The Copper Room

For most people visiting Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley is the chain-ridden town where you can pick up groceries and get gas before heading to your vacation rental. But there’s a lot more here than a Stater Bros. Case in point, The Copper Room. This historic restaurant at the Yucca Valley Airport has been around since the 1950s, when regulars included Frank Sinatra and Gene Autry. It closed a few years back, but has now been restored with multiple dining rooms and a wrap-around bar perfect for martinis, eating delicious snacks like garlic shrimp toast, and pretending you’re someone else for a few hours. This is the kind of place you come to on your first night in the desert, then return to every night after.