this is the headquarters for high desert test sites, an organization that supports experimental art…read morethat engages with the local environment within a short stretch of intimate and diverse desert communities that include joshua tree, pioneertown, wonder valley, yucca valley, and twentynine palms. high desert test sites generates physical and conceptual spaces for art exploring the intersections between contemporary art and life at large. these works are scattered througout the desert and there are both fleeting and long-term experimental projects in the roster of work produced. inside the headquarters you can pick up a free detailed map to several of the permanent installations in the area and it came quite in handy during our desert explorations. the map provides some excellently written directions- some of the sites are located off the grid in places that would be hard, if not impossible, to find without their extremely explicit instructions. the headquarters also houses a small archival library and a shop filled with a lovingly curated selection of zines, books, camping/survival gear, gems & minerals, and a variety of artist-made goods. i picked up a piece of green calcite for two dollars and a short field guide to the local night sky. i highly recommended stopping by the high desert test sites hq if you're hanging out in the high desert and want a chance to connect with some spectacular in-situ art works.

Bought tickets to the JT Philharmonic once. Concert was cancelled so I accepted replacement…read moretickets for the following year. After a year my plans had changed and I was out of town the day of the rescheduled concert so I requested a refund. Was told I would receive a refund and it's now been 4 months and I've still not received my refund despite my tickets being resold. I've emailed and called multiple times and not had anyone return mt calls / emails. Unfortunately this is symptomatic of a prevailing attitude here in the high desert. Amateur hour. Go down the hill for your cultural needs if you're looking for professionalism.

****** STORYTIME ******…read more Once upon a time, there was a Heavy Psych Fest that took place at the High Desert Cultural Center. One day, Kimberley decided to buy tickets to the event without knowing what Kimberley was about to get into .. As Kimberley arrived to the event, Kimberley could feel the energy and excitement in the air and the earth moving below her. Clueless Kimberley, having no idea what to expect and no experience with this type of music decided to enter the concert venue anyway, as the tickets were already purchased ahead of time. As the earth rumbled under foot as if the devil was banging on the underbelly of the earth's crust, the first band performed well and was so hardcore that her ears were about to bleed. She tried to position herself as far as possible from the stage and brace herself on a building so as to prepare the body to enjoy it, but it was just too much for her. She decided to stick around for a little while longer to see if the other bands would be any different. Unfortunately, they weren't. They were even more hardcore than the first band. Kimberley felt like she was in a warzone, and her body couldn't take it anymore. She looked around and noticed that everyone was wearing black and she was the only person that was wearing white. She took that as a sign .... She left the event after only 30 minutes. As she walked out of the venue, she couldn't help but laugh (and cry) at herself for not researching the type of music that would be played at the event before buying the tickets. She realized that she had made a mistake and learned a valuable lesson. From that day forward, Kimberley makes sure she watches a few youtubes about the events and the artists before purchasing tickets to any musical event or show. She certainly doesn't want to find herself in another situation like the Heavy Psych Fest at the High Desert Cultural Center and be the only person who didn't "get the memo" !

We stopped here after our trip to Joshua Tree…read more Free entry. The museum is well maintained and staffed. There's a rock section that my son loved. They also had mounted bugs from the region. The highlight was the live little animals. I believe they have demonstrations. When we walked in a staff member was explaining fossils to a group of kids. Lots of parking available.

Well done museum with geology, history, wildlife exhibits and many things for kids to do. Free…read moreadmission, though donations are appreciated. Helpful staff. We are glad we stopped in.

I love this studio so much. I had been here a few times many years ago when I lived in Echo Park. I…read morewas so excited to see that they had moved to the high desert. I immediately signed up for the lovely two week deal and got to try each instructor; everyone is wonderful and very tentative to detail, I have never felt looked over in any of my classes. The studio is clean and very inviting, the class sizes are small and they have everything you could possibly need to comfortably perform Pilates at any level. It's so easy to book your classes online. You'll fall in love with this little Pilates community.

Private lesson with Kristina for stretching. Use of mat, Yoga strap and Thera band. Good…read moreinstruction with thorough explanation and help with movements.

Jason was very friendly and helpful!…read more I bought one postcard stamp with loose change and he was nice about it! He even mailed it for me, I didn't need to put it in the mailbox myself. And also lots of parking! It is a small space inside if you need a specific service. But it was comfortable enough for me to write my card on the side counter.

Ive had a mail hold since 9/14. Exactly 2 weeks from today. Received a notice that my package was…read moreleft in my mailbox today. (Not the first time since my mail hold). Mail is still getting delivered. Ive gone in almost every day to collect my mail in hopes they have my mail/packages. No mail. Postmaster met me at my apt to collect my package today, no package in sight. However she did find my missing mail in someone else's mailbox. Surprise, surprise. (Refer to my previous review). I filed a complaint last week because I am tired of this mail carrier (her name is Melissa) continuing to leave my mail or not delivering it to the post office per my mail hold & per our conversation--she knows for 2 weeks now. I even spoke with her IN PERSON regarding the issue with my mail hold. I asked if I can have my mail last week and she said I need to get ahold of my property manager to get a key made and that she can't give me my mail. (With the address matching my ID.) I just want my mail. Luckily my credit card was retrieved from someone else's mailbox today. (thanks to the post master who has been very helpful in the past).

This is a cute little mini museum; but not a museum with a lot of history or diarama's…read more This museum includes a jam packed display of crochet pieces in an old photo developing booth. Admission is free and visiting is really so novel. I do crochet, and do a lot of other creative crafts and was so excited for my nerdy heart to visit the museum. If you visit their website you will also see that it's the "museum seen around the world" with photos of it popping up in airports around the world because it was featured in and HSBC advertisement. So if you like to create, or you like unique roadside attractions, be sure to visit The World Famous Crochet Musuem. The cool thing too, there are other things to see and shop at the same location in Joshua Tree. The area is really neat, and a place to add to your bucket list.

World Famous Crochet Museum is located in Joshua Tree at the Art Queen district filled with other…read moresurrounding small local vendors. It's a very tiny museum at no cost for entry. Fun and quirky because you see all kinds of crochet from the walls up to the ceiling. My son and I can only fit in this museum, but were able to see everything. It's a must to see when visiting Joshua Tree, especially if you are into crochet.

The best church in town! Solid, Bible believing, sanctified living, (though still full of…read moreimperfect people!), sacrificial giving...in a word, Home! Pastor Watkins is a kind, compassionate, talented, focused individual who lives his life for his Lord, and gives his life for his church family. Perfect opportunities to grow and to minister, to be a part of something more than a social club. Come check it out!

Friendly believers, made me welcome as a visitor, nice book store, sing the old hymns, & use the…read moreKing James Bible.

Just took a Joshua Tree morning tour with Wendy. She was excellent and patient with my family…read more Since we got into the park a little after 8am, we were constantly ahead of the crowds. Overall we really enjoyed our experience and would highly recommend using them. And we paid about $100 per person for a private morning tour. That's pretty good value IMO! The selection of different activities was very low but that was because we booked the busiest time of the season, and only about 3 weeks ahead of time. Booking process was very smooth. The only issue I had was they were unresponsive to any type of communication beforehand. After I booked online, I wrote them and email asking for confirmation, as well as called them and left a voicemail. I received no reply. I almost thought I might have been scammed! Thankfully that wasn't that case.

Great day hiking experience! Our guide was knowledgeable about the park itself and the plants,…read moreanimals, and geology. He also was flexible to adapt to our group's need to change plans when we realized not everyone was interested in rock scrambling.

I've been coming to Save The Meow Meows for a while now, and honestly I think every time I go is a…read morebetter experience than the last! You can really tell how much attention, care, and work they put into giving their cats a good home. Every cat has to start somewhere, and STMM gives them a great environment to learn to socialize and adapt to not being in the dangerous situations that they were rescued from! I've watched many of their cats go from extremely anti-social to snuggly in their time with this organization. I have adopted two cats from them, and helped a roommate adopt one as well. They are extremely helpful and as long as you communicate, they give you a lot of grace throughout the adoption process! If you're not looking to adopt a cat, you're also just free to hang out and play with the kitties! I end up going just for a third space to do homework and stuff! They have snacks and drinks for sale that you can enjoy during your stay as well. They also have a ton of great goodies in the shop portion of the space, and you can even buy collars or accessories for the lounge cats to wear! Overall, I've never had a bad experience here. This place has been my escape when going through difficult times, and the staff are genuine people that will connect with you. I cannot recommend coming to this place enough!

I received an unwanted direct written message from Bert V., who is one of their representatives…read moreconfirming that less than one week went by and they gave Lois to someone with another cat so they could "bond." .... That message validated the exact concern I raised in my original review, and I am even more upset now than I was before. I cannot understand separating an EXTREMELY bonded brother and sister, only to place one of those cats into another home with the expectation that she form a new bond with a different cat!? OF COURSE THE CATS DIDNT EXIBIT THE BEHAVIORS THEY WERE STILL SCARED it was less than a week are you kidding me?!! It's so clear to me this place just wants to turn the cats over and make a profit. This place pulls in almost half a million dollars per year and they DO take salary's - this is all public record. They're all about MONEY and NOT the cats. So after Bert upset me all over again with this info he then had the audacity to send me ANOTHER message less than 24 hours after I specifically asked him not bring this up again (see texts). And He did this after I asked him to pick up another cat he had left dumped at my home months ago....he then tried to BRIBE ME to take down my review bc ONLY THEN he would be willing to pick up the cat he left dumped at my house!! Evil. ...So Instead of simply handling that responsibility, he chose to bring up something he knew would upset me further and try to bribe me. Based on my personal experience, the person I dealt with privately is very different from the public image he presents as an animal rescuer. If you want me to take down my review, trying to bribe me isn't going to work..but he knew that he just wanted cut the wound deeper. I strongly believe this organization should also take a closer look at the people it partners with and allows to facilitate placements. When someone is also involved in the communication between fosters, adopters, and a rescue, their words, representations and conduct matters too. What happened to this bonded pair is heartbreaking to me and I'll never forget this. I trusted repeated assurances that they would remain together, and learning that Lois was placed elsewhere so she could bond with another cat only made the situation more disturbing. Her poor brother Charlie he was so obsessed with his sister Lois and i know he will always be looking for her. Bert V. also gave me one more assurance the day before pick up that he had also communicated with this rescue and that I had been promised the bonded pair would never be separated. **See pictured text message** Pathetic, cruel and backstabbing.

What a gem! Sacred sands is a beautiful and relaxing boutique hotel near Joshua Tree National Park…read more My boyfriend and I came here for a weekend trip a couple of weeks ago. We only stayed for one night but we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Check-in instructions were sent via email and there's a code to unlock the room. The grounds are very pretty, perfect for a desert wedding or party. There are great views all around and there aren't any neighbors nearby. It looks like they own a lot of acreage nearby. The room we stayed in was the Onyx room. It was beautifully and thoughtfully decorated. There are lots of nice additions in the room to ensure you enjoy staying in from wine glasses, a wine fridge, record player with a record collection, bath salts, star gazing area outside with a mattress, and comfy robes and slippers to use during your stay. If it were warmer, I definitely would've tried out the outdoor tub and shower but it was too cold at night to even think about it. There's also a large community pool in the works. As mentioned earlier, this hotel is about a mile from the NP so it's an excellent choice for anyone going there. It's also not too far from town so you're not too far from stores and cafes. I am definitely planning on staying here again!

AMAZING RENTAL!! Definitely the best place to stay while visiting Joshua Tree National Park!…read moreLocated only one mile from the West Entrance. We stayed in the Onyx room. There's only two rooms but each are beautifully decorated w so much attention to detail! Both have their own private outdoor area that is huge. The outdoor area have their own shower and tub which has a window that you can open to view the sunset. There's also a queen size bed outside for stargazing or tanning. Don't worry there is an indoor bathroom as well with an amazing shower. Everything was so well thought out! Each room has a fridge that is stocked up with large bottles of water, k cups, teas, creamers and sugar. They give you plenty of towels. There's also bath salts to use for when you enjoy the outdoor tub. They make sure the check in process is smooth and easy. There's also housekeeping available (free only if you stay 3 nights or more). There is a beautiful common outdoor area with a fire pit, swings and seating. There is also a common area with a large living room that has a microwave. I can't stop singing praises about this place! Sacred Sands absolutely rocked it!