Welcome to Twentynine Palms

Shanghai Brown
Jan 30, 2017
5 min read

Out on edge of the desert, the City of Twentynine Palms has long been a place of refuge for the desert traveler.

The cool waters of the Oasis of Mara and the shade of its palms beckon to the weary wanderer, the way they have for thousands of years. It was around this life-giving oasis where Native Americans made their home. Later, prospectors and miners, cattlemen, and others came this way.

In the years following World War I, veterans arrived, seeking restoration of their health and vitality in the dry desert air, along with resourceful, determined homesteaders, and a community began to take hold.

Now, Twentynine Palms is the home of the headquarters of Joshua Tree National Park and proud host of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, the world’s largest Marine Corps training base.

Known for its clear skies, brilliant star-filled nights, desert and mountain vistas, wide-open spaces, murals and public art, the city offers a haven for artists and nature lovers, a quiet getaway for visitors, a scenic location for photography and filming, a supportive climate for small businesses, and a friendly community and healthy environment for families and retirees.

The area was first inhabited by Serrano, and later Chemehuevi and Cahuilla Indians, who lived at the Oasis of Mara, the original heart of the community and location of its namesake, the legendary 29 native Washingtonia filifera palm trees counted by desert surveyors in the 1850s that gave the city its name.

Miners and cattlemen arrived in the 1870s, lured by gold and silver in the nearby Dale Mining District, and open pastures, followed by World War I veterans and homesteaders in the 1920s. Six decades later, the community was incorporated as the City of Twentynine Palms.

Serving as a gateway community to the nearly 800,000-acre Joshua Tree National Park on the south and the 932-square-mile Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center on the north, Twentynine Palms is also a gateway to the Mojave National Preserve, Mojave Desert wilderness areas, the Mojave Trails National Monument, Route 66, the Colorado River, and other exciting desert destinations.

Today, the city provides accommodations for many of the 2.4 million annual visitors to Joshua Tree National Park and convenient lodging and dining for contractors and families visiting the Marine base, offering lodging choices ranging from historic inns and classic roadside motels to modern hotels and RV facilities, plus more than three dozen restaurants and bars, and casino.

A comprehensive visitor information website, www.visit29.org, provides a great starting point for travelers to the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities. The City of Twentynine Palms operates a visitor information center, downtown on Route 62, and Joshua Tree National Park’s Oasis Visitor Center is located on Utah Trail and National Park Drive.

Things to Do

Tour the Arts of the Oasis of Murals Once a budding art colony in the 1940s-50s, Twentynine Palms experienced a renaissance in the mid-1990s that spawned a world class Oasis of Murals, a resurgence of artistic residents, and an Art in Public Places program that features ongoing exhibitions and public art installations throughout the city. The city’s artistic heritage continues to play an important role in its planning and revitalization efforts and ongoing cultural growth. Pick up a murals map at the Visitor Center & Gallery (at the Chamber of Commerce office downtown) and tour the dozens of murals and public art installations throughout the city. Take in the gallery showing of desert art while you’re at the visitor center too! Additional arts attractions feature several galleries, including the 29 Palms Art Gallery, home to the 29 Palms Artists’ Guild, located in a historic adobe building. The guild is the oldest arts organization in the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities, started by famed desert landscape painter John Hilton and other artists in 1951. The adobe, originally built as the home of western author Tom Hopkins, hosts rotating art shows, classes, receptions, and special events throughout the year. Drop by the 29 Palms Creative Center where you can not only view and purchase works by desert artists, but you can join in an arts class or arrange a private session to learn how to make monotype prints, mosaics, and more. Make your own souvenirs and gifts for those back home!

Go Back in Time A visit to the Old Schoolhouse Museum is a trip back in time. Home to the 29 Palms Historical Society, the museum includes the city’s original 1927 one-room schoolhouse. The museum provides an excellent introduction to the history of Twentynine Palms and hosts regular lectures on topics of historical interest. It also is the site of two famous annual events—the Old Timers Gathering during Pioneer Days, every October, and the Weed Show (a true desert classic) in November.

Catch a Play Theatre 29 produces half a dozen major stage productions—musicals, comedies and dramas—throughout the year. Nearly all plays performed are family oriented, and the Halloween haunted house, created, directed, and staffed by local ghouls, has become legendary. Plays by local authors are also staged at this community theatre. Enjoy dinner and a play after a day exploring Joshua Tree National Park!

Drive Into Classic Americana While they’re getting increasingly hard to find across the country, in Twentynine Palms you can still pile into the car and head for the drive-in movie theater. Smith’s Ranch Drive-In opened in 1954 and still screens first-run movies today, Thursday through Sunday nights.

Get Stars in Your Eyes The Sky’s the Limit Observatory & Nature Center under development next to the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park (one of the best stargazing destinations in the world), provides opportunities for exploring the desert’s deep, dark night skies. Remember the Milky Way? It’s still up there.

Events and Fun for Everyone Twentynine Palms hosts a variety of festive events each year, from the Pioneer Days celebration to art festivals like the Weed Show, a long-running homegrown arts event involving natural and found objects that could only happen in the desert, and motorcycle races. Recreational amenities include two community parks with playgrounds and ballfields, a public swimming pool and skateboard park, two golf courses, and, of course, rock climbing, hiking, and camping in our backyard—the national park. The main business district of Twentynine Palms lies in a scenic valley halfway between the national park entrance and the main gate of the Marine base, placing retail, dining, and lodging less than 10 minutes from either destination. Small businesses form the backbone of the local economy, along with arts and tourism, and the majority of lodging venues in the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities are found in Twentynine Palms. To the east lies Wonder Valley, a rural unincorporated community filled with more artists and musicians and true “desert rats” and past that there is 100 miles of Route 62 taking you through the desert to the Colorado River. To the north you’ll find Route 66, Amboy Crater, and the Mojave National Preserve, all easily accessible from Twentynine Palms. Over the years, the call of the Mojave has lured artists, musicians, naturalists, writers, poets, photographers, and a dazzling variety of urban escapees to become desert denizens. Many visit and return one day to stay. We invite you to explore the desert landscape, enjoy the quiet desert solitude, and catch the spirit of our friendly community out here on the edge of the desert.