Buy Something to Show Off Your Trip at the New Joshua Tree Visitor Center

Discover local artists at a desert national park.

With its distinctive landscapes and almost sculptural namesake trees, it's no wonder that the Joshua Tree National Park area has drawn artists for decades. The park even has an artist-in-residence program during which a chosen artist lives at the park, creates, and shares their art and experiences with park visitors. And every April, the park visitor center hosts an arts festival, which is your best way of seeing the diverse works of the many artists living in nearby towns.

Even if you can't make it for that event, check out the visitor center's garden, which displays sculptures for sale by local artists. The works all reflect the beauty of the surrounding landscape, with interpretations ranging from quirky to inspirational.