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Arts & Culture

Art & Architecture

Scottsdale is a hot spot for inspiring architecture and world-class art offerings; even American Style has voted it one of the “Top 25 Arts Destinations” five times over. And with so much on the cultural to-do list, navigating Scottsdale's arts scene takes time and dedication. Here are some highlights you won't want to miss.

Can't Miss Architectural Sites

See Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West in a new light with the 2-hour Night Lights tour (seasonal), when the desert masterpiece comes to life with a luminous, jewel-like quality with Scottsdale's stunning city lights as a backdrop. Other tour options include the daily 90-minute Insights tour and the seasonal, 2-hour Desert Shelter tour. Tour time: 2 to 4 hours

Call on the experts at Ultimate Art & Cultural Tours, who will give you the 411 on places like the Hotel Valley Ho (left), one of the best examples of mid-century design in Scottsdale (and also a favorite of Hollywood's “It” crowd in the 1950s and 60s!). Tour time: 90 minutes to full day

Walk across the Soleri Bridge and Plaza in downtown to admire the larger-than-life bronze bell and then buy your own at Cosanti, the studio and home of Italian-born architect Paolo Soleri. Tour time: 1 hour

Check out the latest comedy, dance, theater or world-music performance at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Headliners who have graced the stage include Marvin Hamlisch, Bebe Neuwirth, Garrison Keillor, Sérgio Mendes, Pilobulus and Big Badd Voodoo Daddy. Tour time: Varies by show length

To read more about architecture in Scottsdale, including a guide to the area's 30 most notable structures or upcoming architectural events, click here.

Art in the Sonoran Desert

Enjoy low-cost, but action-packed, cultural activities like the free Scottsdale ArtWalk every Thursday at 7 p.m., or the self-guided Scottsdale Public Art Walking Tour that takes you on a 60-minute walk through downtown. Tour time: 2 hours

Play instruments from around the world at the Musical Instrument Museum, which is a local favorite and also home to instruments played by icons like Eric Clapton, John Lennon and Carlos Santana. Tour time: 4 to 6 hours

Track the sun's colorful path while sitting in James Turrell's Knight Rise (left) at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, which was once a movie theater and is now one of Scottsdale's most popular museums and architectural stops. Tour time: 2 hours

Visit Paolo Soleri's Cosanti and see a pouring of his world-famous bronze wind bells. You can also learn about Soleri's innovative concept of “arcology” – large-scale urban projects that unite the built and natural worlds. Tour time: 1 hour