How to Visit Taliesin West

A premier property designed and built by visionary architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1937, Taliesin West is a National Historic Landmark and the home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Wright himself lived and worked at his Scottsdale, Arizona "desert camp;" today his legacy lives on the architectural students who study there. Visit Taliesin West to see one of the world's finest examples of organic architecture.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Plan your trip to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.

2. Call or email the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation or visit the official web site for tour information. You must arrange for a tour if you want to visit Taliesin West. Public, group and private tours are all options. Tours run 7 days a week throughout most of the year. Tour rates, times, content and cost vary and some tours are seasonal only. During the summer months, Taliesin West is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

3. Decide on the tour or tours that you want and make reservations. Tour times, the areas shown and costs vary.

4. Wear walking or hiking shoes and clothes. Put on sunscreen and bring a hat. Bring bottled water.

5. Arrive early to find your tour guide and ensure that you do not miss any of the tour.

6. Tour Wright's home, office and studio. Visit the Apprentice Court, which still houses the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture during the winter. See Taliesin West's Kiva Theater, Music Pavilion and Cabaret Theater, terraces, fountains and swimming pool. Notice all the ways that Wright used local stones, including petroglyphs and native plants to create sculptures, terraces, walls and gardens. Note how the striking angles of the buildings that correspond to the mountains behind them. Study the original furniture designed by Wright.

7. Stop at the bookstore for a memento of your visit to Taliesin West. The bookstore sells a wide variety of books, souvenirs and educational materials.

Tips & Warnings

• Taliesin means "shining brow" in Welsh and refers to the "brow" of the mesa on, and from which, Taliesin West is built.
• You can rent Taliesin West for social or educational functions for up to 500 people. However, the property can't be used for political, activist or religious events.
• Private tours are led by an architect, artist, associate or personal guide.
• Consider taking a desert walking tour to see the petroglyphs and terrain that inspired Wright's designs.
• 2 weeks' notice is required for group tours.

Resources

• Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation official web site.