When the sun goes down on Avenue 42, the lights come on over a city-owned par-3 course. This year a restaurant sits next to it and serves until 11 p.m. The course's operator calls The Lights at Indio the only night-lighted golf course in the Coachella Valley. The course's new clubhouse opened in May, at the start of the summer heat.
The same timing applies to most of what Indio opened or rebuilt over the past year. The Sports Park opened May 16. The Civic Center campus followed on May 20. The upgraded Badlands Trailhead had its ribbon-cutting on April 27. Many of these places stay open well after sunset. October through December is their first chance to be used the way they were built, on evenings when being outside is comfortable.
The Lights at Indio, once the grass comes in
The course and practice areas are closed for reseeding from Monday, September 28, through Sunday, October 25, 2026. The driving range stays open during the closure, and the course's notice lists evening range hours until 10 p.m. Normal facility hours are listed as 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. That makes the last week of October the first time golfers can try the new layout in fall weather.
The layout is a little different now. The new clubhouse changed two holes, according to The Desert Sun's report on the new clubhouse:
- No. 9 went from 176 yards to 125, and its new green sits well back from the restaurant's large glass walls. The old ninth green is now a putting green near the first and 10th tees.
- No. 18 used to be 156 yards. A new tee against the fence by the new parking lot makes it 61 yards, the shortest hole on the course.
- The clubhouse is two curved buildings designed by Shepphird Associates. One holds the pro shop, the offices and a post office, as the old clubhouse did. The other holds the restaurant.
The course is still 18 holes, par 54, 2,777 yards. The facility also hosts the Coachella Valley's first FootGolf course accredited by the American FootGolf League. A trailer for The First Tee of the Coachella Valley now stands where the temporary trailers were, and the program uses The Lights as its east-valley hub for junior golf.
General manager Jeff Walser told The Desert Sun that the old clubhouse "had been there, well, for 60 years. It had run its life." He estimates the new buildings and outdoor areas at about 5,000 square feet. The new parking lot east of the building has six EV charging stations.
The PIN, open later than the range
The PIN Kitchen & Bar is listed as open every day from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., an hour after the range closes. The menu runs from small plates and salads to mains, flatbreads and grab-and-go items. NBC Palm Springs reported that it opened to the public June 5, the day after the ribbon-cutting.
Restaurant director Juan Martinez described the goal to The Desert Sun: "It being a community location, we wanted to bring something where the community can come and hang out." The dining room has a 100-inch television, three more screens over the bar, indoor and outdoor seating, and murals of Indio and Bob Hope. That is a big step up from the hot dogs and free popcorn the old clubhouse was known for. You can eat on the patio after dark with the lighted fairways in view. You don't need to play golf to do it.
The Civic Center, where the library came first
Downtown, the newest public space was built in two stages. The Indio Library opened on October 15, 2025, so it turns one year old this week. The campus around it was finished in May 2026. It includes a three-story City Hall of nearly 38,000 square feet, a paved public plaza, a greenbelt, drought-tolerant landscaping and solar-covered parking.
The library building covers 7,814 square feet, with an additional 2,800-square-foot community program space beside it. The Riverside County Library System lists the branch at 200 Civic Center Drive. It is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed Sunday and Monday. On the two late days, it stays open past sunset as fall goes on.
The October calendar on the branch page includes:
- October 16: Pumpkin Paint Off
- October 17: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
- October 20: Tech SOS
- October 29: Graphic Novel Club
The city's October through December calendars list no events on the new Civic Center plaza. For now, downtown's evening programs still happen a few blocks away.
Downtown's fall calendar, built around the evening
The Coachella Valley Independent describes Center Stage, at 82881 Miles Ave., as a permanent outdoor stage and a downtown hub for local events. Its fall lineup on the City of Indio calendar is mostly evening events:
| Date | Event | Where | Listed details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every Friday | Food Truck Fridays | Indio Plaza, Towne St. and Bliss Ave. | 5 to 10 p.m. |
| Thursday, Oct. 29 | Hocus Pocus movie night | Center Stage | 6 p.m.; bring blankets and lawn chairs; free popcorn |
| Monday, Nov. 2 | Día de los Muertos movie night | Center Stage | 6 to 9 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 14 | BBQ Festival | Center Stage | 4 to 9 p.m.; free, all ages; BBQ vendors, live entertainment, free kids' zone |
| Dec. 5 and 6 | Indio International Tamale Festival | Downtown Indio | Tamales, live entertainment, local vendors, family activities |
The city's calendars list Food Truck Fridays on every Friday in October and November, ending November 27. The movie night pages don't list an admission price, and the Tamale Festival page doesn't give hours or a price yet, so check the city's event pages before you go.
Indio Sports Park, and the restroom question
The Sports Park at 82600 Market Street, near Avenue 44 and Jackson Street, opened May 16. It has 11 soccer fields, two baseball and softball fields, a walking path around the edge, shaded picnic and barbecue areas, concessions, restrooms and parking.
A month after it opened, The Indio Post found adults playing baseball at 6 p.m., people walking dogs, and children playing. The park closes at 10 p.m. At the time, the restrooms were locked at 6 p.m. even though the park was busy in the evening, and the city manager said the schedule would be fixed promptly. That story describes the park in June. Still, the first fix the city took on there was about evening use, which says something about how the park gets used. The walking path is an easy weeknight loop as days get shorter.
If you drive in from the east, the Avenue 44 All-Weather Bridge between Palo Verde and Aztec streets reopened to traffic May 19. That ended the closure that began after Tropical Storm Hilary.
The Badlands Trailhead, the one to start early
One new place is better suited to mornings. The trailhead at 42000 Golf Center Parkway now has more than 30 parking spaces, more than 45 trees, solar lighting, landscaping and a new walking path to the trail.
A trail guide updated in August 2026 lists the East Indio Badlands loop as 5.5 miles of moderate hiking with 900 feet of climbing, taking 2.5 to 3.5 hours. The guide calls winter and spring the best seasons and warns that summer can be dangerous. There are no toilets and no places to refill water at the trailhead or along the route. Plan on a full hike's worth of water, and start early enough to finish in daylight. The solar lights light up the parking lot, not the trail.
A short fall plan
Two dates frame the season. The Lights reopens for golf after Sunday, October 25, and Food Truck Fridays run through November 27. Between them come the library's first birthday on October 15, the Hocus Pocus screening at Center Stage on October 29, and the free BBQ Festival on November 14. The Sports Park stays open until 10 p.m. every night of the week, and The PIN serves until 11 p.m. every day.
If you're spending fall in Indio and it has you thinking about where you'll live next, or how your current home fits the way you use the city, Daisy Becerra would be glad to talk it through, maybe over dinner on The PIN's patio. Let's Connect.
