Interesting Places to Explore in Scottsdale

Scottsdale residents drive past remarkable places every day: an architect's desert workshop in the McDowell foothills, a free history museum on Scottsdale Mall, a historic artists' compound, a museum of railroad history inside a children's park. With cooler weather here, this is a good season to stop and look. Here are seven places worth a second look, with how to visit each.

Taliesin West

Frank Lloyd Wright began building Taliesin West in 1937 in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains, using local rock and desert sand, canvas roofs and redwood beams, and he spent his winters there until his death in 1959. Today it is a National Historic Landmark and part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing of Wright's 20th-century architecture. Visits are by ticketed walking tour on gravel and concrete paths, and the foundation strongly recommends reserving ahead because tickets are limited. Its fall calendar adds programs such as a Sunsets & Sips evening with its current artists-in-residence.

On the drive along Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, Picazzo's Healthy Italian Kitchen makes an easy stop, with regular, vegan and kids' menus.

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art

SMoCA, as locals call it, sits on Second Street in Old Town and shows contemporary art. This season's exhibitions are rooted in the desert: Desert Perspectives, drawing on the collection's Southwest artists, runs through September 2027; Desert ArtLAB's What the Earth Keeps, a site-specific installation and cyanotype-mapping project, runs through January 31; and alejandro t. acierto's Model Home, about how growth is changing the desert around Phoenix, runs through February 7. It is a ticketed museum, but visitors 18 and younger get in free, and admission is pay-what-you-wish on Thursdays and every second Saturday.

Down the street on Second Street, Los Olivos Mexican Patio has been serving Sonoran food since 1947 and is now run by the fourth generation of the Corral family, with hand-made tortillas and salsas.

Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West

A few blocks away on Marshall Way, Western Spirit tells the story of the American West through art and objects. Current galleries include Navajo textiles from the Pelberg Collection, bronzes, a new history of the Hollywood Western, and The West in Miniature. The museum is ticketed, stays open into the evening on Thursdays from November through April, and shows classic Westerns on Sunday afternoons.

Scottsdale Historical Museum

On Scottsdale Mall, the Scottsdale Historical Society runs a free museum of the city's history. It keeps its longest hours from October through April and closes June through August, so now is the time to go. The society also looks after the history of the Little Red Schoolhouse, dedicated in 1910, and other early buildings such as the Cavalliere Blacksmith Shop.

After the museum, walk west to Main Street. The Rusty Spur Saloon, which Experience Scottsdale counts among Old Town's historic sites, has live country music every day and night.

Scottsdale Railroad Museum

Inside McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park on Indian Bend Road, the Scottsdale Railroad Museum is easy to miss among the train rides and playgrounds. It holds historic artifacts, exhibits and train cars, including Pullman cars, and it is open again for the season after closing for the summer. Entry to the park is from Indian Bend Road, and the park's own page lists museum hours.

Public art, indoors and out

Scottsdale's public art program counts more than 160 permanent works, from freestanding sculpture to art built into bridges, walls and other city infrastructure. Developers in parts of the city are required to include public art, so pieces turn up in plazas and courtyards around the city. Selected works have augmented reality content and audio tours through the free Bloomberg Connects app, with commentary from the artists. Indoors, Civic Center Library hosts free rotating art exhibitions; this fall it showed Delicately Drawn, featuring Lexie Bowers and Matthew Hunt.

Each November, Canal Convergence puts temporary light art in and above the Arizona Canal at the Scottsdale Waterfront for ten evenings, free.

Cattle Track Arts Compound

On Cattletrack Road in south Scottsdale, the Cattle Track Arts Compound holds national and local historic designations and has long been home to working artists and craftspeople. A nonprofit, Cattle Track Arts and Preservation, supports the compound. It hosts gallery talks and events through the 2026-27 season, and tours can be arranged through its website's contact form, so plan ahead rather than dropping in.

Make a day of it

These places cluster in two easy outings. Old Town holds SMoCA, Western Spirit, the Historical Museum and much of the public art within walking distance. Taliesin West, the railroad park and Cattle Track each deserve their own trip. Either way, check each site's own page for current hours and tickets before you go.