Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West: An Architectural Wonder
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West was Frank Lloyd Wright’s home in Arizona. It is an enriching center that showcases the master architect’s talents. It is often used as a venue for various conventions and seminars because it offers conference participants a lot of bonus sightseeing treats. In this popular tourist attraction, your eyes will have a feast, so why not spend your vacation admiring both man made and natural beauties found only in one place?
How to get to the Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West
Taliesin West is in Scottsdale, Arizona, to the east of Phoenix. When traveling by car, to get there from the Pima Loop in Scottsdale, just look for the street named after Frank Lloyd Wright himself, the Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, also known as 114th Street. Take that road until you reach the intersection at Cactus Road. There you will find the entrance to the center.
Things to Do at Taliesin West
Taliesin West is often used as a venue for various gatherings so there are quite a lot of things that you can do there. However, you can also spend an enriching time there even without any special occasion. The main activity there is to join the guided tours. The center has several guided tours that will take you through the inspiring architectural design of the entire compound.
Guided Tours at Taliesin West
There are three daily tours, namely Insights, Panorama, and Desert Walks, and three special tours, namely Behind-the-Scenes, Apprentice Shelter, and Night Lights. Insights is a half-hour tour, the most popular one, which takes visitors through the living room and the living quarters of the complex. The living room is also popularly referred to as the Garden Room, one of Wright’s creations. The Panorama tour is an hour long tour of the Music Pavilion, Wright’s office, and the Cabaret Theater. It is also the cheapest tour available. The Desert Walk is a two-hour guided nature walk through the surrounding desert. This tour will give you a glimpse of the deserted land that Wright himself found several years ago. There you will find a lot of rare wildlife, and you will surely pick up a lot of information from the tour guides. However, I highly recommend the Behind-the-Scenes tour, which will take you to the secret parts of the complex that are otherwise closed to the public. The tour also includes the opportunity to chat with the people behind the complex and a nature walk through Sun Cottage and the surrounding desert. It is, however, the most expensive tour, so if you are unsure about spending $60 per person, you can take the Apprentice Shelter, a 2-hour tour to the area where apprentices over the years have honed their architectural skills through creations of their own. You can also enjoy the complex’s beauty under Night Lights, a night-time tour. Most of the tours require reservations and have strict dress code that prohibits anyone wearing open-toed shoes from joining. Make sure you wear the right shoes so you can enjoy everything the center has to offer. You can also take your kids along and enroll them in the Creative Architecture for Juniors available for kids ages 4 and above. If you also want to tour the complex privately, you can schedule it accordingly.
General Information
If you are interested in visiting Taliesin West, take note of the following information.
Schedules: Open daily, but closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays of July and August. Closed on special holidays (i.e., Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Easter)
Phone numbers: 480-860-2700/ext. 494 for inquiries on guided tours
Website: www.franklloydwright.com
Tour fees: Insights-$32, Panorama-$27, Desert Walks-$33, Behind-the-Scenes-$60, Apprentice Shelter-$40, Night Lights-$43, Juniors-$10 for 4-12-year-olds, $12 for 13 and above.
Reservations: Reservations strongly recommended for Desert Walks, Behind-the-Scenes, Apprentice Shelter, and Night Lights. Apprentice Shelter group tour of more than five participants strictly require reservations.
Dress code: If you want to enjoy the full amenities and offers of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, wear comfortable clothes and close-toed shoes. If planning to join a tour, it is best to wear hiking boots.
Submitted by:
Jasmin P.
