Things To Do

Dining options are limited in the desert, but the ones we have are fantastic! Grab BBQ,  beer, and live music at Pappy & Harriet’s or French-inspired California cuisine at La  Copine Kitchen in Flamingo Heights. The Red Dog Saloon (an icon in Pioneertown since  1946) just reopened with cocktails, tacos, and fried cinnamon sugar tortillas. Giant Rock  Meeting Room is a preferred local watering hole in Landers offering delicious  pizza, pop-ups and live music. The Dez dishes out the best coffee and picnic  supplies for your holiday. Both Country Kitchen and Crossroads Café have a great  diner style breakfast. Lastly, The Copper Room is a recently renovated historic  airport bar that is the closest thing we have to fine(er) dining. Grab a steak, martini,  and take over the dance floor most nights of the week. 

Homestead Modern can also arrange for a private chef (with advance notice),  the stocking of your fridge with essential BBQ supplies, cocktail ingredients and /or  wine so you can orchestrate the perfect meal your way, without having to leave your  beautiful Joshua Tree vacation rental.

Yucca Tree Eatery / Divine juices and vegan sandwich options
The Tiny Pony Tavern / Karaoke, craft cocktails and fantastic food
Frontier Cafe / Coffee, sandwiches & salads
La Copine / Best lunch & brunch in town, if they are open
Giant Rock Meeting Room / Live music & pizza
Luna Sourdough/ New sourdough bread focused bakery

Red Dog Saloon / Tacos, cocktail, outdoor seating, music
Pappy & Harriets / Live music, BBQ and beer

Farmers Market / Saturdays with coffee, treat and outstanding produce
The Dez / Espresso, charcuterie, catering & picnic supplies
Crossroads Cafe / Diner style breakfast

29 Palms Inn / Historic restaurant & organic farm
Kitchen in the Desert / Desert Caribbean food and chill outdoor scene
Campbell Hill Bakery / Best loaves, muffins and sandwiches to-go

Grnd Sqrl / Largest selection of craft beer in town to enjoy alongside DJs & sandwiches
Out There Bar / Shuffleboard, cold drinks and good music

There are plenty of galleries and locally owned shops for antiques, vintage clothing, and home goods to explore along Highway 62, mostly found in the Joshua Tree Village or around Old Town Yucca. Some of our favorite shops are Mojave Flea Trading Post and Hoof and the Horn for vintage-meets-new. The End Vintage is very eclectic and Cactus Mart in Morongo Valley is a must stop on your way out of town. The Station is a cool and kitschy gift shop housed in a former gas station in Joshua Tree. Out front you’ll see hunky 20ft-tall “Big Josh” and inside there are gifts, cacti, coffee, and a back seating area perfect for catching some shade. There’s also a separate annex, Wonder Valley Oil Shop, open on the weekends selling their namesake olive oil and skin care. 

 If you are interested in visiting our favorite home decor shops, don’t miss a visit to Acme 5 and Geode & Gypsum. Pioneertown often hosts markets on the weekend, adjacent to shops where you can purchase anything from saddles to goat soap! For the best selection of wine, beer & spirits - Wine & Rock Shop has a lot of natural products and other trippy desert gifts. The Dez dishes out the best coffee and picnic supplies and Desierto Alto is a must stop on your way into town for wine, cheese and snacks. There are a few grocery stores in Yucca Valley but Instacart delivers to most areas in the high desert. Joshua Tree and 29 Palms have a weekly farmer’s market on Saturdays, both adjacent to the better bakeries in the area (Boo’s and Campbell Hill).

Wine & Rock Shop / All your wine, beer and crystal needs
Hoof and the Horn / Accessories, jewelry, clothes, gifts
Desierto Alto / High-end bodega, snacks, beer & spirits
ZZIEE Ceramics/ New ceramics studio and shop
ACME 5 / High end hand crafted decor
GEODE & GYPSUM / Desert Lifestyle Shop, Interior Design Studio Mojave
Flea Trading Post / Large marketplace of local makers & merchants

Simply stroll down Mane Street and be amazed, weekends only.

The Station / Unique gift shop
Matador Art Gallery / Post-mod Art
Wonder Valley Oil Shop / Olive oil and skin care
High Desert Test Sites / Appointment only, famed artist Andrea Zittel’s
Studio Night Market / Monthly market w/ wide variety of vendors & music

There are thousands of trails, camp sites, and rock-climbing routes sprinkled throughout Joshua Tree National Park, just make sure you are there for sunset and don’t forget to see the Cholla Cactus Garden, the Ocatilla Orchard and Cap Rock. The main park entrance is in Joshua Tree and there is no wrong place within the park to explore; however, there is an additional entrance in 29 palms if you want to avoid the line that often forms in JT on the weekends. Don’t miss hiking or horseback riding in the largest nonprofit nature preserve system in California, The Pioneertown Mountains Preserve, and make sure to add a stroll through historic Pioneertown afterwards. Founded in 1946 by a group of Hollywood investors with dreams of creating a living movie set—an 1870’s frontier town with facades for filming and interiors - Pioneertown always has something happening on the weekends and the legendary Pappy & Harriet’s is located here, known for its incredible live music, drinks, and BBQ.

If you are interested in the vibrant art scene here, there’s the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum, a free outdoor collection of large found folk-art assemblages. The Crochet Museum features a huge collection of crocheted animals in a former one-hour Fotomat booth. High Desert Test Sites is a nonprofit arts institution that supports and stewards experimental artwork in the Joshua Tree region. They always have interesting programing, tours or installations and you can also make an appointment to visit A-Z West throughout the month, their evolving testing ground for living, located on over eighty acres in Joshua Tree at their studio.

There are plenty of unique activities in the Landers area, such as a visit to the Gubler Orchids Farm, Giant Rock Meeting Room for pizza & live music. Methods & Rituals Spa for a custom blessing ceremony or The Integratron. The Integratron is a white domed structure erected in the 1950’s by George Van Tassel and built on an intersection of powerful geo-magnetic forces. Their focus is to restore and preserve the structure while sharing its amazing acoustical properties with the world via restorative soundbaths.

Amboy Crater, Salvation Mountain & The Salton Sea are all within a few hours drive if you are looking for unique, art driven destinations. Palm Springs is just an hour away, with all the eating, shopping and entertainment you could ask for. Big Bear is actually just an hour away as well, a very scenic drive to get you to a cooler, mountainous area if you want to escape the desert landscape.

Founded in 2014, our goal was to expand the availability of premium vacation rental homes and hospitality options in the communities near our National Park. The idea for the company originated from our first house, the iconic Rock Reach House in Yucca Valley. From there, our portfolio grew quickly through word of-mouth, and today, Homestead Modern manages the largest collection of premium short-term vacation properties in the area. In addition to managing rentals, Homestead also builds and designs new homes, renovates existing properties, and works with investors to engage the booming High Desert economy. In 2022 Homestead Modern opened The Bungalows at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center, introducing the first premium traditional hospitality offering in the area.

Our guests visit us for all kinds of reasons: the unique landscape; the local culture; the proximity to countless outdoor adventures. Whatever your reason, we pride ourselves on crafting authentic interactions with the singular and enchanting setting of the High Desert. We hope your experience here will leave you longing to return. Please reach out to us if we can assist in making your trip as unforgettable as possible.