Experience Palm Springs celebrated Midcentury Modern architecture in an entirely new light on Modernism Week’s Illuminated Twilight Tour.
This special evening tour travels through some of Palm Springs’ most architecturally significant neighborhoods aboard an open-air double-decker bus, offering a unique perspective as daylight fades behind the San Jacinto Mountains and the desert transitions into night.
Created specifically for this tour, a custom lighting program dramatically illuminates 17 architecturally significant buildings along the route. Each property has been individually considered, with lighting designed to highlight its distinctive architectural features, materials, rooflines, landscaping, and relationship to the desert environment. The result transforms these remarkable buildings after dark and reveals details that may go unnoticed during daylight hours.
From the upper deck, guests will enjoy exceptional views while learning about the architects, designers, developers, and residents who helped establish Palm Springs as an internationally recognized center of Modernist architecture from knowledgeable guides.
The changing desert sky provides a spectacular backdrop as the tour progresses from twilight into evening, when walls of glass, dramatic rooflines, textured masonry, breeze blocks, and sculptural landscapes take on an entirely different character.
Combining architecture, lighting design, history, and the beauty of Palm Springs after sunset, the Illuminated Twilight Tour offers a memorable opportunity to experience Desert Modernism as it was meant to be seen, beautifully illuminated.
As a special post-Illuminated Twilight Tour treat, guests will be invited to step into the Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar for complimentary appetizers and cocktails.
Bring a jacket, bring your camera, and prepare to see Palm Springs from a different perspective.