Frank Lloyd Wright began building this desert masterpiece in 1937 as his personal winter home, studio, and architectural campus. Located on the beautiful Sonoran desert in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains in northeast Scottsdale, the site offers a broad range of guided public tours. Visitors experience firsthand Wright’s brilliant ability to integrate indoor and outdoor spaces.
1-Hour PANORAMA
SEPTEMBER thru MAY: Daily: hourly from 10:15, 11:15 am & 12:15, 1:15, 2:15, 3:15 pm
Cost: Thursdays thru Mondays: $24 adults ($20 seniors/military/students); $10 youth, 4-12). Tuesdays & Wednesdays: $18 all adults/students; ($7 youth, 4-12).
JUNE thru AUGUST: Every day (except closed Tues. & Wed. in July & August), offered at 9 & 11 am and 2 pm.
Cost: $18 adults ($14 seniors/students 13 and over; $7 youth, 4-12)
No reservations needed.
Experience firsthand Wright’s brilliant ability to integrate indoor and outdoor spaces. Visit the Cabaret Theater, Music Pavilion, Kiva and Frank Lloyd Wright’s private office—all linked by dramatic terraces, gardens and walkways overlooking the rugged Sonoran Desert and valley below. Knowledgeable and experienced guides explain how the site relates to the desert and provide a general overview of Wright’s philosophies and theories of design, the history of the site and the activities of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation’s key educational programs and its residential community, which includes the Taliesin Fellowship.
Photo Judith Bromley
90-Minute INSIGHTS (Our most popular tour)
SEPTEMBER THRU MAY: Daily: 9 am to 4 pm
Tours begin every 30 minutes Nov. - April.
Tours begin every hour on the hour May – Oct.
Cost: Thursday thru Mondays: $32 adults ($28 seniors/military/students) $17 youth, 4-12. Tuesday & Wednesdays: $26 all adults/students; ($14 youth, 4-12).
JUNE THRU AUGUST: Everyday (except closed Tues.& Wed. in July & August)
Offered hourly from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.
Cost: $24 Adults ($20 seniors/students 13 and over; $14 youth ages 4-12)
No reservations needed.
The newly restored living quarters and the dramatic Taliesin West living room (called the “Garden Room” by Wright) are the highlights of this tour, which also includes all the elements of the Panorama Tour (see next listing). The living room was the social gathering place for Wright and the many famous guests he entertained. It is entered through a typically Wrightian low-ceiling, stone-wall space which opens to a 56-feet long by 34-feet wide room linked to the garden and bedroom wing by expansive windows. Visitors sit in Wright-designed furniture and experience firsthand the drama of being a guest in Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous home.
3-Hour BEHIND THE SCENES
SEPTEMBER THRU MAY: Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays: 9:15 am
also offered the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Friday, Dec. 24th at 9:15 am
Cost: $60
JUNE THRU AUGUST: Mondays and Thursdays at 9:15 am
Cost: $42.50
Reservations recommended.
If you’re interested in an intimate, in-depth look at Taliesin West, this exclusive experience is a must. A highlight of this tour is a stop in the colorful Dining Room where you’ll be treated to mid-morning “tea.” You’ll also have the opportunity to talk with Wright associates.
In addition to seeing all the places on the Insights Tour, you’ll take a walk to the historic Sun Cottage or another unique desert site—all with ample time to take photographs and ask questions. Architecture enthusiasts consistently cite this tour as a highlight of their travels.
90 Minute DESERT WALK
Daily: 11:15 am (weather permitting) Nov. – April only
General admission: $32
(The Desert Walk may be combined with other tours for discounted admissions: Desert Walk plus Panorama Tour: $45; or Desert Walk plus Insights Tour: $52).
Reservations recommended.
A guided desert nature walk at Taliesin West allows you to explore rugged desert trails on the site and experience the beauty Wright discovered 70 years ago. As you explore the beautiful foothills of the McDowell Mountains, knowledgeable guides provide an in-depth, entertaining explanation about the native materials found on the site.
See firsthand the desert vegetation and landforms that were translated into design elements by Wright. Evidence of desert wildlife (javelina, quail, roadrunner and coyote to name a few) often highlight the walk. Hiking shoes recommended. No open-toe or open-heel shoes.
2-Hour DESERT SHELTER TOUR
Saturdays (Mid-November through April ): 1:15 pm
General admission: $40 (reservations recommended)
Students, corporate groups: $30
Reservations required for groups of 5 or more.
The conviction that architecture is more than lines on paper draws many students to the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. The Desert Shelter program is the living laboratory where for more than seventy years students have designed, built and inhabited their own architectural experiments. On this tour students give you an up close and personal visit to these shelters, from the basic sheepherder’s tent to dramatic structures perched at the edge of desert washes.
This tour also includes elements of the Desert Walk Tour. Hiking boots strongly recommended. No open-toe or open-heel shoes allowed. For more information about the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, click here
Photo Judith Bromley
2-Hour NIGHT LIGHTS
SEPTEMBER & MAY: Fridays & Mondays at 6:30, 7 & 7:30 (except no tour on Mon., Sept. 20)
DECEMBER 26, 27, & 30: (Sun/Mon/Thurs) at 5:30, 6 & 6:30 pm
FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL & OCTOBER: Mondays at 6, 6:30 & 7pm
Cost: $35 ($30 seniors/active military/students)
Reservations requested, but not required.
On this twilight tour you’ll have the unusual opportunity to view Wright’s desert masterpiece in a nighttime setting. In the evening the site assumes a luminous, jewel-like quality. The desert masonry structures, lighted from within, appear as sculptures.
The fire-breathing dragon is lit and the lights from the valley below create a dramatic, romantic setting. The tour includes everything on the Insights Tour plus light refreshments.
MEMBER DISCOUNTS
Members of the Frank Lloyd Wright Association receive complimentary Panorama tours, discounts on all other tours, a 10% discount in the bookstore/giftshop, and a year’s subscription to the acclaimed Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly magazine. For additional information, click on “membership/support” and “Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly.” Or ask about member discounts in the bookstore or call in advance for information or to join: (480) 627-5374.
HOW TO FIND TALIESIN WEST
Taliesin West is located at 12621 North Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85259.
The entrance to Taliesin West is at the Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd and Cactus Road intersection.
Call (480) 860-2700 ext. 494 or 495 for additional information.
For GPS directions, use 12345 Taliesin Dr. Scottsdale, AZ 85258.
Parking is free and tour tickets can be purchased in the Gift Shop which is close to the main parking lot.
Photo Judith Bromley
DAY & EVENING GUIDED TOURS
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‣PUBLIC TOURS
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The site offers a broad range of public tours everyday, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, from 9 am to 4pm. (For details about the tours, ranging from one to three hours long, and what you will experience on each tour, see below.)
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‣SPECIAL GROUP TOURS
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Tours will be custom-designed for prearranged groups of 15 or more. Group rates are available. Please contact tour manager for details, 480 860 2700 ext. 482.
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‣PRIVATE PERSONAL TOURS
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With advance reservations, individuals and very small groups may schedule a tour by an architect, Wright associate, Taliesin artist or personal guide. Call for price and reservations.
TALIESIN WEST TOUR OPTIONS:
90-Minute ARCHITECTURE DISCOVERY TOUR (for families with school-age children)
JUNE THRU AUGUST (except closed Tues. & Wed. in July & August) Offered at 10 am.
Cost: Adults $18 ($10 students 13 and over; $7 youth 4-12)
No reservations needed. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
On this tour, school-age children and their parents have an entertaining and educational experience that provides for the investigation of the importance of architecture, the role of an architect, and how shapes, colors, patterns of nature, math and science were used by Frank Lloyd Wright in his architecture design. This tour includes an interactive activity where kids create forms and patterns found in nature. Tour takes families into all the spaces seen on the Insights tour.
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