be surrounded by thousands of people wearing headdresses and "dancing" to the "beat".
Legally speaking you shouldn't go to a Mexican restaurant in someone's backyard, but if the idea of homemade, authentic and extremely affordable Mexican food makes your stomach grumble, seek out your local spot. It'll be worth it.
Fresh mangoes are good on their own, but stands like Que Mango that sell chopped fruit with lemon and salt as a tasty garnish are even better.
Here's the pitch: You and all of your friends will drive out into the desert, put your brights on and party in the middle of the desert. In Indio that's how it's done. Just don't let your battery die. The fun will quickly evaporate.
If you're going to Coachella, be aware that it gets pretty, uh, warm in Indio. Okay, it gets really hot. Which means you'll probably be pool partying to stay cool. The coolest people get invited to the exclusive parties out in nearby Palm Springs, and with names like "Godzilla", "Neon Carnival" and "Vestal Village", you know things are going to get weird.
Even if you can't quite squeeze your way into the Indio elite's pool parties, no worries: There's always the Pawley pool in town where you can rage with the rest of your lame friends. Rock on?
Looking for a high-end locale to take your sweetheart? Cork & Fork is just next door in La Quinta. It's a gastropub to compete with the best of them. Ever combine butterscotch pudding and bacon? What, that doesn't sound appealing? How about grilled cheese with braised short rib? Just give them a try, and they'll rock your world.
Pool parties a little too raucous and wild for your taste? Fear not-you can golf pretty much anywhere you want in Indio at courses like the Municipal Golf Course (with one of the longest 3 par courses in the country) and the surrounding resort cities.
From the Fantasy Springs website: "Whether your fantasy includes luxurious hotel rooms, exciting Vegas-style gambling options, fabulous dining, world-class entertainment or poolside lounging, you'll find it all here." I mean, if you insist. Looks like you can get your low-calorie Vegas experience right here.
Hopefully you've accepted the fact that the weather here is indeed really hot, you'll probably want to get away from the scorching desert every once in a while. Lucky for you, the Palm Springs Tramway will get you out of the desert and into the mountains in 10 minutes flat!
The Stagecoach Festival is the alternate to the Coachella madness, with country music, RVs and apparently a sea of people. Non of them seem upset they're not at the "other" music festival.
Even if you're not into karaoke, a night at Neil's Lounge might just change your mind. Just make sure to go with some friends so you'll have people to drag up with you in case your voice is truly bad.
This kind of date is much easier to get on a weekend. Indio's most famous tourist attraction is the Shield's Date Farm, which not only will teach you more than you ever probably wanted to know about how the fruit is grown, but also makes a mean date smoothie.
That pun was about as terrible as the Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival is miraculous. Complete with ostrich races, juggling clowns, physical comedy and your once-a-year chance to see what a "date blessing" looks like! Hmm, fewer and fewer reasons to crowd your way into Coachella.
If nachos are your crack, Arriola's Tortilleria is the place to go. They're spicy, cheesy awesome with chips. You should probably already be packing and buying your plane ticket for your pilgrimage.
"But living in California is so expensive!" Yeah, yeah. Look, this isn't granola-crunching San Francisco. Indio is down-to-earth, and affordable at that. Houses on average go for $250,000! If you think that's too expensive for the desert, YOU'RE too expensive for the desert!
The S.C.R.A.P. Gallery is a local non-profit initiative to teach kids about effective methods of recycling and reducing waste and reducing one's carbon footprint through fun arts, crafts and science. To feel even better about yourself, drive your kids to class in your Prius!
Anywhere else in the entire world, you would probably take offense that the local high school's football team is called the Rajahs. But in Indio you cut your home team some slack, especially around the epic battle for the Victory Bell. They're probably not gonna win this year anyway.
The International Tamale Festival answers the question: "How many times can I say that this one is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted?" Trust me, it'll be a lot. Make sure to come hungry.
El Paseo is the big shopping boulevard in town, as well as the site of many local events for neighboring city Palm Desert. Make a day of it (and blow your cash) with a stroll on the sunny side of the street. Hint: In the desert, that's actually both sides.
OK, so Neil's isn't actually the only bar in Indio. If you're really looking for another option head over to nearby Palm Desert's Red Barn. Drown your sorrows where the drinks are as stiff as the barn is red (spoilers: Very).
So Indio isn't exactly a destination for donuts. Sorry about that. I mean, you can eat the donuts, as long as you pay for them, but you and your friends are going to meet up here at The Jelly Donut, and then immediately go wherever it is you're going to be heading after.
When you go to the Indio Fashion Mall, there are two reasons. Either you are going to do shopping of any form, or you are addicted to the saladitos in your Bette's Ice Cream lemonade. It's probably the latter.
Just read that headline again. I know, right? Get them at swap meets. Speaking of...
Swap meets are essentially flea markets. If flea markets regularly carried things you actually would want, beyond being able to say that you bought it at a flea market. And at the prices this stuff goes for at the meets in Indio, you can afford to hang out just for the ambience too.
You and your outdoorsy friends are bound to have a good time trying to get up to the top of the Coachella Valley's Bump and Grind Trail (along with seemingly everyone else in the entire world, so get ready for a crowd).
Trust me, I was just as surprised to find that this place was real, or perhaps even more so. Joshua Tree National Park, just a short drive from Indio in Twentynine Palms, is one of the last places to find the rare Joshua Trees and was used as the cover for that album. I can almost hear Bono singing now.
