Frank Lloyd Wright And Other Things to Do in Phoenix Frank Lloyd Wright Here's what's nearby: Taliesin West, Norman Lykes House, David and Gadys Wright House, Biltmore Hotel, Wright Spire, Grady Gammage Auditorium. Nearby Hikes The best places to hike are the mountain preserves - Camelback Mountain, McDowell Sonoran Preserve, and Paiestewa Peak Trails. Papago Mountain Preserve offers a botanical garden, zoo, and Hole in the Rock, a redrock mountain. Hole in the Rock was the center of the Valley for the ancient Hohokam. Downtown Scottsdale Gift shops, art gallaries, restaurants, public art, Civic Center, historic Scottsdale self-guided tour. Musical Instrument Museum Newly opened museum has 6,800 instruments on display, from all countries, all timeframes. Out of Town Visit colorful Cave Creek and Carefree, go on a boat tour in Saguaro and Canyon Lakes, walk around Boyce Thomson Arboretum, or go to Globe, then on north to the White Mountains and Flagstaff to explore Route 66. Maps I wrote this page for a conference based at the Doubletree Resort Paradise Valley, at 5404 Scottsdale Road (at Scottsdale and Jackrabbit Roads). All maps on this page show relative distance from the Paradise Valley Resort. Remember to set your GPS, plot out a map before you go, or take Lyft. Be sure to check the websites or call to make reservations, and confirm hours of operation. Suggestions to Combine Trips: North: Taliesin West (Wright) Carefree (art gallaries, shops, restaurants) Cave Creek (art gallaries, shops, restaurants) Musical Instrument Museum Way North: Sedona, Flagstaff, Route 66 East: Reservation land to the west of the 202 freeway (not accessible, but beyond that you can visit the Superstition Mountains). Way East: Canyon Lake, Saguaro Lake (lakes, boat tours), Boyce Thomson Arboretum West: Piestewa Peak Trails (hike, picnic) Biltmore Hotel (Wright) Norman Lykes House (Wright) David and Gladys Wright House (Wright) South: Downtown Scottsdale (shopping, art, restaurants, historic, museums) Camelback Mountain (hiking) Papago Mountain Preserve (hiking, zoo, botanical gardens) Grady Gammage Auditorium (Wright) Frank Lloyd Wright in Phoenix Taliesin West (unknown photographer) 12621 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85259 This is Frank Lloyd Wright's winter school of architecture. Check the website for hours and entrance fees. franklloydwright.org 11.5 miles north Norman Lykes House (unknown photographer) 6836 N 36th St, Phoenix, AZ 85018 This is a private home, but you can get a nice view of it by driving by. 6 miles west David and Gladys Wright House 5225 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix This property is currently closed for renovations. If you just want a peek of it, park at the Camelback Church of Christ, 5225 E. Camelback Rd., and look through the gate at the back of the parking lot. The official address is 4505 N. Rubicon Ave, but you can't see anything from the street. To commemorate Frank Lloyd Wright's 150th birthday, they hired artists to decorate the David Wright House with 20,000 balloons. franklloydwright.org 3.6 miles west Arizona Biltmore Hotel 2400 E Missouri Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85016 This was one of Frank Lloyd Wright's early projects where he was not the lead architect, but you can see his style and his early work with cement textile blocks. You are invited to walk through the lobby, ballrooms, and grounds. If you meet anyone from the hotel tell them you're visiting from out of town for a conference. They're always glad to welcome visitors to this world famous historic property. Although there's a parking lot up the road, it would make sense to take Lyft. wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_Biltmore_Hotel 8 miles west Frank Lloyd Wright Spire 7207 E Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 "Wright designed the 125-foot-tall spire for Phoenix in 1957. Phoenix rejected it, Wright died, and the spire wasn't built until 2004, for a strip mall. At night it glows blue." - RoadsideAmerica.com 8.6 miles north Grady Gammage Auditorium 1200 S. Forest Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281 Wright designed this auditorium for an Arabian prince, but it was never built. Then enterprising Arizonans traveled to the Middle East and won the blueprints back in a card game. Or so they say. Grady Gammage is part of Arizona State University, and there is parking, but no guarantees on school days. 7.6 miles south Nearby Hikes Camelback Mountain Cholla Trailhead 5121 N Invergordon Rd., Phoenix You can see the profile of a camel, with the head on the right. The trailhead is near the camel's shoulder. Parking is limited, so this is another one where you might consider Lyft - or walk. 1.5 miles southwest Piestewa Peak Trails 7200 N Squaw Peak Dr. Paiestewa Peak Park is in a mountain canyon with ramadas and bathroom facilities. It's the perfect place for a picnic, or to sit out in nature and look at views of the city. If you want to beat the crowds and hike, enter the preserve through an alternative trailhead at 7699 N. 22nd Street. No facilities, but plenty of parking at both entrances. This is where they always have to send helicopters to rescue hikers, so only attempt the final climb to the peak if you are an experienced hiker and have hiking equipment. 8.6 miles west on Lincoln Park entrance to Paiestewa Park 9 miles west on Lincoln Alternative entrance to hike at Paiestewa Park - 7699 N. 22nd Street. McDowell Sonoran Preserve Gateway Trailhead 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ 85255 The Valley's newest mountain preserve is another good place to get lost. Plenty of parking. 15 miles north Phoenix Zoo, Botanical Gardens, picnic areas, and Papagao Mountains Hole in the Rock 5 miles south Desert Botanical Garden 1201 N. Galvin Pkwy., Phoenix, AZ 85008 dbg.org Hole in the Rock 625 N. Galvin Pkwy., Phoenix, AZ 85008 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hole-in-the-Rock_(Papago_Park) Phoenix Zoo 455 N. Galvin Pkwy., Phoenix, AZ 85008 phoenixzoo.org Check website for hours and entrance fees. No fee to hike on Hole in the Rock mountain. Downtown Scottsdale 2.5 miles south, take Scottsdale Road Highlights: Los Olivos Mexican restaurant 7328 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art 7374 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Scottsdale History Museum 7333 Scottsdale Mall, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Scottsdale Civic Center 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Download Historic Walking Tour Map: HistoricWalkingTourMap.pdf Download Public Art Walking Tour Map: Scottsdale-Public-Art-Walking-Tour.pdf Musical Instrument Museum Musical Instrument Museum Newly opened museum has 6,800 instruments on display, from all countries, all timeframes. Check website for hours and ticket prices. mim.org 14 miles north Out of Town Cave Creek and Carefree are chic bedroom communities that used to be way out in the boondocks. The downtown areas of these twin cities have gallaries, shops, and restaurants. 30.6 miles north Two River Cruise Options Desert Belle 14011 N. Bush Hwy., Mesa, AZ 85215 If you want to get out on the water, you have two fun river cruises relatively nearby. The Desert Belle sternwheeler offers public cruises on Saguaro Lake. Check website to book tickets in advance. desertbelle.com 33 miles east Dolly Steamboat 16802 AZ-88, Tortilla Flat, AZ 85117 Dolly Steamboat offers cruises on Canyon Lake. Check the website to book tickets in advance. dollysteamboat.com 45 miles east It's only thirty-five miles from the Desert Belle to the Dolly Steamboat, so you could see two boats in one day. 67 miles to visit both lakes Boyce Thompson Arboretum Boyce Thompson Arboretum is a 343 acre preserve with botanical gardens of desert plants from the United States, Mexico, Australia, Madagascar, India, China, Japan, Israel, South America, the Middle East, Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Arabian Peninsula. Check the website for hours. They are closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. btarboretum.org. After seeing the arboretum, if you want to go on the Dolly Steamboat, it's forty miles to the north. The Desert Belle is fifty miles to the north and west. After seeing the arboretum, if you want to visit Globe, it's thirty miles further east on 60. If you keep going on 60, you end up in the White Mountains! For a fun road trip, drive to the White Mountains to explore Route 66 - Williams to Flagstaff to Kingman. Here's a page of photos and more info. on how to find the old Route 66 towns: route66 at this site. If you decide to see Route 66, but don't want to drive all the way to Kingman, drop down from Flagstaff on Scenic Hwy. 89A through Sedona, Cottonwood, Jerome, and back to Phoenix on Highway 17. index