Taliesin West

Frank Lloyd Wright bought several hundred acres in the then rural foothills of north-east Scottsdale, and from 1937 he and his apprentices built a winter camp by hand. Taliesin West became his "desert laboratory", and he came back every winter until he died in 1959. Its low, angled buildings use what Wright called desert masonry: local rock set in wooden forms and bound with a mix of cement and desert sand. Canvas roofs once filled the rooms with diffused light, and redwood beams added his favorite red. As the buildings became more permanent, steel and fiberglass took over.

The complex grew to include a drafting studio, three theaters, a workshop, Wright's office and living quarters, and apprentice housing, on a site of nearly 500 acres. It's a National Historic Landmark and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2019, with seven other Wright buildings. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation still runs it, and a few of the Legacy Fellows who lived and worked with Wright still live here.

Most people take the Self-Guided Audio Tour, 60 to 75 minutes through Wright's living and working spaces on your own smartphone with your own headphones (bring them, though devices can be borrowed). From November 1, 2026, to February 28, 2027, entries run from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., and hours shift in spring. Regular-season tickets (October to May) cost $44 for adults and $22 for youth 6 to 17. The 2 to 2.5 hour Behind-the-Scenes Tour, at $110, covers spaces not on the audio tour. Several guided desert hikes run on set dates through the winter, including a Golden Hour Sunset Hike, an Apprentice Shelter Hike and a Sonoran Desert Plant Hike and Tasting, but these don't include the historic core. From October 16, 2026, to January 31, 2027, an exhibition called Originals is included with your ticket.

Book ahead: tickets are limited and the foundation strongly recommends reservations. Expect gravel, shallow steps and uneven ground, and check the accessibility notes if you use a wheelchair. Taliesin West closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Easter Sunday.