If you are in old town Scottsdale area, don't miss a chance to visit this charming historic old…read morechurch that dates back to 1930's. Stepping inside feels like going back old time--deep sense of history and character, the architecture is simple and beautiful and very peaceful. Learning a little more about Scottsdale in all at once!

On my birthday, I always like to go on a mini adventure. Old Adobe Mission Scottsdale is located…read moreright next to The Mission Old Town (a popular Mexican restaurant) so it made for a natural pitstop after lunch. While Old Town can get busy, especially on the weekends, you'll find a free parking spot if you circle around a little bit. We found parking across the street in the surface lot. Now let's get to the good stuff. The Old Adobe Mission Scottsdale is the oldest Catholic church in Phoenix. You'll learn all about the history of the church inside. There's various information you can read on the walls, as well as a video playing in the back room. There's some cool art to check out too. With that being said, the coolest aspect of the church is the adobe architecture. It's free to get in and you can check it out in 10-20 minutes.

I think it's very impressive to learn that the greenbelt project transformed a serious flooding…read morehazard into one of the valley's top residential and recreational areas. I feel it's like an oasis of parks, lakes, paths and golf courses across miles through the heart of the city, and it's so peaceful and chill to walk through the greenbelt area.

I've been hanging out at the Scottsdale Green Belt for as long as I can remember. In high school,…read morewe had volleyball nights here and rode our skateboards. The Green Belt is located in the heart of Scottsdale and is 11 miles long. It extends from Shea Boulevard in central Scottsdale all the way to Tempe Town Lake. The Scottsdale Green Belt is also known as Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt. It consists of parks, lakes, trails, picnic tables, gardens, and golf courses. There are so many activities to enjoy here like fishing, volleyball, and bike riding. My personal favorites are disc golf and the skate park. I like to stop here and break out my longboard for a ride. The nice about the Green Belt is that it is pretty well lit at night if you want to hang out later hours.

Ok, I'm going to give this place 5 stars because, technically, it is a cool place that not a lot of…read morepeople know about. It's actually a hydroelectric plant along the Arizona Canal. As we approached the building (you can't go in it), the smell hit us and I thought, oh no, I've made a huge mistake. I think I was just there on a bad day or something, because I didn't see many reviews mention the smell at all. What smell? Raw sewage, very sulphur- and trash-like. I mean, it STUNK. It was strongest at the top overlook, right next to the building. As we went down the staircase to the lower level, the smell began to dissipate and eventually, to my nose, disappeared altogether. On the lower level, we saw the waterfalls. You can walk under/behind two of them and there are "seats" made of stone blocks in front of the third. The water was flowing pretty hard the day we visited, so the seats and all the pavement was wet and there was a slight mist coming off the middle one. The overall place is like a mixture of industrial and environmental architechture. There are metal-looking columns holding up the upper deck, yet the waterfalls look like they were copied from Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, and there are large stones/rocks embedded into the walls everywhere. It sits on the edge of a small park with a decent sized lot and there are hiking paths. We only came for the falls, so I can't speak to the hike, but the area looked fairly nice. I'd like to see it at night as it looks pretty cool in pictures I've seen. If you're looking for something a little different to do or show your visitors from out of town, this is a neat place to go. Hopefully, the smell is a one off, but even if not, hold your breath and go down the stairs..... 13/2026

I heard about this place recently and was in the area and decided to check it out. It basically…read more mini-hydroelectric plant on the canal system and the origin of the canal system is traced back to the Hohokam Indians that lived in the valley about 1500 years ago. The water falls are a cool secondary benefit of the water works plant at Arizona Falls. There is a nice park and biking trail that we look forward to exploring on our next visit. Highly recommended for a unique opportunity to enjoy waterfalls in the valley of the sun and learn about how the innovative Hohokam Indians.

Created by Donald Lipski out of Ipe, Brazilian hardwood, these gigantic 28 foot tall doors are…read morelined with reflective stainless steel inside. At the top the illusion is of a kaleidoscope and it is beautiful. The decor on the outside makes for an ornate door design. You can see yourself reflected in all the surfaces as you spin around. And there is sound as well, created by Jim Green and made up of different music such as percussion, flutes and Soleri Bells at Cosanti. When I visited it wasn't that busy so I could walk around and stand inside and admire myself and the shiny surfaces. It was cool. I enjoyed the experience. The music added another dimension to the sculpture, making it magical. The kaleidoscope effect at the top looked like a diamond. I could have stood there a long time just gazing at it.

Super cool piece of art right in the middle of a shopping area. This art piece was created by…read moreDonald Lipski and is composed of wood and stainless steel. The overall appearance is of doors stacked up against each other, creating a hidey hole inside. Take time to go inside and look around at the reflective surfaces. Listen. Relax.

The tour was worth the five year wait/lottery! We had a wonderful docent and received a fantastic…read moretour of Tovrea Castle which was superb in every way possible. I have lived in Arizona, specifically the Phoenix area, for most of my life and have driven by Tovrea Castle thousands of times. It was so cool to be able to walk the grounds and get a peek inside. I would highly suggest entering the lottery, it's free and some people have better luck than I did and can get in sooner than 5 years. This was an insightful tour mixed with great storytelling and history. The basement with all the artifacts of the family and learning more about the area makes me proud to be a part of Arizona! Worth the visit!

If you live in the Valley it's highly likely that you have driven by this place. From the 202 fwy…read moreyou can easily see it. I often wondered what is that building? Finally after passing it so many times I was curious enough to look it up. I googled "cake shaped building PHX" and it was the first result. "Tovrea (said tov-ree) Castle aka A jewel in the Sonoran desert" Since 2010 the City of Phoenix purchased, renovated, and opened it for tours. The very abbreviated story with this place is that some homesteaders from the early 1900s owned the land, sold 277 acres to a wealthy Italian man. Alessio Carraro had built a fortune in the sheet metal business in the 1920s from San Fran. He planned to build a hotel resort surrounded by a housing subdivision on 277 acres, Carraro Heights. The castle was built near the timing of when the Great Depression set in. Carraro wanted out, he sold the castle and some amount of acreage (for a fraction of his investment) to Della Tovrea, wife of cattle baron E.A. Tovrea. She lived there until her tragic death in 1969. Nearby is the Stockyard Restaurant, built by E.A.'s son so cattlemen had somewhere to eat near the stockyards. That restaurant still exists today. I plan to check it out. If you want more details and full story, go take the tour :) however tickets are not easy to come by. Tours sell out many months in advance and they started using a lottery system. I bought my tickets months ago. However worth a try to go. I wouldn't say its the most amazing thing I've ever seen and the use of the word "castle" is a stretch. I've been inside some real castles in US and Europe, however it's interesting and a fun thing to do and it satisfied my curiosity! :) Per their website- The Ticket Lottery for Fall 2022 Tickets has ended and all tickets have been distributed - look for last minute cancellation tickets. Ticket Lottery for Spring 2023 Regular Tours closed on October 15, 2022 and Winners will be notified via email starting November 1, 2022. https://tovreacastletours.com

So for my thousand Yelp review I wanted to make it special. I wanted to chose a place that is a…read morestaple of the local community. I mean after all, isn't that what Yelp is all about? I wanted to review a local business that seemed to Ooooooze AZ identity. Sooooooo, I even put a call out to my friends and fellow Yelpies on social media. I asked them to think about it. When they thought of AZ, what local businesses came to mind? I got so many great answers. However, when I saw the list I realized that after 15 years being Elite, I had already reviewed all of them. When I went onto this page and realized I had not made a review of the David and Gladys Wright House. It seemed like a perfect Karma solution and partnership. I did not know how that was even possible that I had not already reviewed this local treasure. What a great way to complete my One Thousandth review with such an amazing place! To honor a great artist that is associated and influenced within the State of 48 is special. Wright is one of the Kings of American Architect. So let's begin. When you go you will be greeted to a unique layered circular shaped home. Some of you might recognize the ASU Grady Gammage cake swirl technique. ( do you like my fancy non expert architecture terminology there? Ha!) The driveway is the same. Take in all the glory of that breathtaking view of camelback mountain and the property. According to https://franklloydwright.org/site/david-wright-house/ the masterpiece of this Wright residential home home was Titled "How to Live in the Southwest" in the plans by Frank Lloyd Wright, the David & Gladys Wright House is one of three spiral designs realized by Wright. Raised on columns to provide a view of the property's citrus orchard, the house at the base of Camelback Mountain looked outward towards the surrounding desert and inwards onto a central courtyard with a plunge pool and shaded garden. David and Gladys Wright lived in the house until their deaths (David in 1997 at the age of 102, and Gladys in 2008 at the age of 104), after which the residence fell into disrepair. Saved from demolition, its current owners are restoring the property. In early 2022, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Definitely sign up for a tour and go and check it out. It is totally worth it for historical and artistic purposes alone. Oh, okay, who am I kidding? It is worth the price alone to just check out that view and the home. Just a quick note, you cannot just show up and expect to get in. You have to go with a tour. Enjoy your visit. Happy 1,000 review! I hope this was helpful to those architecture and history fans out there.

Came here for a holiday lights open house this year…read more You park at the south side of the church at 5225 E. Camelback and there is a door that you walk through to get to the Wright House. I have to share, it was a beautiful evening. The weather was warm and even before we got out of our car, we could see the hundreds of Christmas lights twinkling in the distance. As we walked through the door, we were greeted warmly by volunteers and there was a long, long driveway leading to a giant Christmas tree beautifully lit, the long driveway continues to the house. There was a string quartet playing and hot chocolate/ coffee & macaroon served by the Henry. I brought my 9 year old son & his friend with me. There were not too many kids there which was too bad since the look of wonder on their faces were priceless. They were old enough to appreciate the experience and the architecture. It created a memorable experience for them. The house itself is being restored and sits on I think sits on at least a 3 acre property. It's beautiful & worth a visit. Thank you for opening this up for the public for this holiday season!

This was an enchanting work shop/art exhibit north of Scottsdale…read more I didn't expect such a nice arrangement of creative wind chimes that were cast metal and glass. The entire establishment is an art piece with the creator having envisioned the architecture to appear the way it is. The chimes are very expensive mind you. But they are beautiful and they sound terrific. There is a tour and there are classes on how to make the clay tiles, which they also sell. I would come by if you like creative arts. :)

Who knew a Cosanti was located in Paradise Valley! I've always traveled north to Arcosanti located…read morein Mayer to take visitors and purchase gifts. This has a much different vibe than the Mayer location. We were able to watch the Artisans at works, creating the various winches, bells and other metal art. The various rooms look like they were built right into the ground. I also felt the art was more interesting at Cosanti. Make sure you stop in for a tour, read about the history and find some truly unique gifts or decor for your home.

On our way from Flagstaff to Phoenix, we stopped at the Meteor Crater Natural Landmark and man -…read morethe sight is incredible! There are other exhibits that you can check out, but the major attraction (the meteor crater) is breathtaking taking and MASSIVE. Pictures do it no justice. If you've can check it out, I highly recommend! The address is: Meteor Crater Natural Landmark, I-40 Exit 233, Winslow, AZ 86047

I absolutely loved visiting AZ with my husband on our anniversary trip. Good thing we went on May…read morebecause it was starting to get hot when we visited. People were nice and very touristy but liked the hike and loved the train rides.

AC and free water. Who wouldn't like a quick stop at the Scottsdale Historical Museum. After…read morespending the afternoon walking around Old Town Scottsdale, we stumbled upon the historical museum. What a fun museum to explore the founding of Scottsdale. The staff were super nice as well.

Pretty cool little museum in between old town and the park. The people were really nice that…read moreworked there. There was some interesting information about scottsdale. I liked the baseball history of scottsdale. Best of all this was free!!!!

S'edav Va'aki, formerly Pueblo Grande Museum and archeological park, is a sacred ground with…read moreinformative and immersive exhibits. The overall museum, inside and outside, is relatively small, but it's truly a hidden gem to truly understand the history of the Sonoran Desert and rich culture of the O'Odham people. Admission prices are relatively cheap and are as follows: Adults (18-64): $13.00 Seniors (65 & ove​r): $10.00​ Students (with ID): $6.00 Children (6-17): $6.00 Children (​under 6): Free Museum Members: Free *Discounted Admission on Thursday evening (4 pm - 8 pm) Hours are dependent on month and are as follows: ​Regular Hours (September - June) Monday, Friday, Saturday: 9 am - 4 pm​ Thursday: 9 am - 8 pm Sunday: 12 pm - 4pm Tuesday - Wednesday: Closed Summer Hours (July and August) Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 9 am - 2 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday: CLOSED Interpretive Mound Trail ​ Closes at 4:00 pm Closes at Twilight on Thursday evenings Museum Store Store Hours ​Vary.​​ ​Holida​y Closures New Years Day, Juneteenth,​ Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day,​​ and Christmas Day We explored the entire establishment, inside and out, but enjoyed the outdoor trails the most, as it provided the most immersive experience. We got to savor the temperate spring weather on a Saturday afternoon, entering a pit house and climibing onto a platform mound. Definitely recommend all visitors interested in museums, culture, or history to stop by while in Phoenix!​ For more information, visit the City of Phoenix's webpage on the museum: https://www.phoenix.gov/administration/departments/sedav-vaaki.html

This property is sacred ground. The Museum itself is small-ish, but the outdoor adobe structures…read moreand walking path are informative and educational. It's truly remarkable how folks managed to survive in the Arizona desert without the luxuries of running water, air conditioning, etc. High praise to the archeologists who have uncovered these adobe structures including the large public gathering place.