La Quinta is a city in Riverside County in Southern California. It is a desert resort city about 30 minutes southeast of Palm Springs. La Quinta is one of the nation's leading golf destinations, having 28 golf courses within the city limits. Tourism is centered primarily on golf, hiking in the surrounding mountains, relaxing at the historic La Quinta Resort, and shopping and dining in the Village.
Amtrak serves nearby Palm Springs via the tri-weekly Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle service between Los Angeles and New Orleans, Chicago and many cities and towns in between. Amtrak also provides bus connections to and from the San Joaquins trains, which run up California's Central Valley to the Bay Area and Sacramento. The train station in Palm Springs is an open platform with no services, far from the city.
From Los Angeles, take Interstate 10 East towards Phoenix, exit at Washington Street or Jefferson Street, and then head south about 5 miles. La Quinta is a two-hour drive from Los Angeles and San Diego if there is not much traffic.
Neighboring Indio's bus terminal, at 83100 Indio Boulevard, is served by Greyhound and Crucero (dead link: January 2023). The terminal has a staffed ticket counter, vending machines, and Baggage Express service. International service and connecting buses to Phoenix, Bakersfield, and Los Angeles are every 15 to 30 minutes. At least six direct buses serve Mexicali, BC from Indio's bus terminal daily with additional connecting services available to Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana.
Amtrak California's (dead link: January 2023) Thruway Bus Service Route 19b serves La Quinta twice daily, with direct connections to train stations in San Bernardino and Bakersfield. The bus stop is located at 78998 Highway 111 in La Quinta. Route 19B also stops at the Palm Springs Airport and originates from the Indio bus terminal.
La Quinta has a small but friendly downtown known as the Village. Many boutique shops, outdoor restaurants, and art galleries are located there. La Quinta's heart is the adjacent eclectic neighborhood known as The Cove. The commercial retail corridor is in the northern portion of the city along Highway 111.
Highway 111 runs east-west along the north side of La Quinta and connects all the cities in the Coachella Valley. Highway 111 has many signals and lots of traffic, so if you are going far (e.g. Palm Springs), you should utilize Interstate 10. Washington Street and Jefferson Street are the major north-south arteries serving La Quinta.
The City of La Quinta permits the use of golf carts within the Village and Cove neighborhoods on designated golf cart paths and local streets with reduced speed limits. Visitors to the La Quinta Resort and SilverRock Resort can quickly and easily reach the La Quinta Village and Cove by golf cart.
La Quinta and the surrounding environs are mostly flat and dry and can make for good cycling during the cooler months. The City of La Quinta has an extensive bicycle route network that connects to most neighboring cities. Colorful local bicycle clubs can often be seen riding around in groups.
Golfers of all skill levels come to La Quinta in order to make a pilgrimage to the famous golf courses at PGA West and the La Quinta Resort. SilverRock Resort offers a very challenging golf course designed by Arnold Palmer, featured in the Skins Game and the Bob Hope Classic tournaments.
Hiking in the nearby mountains, gambling at nearby Indian casinos, bicycling, horseback riding, and dining out are also popular activities. There is an extensive network of hiking and horseback riding trails leading from the city into the nearby mountains, most notably the Cove trailhead located at the southern end of the Cove neighborhood at the corner of Calle Tecate and Avenida Madero. The Bear Creek Trail, connecting the Village and the Cove with the adjacent mountains, has a trail head located at the western end of Calle Tampico in the Village. La Quinta is also home to a number of excellent day spas and massage parlors.
The City of La Quinta has a public pool and tennis courts at the corner of Avenue 52 and Avenida Bermudas in the Village.
The annual Coachella Music Festival is held in Indio at the Empire Polo Grounds, which is adjacent to La Quinta's city limits.
La Quinta is a popular place to purchase golf merchandise, as the city has numerous retail golf specialty stores, custom outfitters, and pro shops. The Village offers art galleries and small boutiques. The primary retail commercial corridor is along Highway 111, though most tourists prefer to shop at nearby El Paseo in Palm Desert. The Village holds a certified farmer's market from October through the winter season on Saturday mornings.
La Quinta is noted for having a wide selection of excellent restaurants. Tourists seeking authentic Mexican cuisine often head to the neighboring cities of Indio and Coachella.
Although La Quinta is well known as a town that frequently imbibes in "golf and scotch," it is also well known for its random and frequent DUI checkpoints. The La Quinta Resort is a popular place to enjoy a drink. There is a noted wine bar and cellar in the Village. Back Street Brewery inside Lamppost Pizza on Highway 111 makes very good craft beer. Most golf courses have excellent bar facilities.
Many visitors choose to rent vacation homes and condos by the week or month. Neighboring cities of Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Indian Wells are home to numerous upscale hotels and resorts. The nearby city of Indio offers budget travelers numerous clean, affordable, hourly lodging options along Indio Boulevard.
Other nearby desert resort cities include Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Palm Springs and Indio.
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