Elysa, the owner, was very accommodating. My family was in town for graduation and we were looking…read morefor something to do on our last day before heading to the airport. We came across Taste of Tucson, but the website stated all tours were sold out until January 2026. I spoke to Elysa and she was able to make arrangements for our booking for the very next day! My two nieces and I throughly enjoyed the tour and food stops. Jennifer was our tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and funny. We learned so much during the tour and have a deeper appreciation for history in Tucson. Thank you Elysa and Jennifer for accommodating my family!

An absolutely marvelous afternoon walking tour! We learned some local history, learned about the…read moreartists & the amazing murals in the downtown area, & had some great local food along the way. The guides were informative & obviously enjoyed interacting with the group. Highly recommend!

I grew up in an old victorian house and thought it would be fun to bring my dad here for a tour…read morewhen he was in town visiting. We ended up being the only ones on the tour which was nice. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and funny. The entire house has been restored to represent how the original owners would have it set up as closely as possible. The inside details are gorgeous and intricate. Our tour ended up being more like 45 minutes because it was just us and we didn't ask questions. It was a great way to spend a little bit of time before our next activity.

History aficionados, architectural enthusiasts and Fans of Phoenix - Rosson House Museum is one…read moreplace you cannot miss! It is an incredible work of art, craftmanship, technology and innovation, even after 130 years of its construction in 1895. Setting aside that one can actually attend what Victorians' interest of communicating with the dead through in house scheduled Séances, Rosson House offers a magnificent view and experience of that bygone age at the turn of the century industrialization which can only be likened to our recent 21st Century internet technological advances. Walking through the main door into the foyer, climbing the beautiful staircase, entering a bed chamber, seeing a pre-modern bathroom, admiring the kitchen and pantry antiquities in food preparation, admiring the home's décor, its design, its furnishings simply takes you back in time and allows one to somewhat sense the then lifestyle and what it was like to live a sophisticated, well-to-do lifestyle during that period. One is amazed at the stunning quality and fastidious workmanship created and implemented almost six generations ago! And compare the quality and art Rosson House personifies to today's Ikea and unassembled products. With every turn, every corner, every step and every breath of one's journey through this place in history is enjoyable and fascinating. The folks who walk you through this historic menagerie are professional and delightful, as well as brilliant in their presentation and knowledge of all things Rosson. I must say, this has been one of my most memorable attractions to attend in Phoenix and wholeheartedly recommend if you've not visited to do so as well as bringing out of town friends and family. The restoration and preservation of Rosson House is most admirable. And, make sure to stop off at the Museum Store - its well worth it.

I booked a private historical tour with Lorraine. She was knowledgeable, very pleasant, and clearly…read morehas a passion and interest for the city. I enjoyed learning about Tucson's history, culture, and even plants/animals of note in the area. I appreciate that Lorraine picked me up from my hotel, Miraval, which is a bit of a drive and she arrived promptly at our agreed upon time. The tour was a good break from the retreat to learn more about the city I am visiting. 10/10 would recommend!

It was my first time visiting Tucson so I booked an introductory tour with Lorraine, a 40 year…read moreresident with a background as a local guide. We first took a scenic drive in the Saguaro National park, and saw the desert and cactus environment firsthand. Then, we drove through the historic downtown districts, and finally toured the Mission San Xavier del Bac, which is a must see. It was an excellent overview of Tucson's highlights, and highly recommend this business for an individualized tour.

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

Bisbee is only about 10 miles from the Mexican border and about two hours south of Tucson…read more However, the Queen Copper Mine Tour is very worth visiting. Every mine tour I've been on has been different and it's fun to see how they do it. With this tour, you are on the ground level and take a tram into the mine. You get off at various spots, but you won't do very much walking (there is a short flight of stairs to one of the stops). The tour guides are very knowledgeable and seems as if some of them actually had worked in the mine. Being a miner is definitely one of the most difficult, dirty, dangerous and labor intensive that a person can do, and it does make you appreciate how much work and effort it takes to extract any metal or mineral from a mine. The tour does a great job of explaining the process and how technology advancements changed over time from the late 1800's until the mine closed in 1975 Practical Information: 1. Make a reservation online, in advance. Traveling to Brisbee and finding out that you either you have to wait several hours for an open tour, or that they are sold out for the day is NOT something you want. 2. It's really not cold in the mine, since the part you visit is not underground, so you might want a sweatshirt or a light jacket, but that's about all. 3. Don't be late because once the tour starts, you forfeit your place if you aren't there when they leave. 4. The actual tour is about an hour.

Wonderful experience on the tour!…read more **Make sure you buy on their site before you get here... we did but they sold out for a lot of people! ** You take a mine cart into the middle of the mountain, and your tour guide will show you what they did in the past to get the copper out of the mine. It was a very unique tour as the others around Tombstone do not have this same type of experience. The only downfall I had was the extra information when it came to questions. Our tour guide seemed agitated even though he asked if others had questions and honestly didn't seem to know the answers more than what he was told to say. Other than that, well worth the tour and the money (also some cheap bottles of water in the store inside)

Comprehensive, educational and lots of artifacts. Tubac has a history going back thousands of…read moreyears and the Presidio museum does a great job of displaying it by era. There is an unique underground exhibit displaying the layers of archeological findings at the Presidio. This state park is a real gem for visit.

On my quest to experience all the AZ state park in the culture corridor, I have to say this one is…read moreby far my favorite. This small site is might in exhibits. From the ruins, to the museum and all the art inspired by locals, there is so much to see and learn. When you're all done here and still have energy, take a four mile hike on the Anza trail. You never know what you will see.

If you are looking to be entertained and support youth activities, this is a good one. If you're…read moreold school Tucsonian you will recognize some really cool items from Magic Carpet Golf here. If not you'll see some really cool props then. The performance was not something I would have chosen without knowing someone in the cast. There is a spring performance planned so I'm looking forward to that one. The staff is all volunteers and the program is free to the kids. So support them if you can. Kids need more arts and theater and face to face social activities I believe this and Valley of the Moon is encouraging this.

I've heard alot about this place, I finally got to visit it on a "free day", good thing I did, it…read morewas truly a weird experience. Place seems to attract hippy types who hang around, reminds me of a 60's cult commune. Staffed by volunteers in bad costumes, they take you around a dusty acre of land built by a strange "gnome type man" who lived on vitamins & canned milk. He put up some concrete structures, sort of like a poor man's fairy land. Lighting is good, rather creepy with all the hippy types though. Put it on your quirky to do list. Be sure to tell someone you are going there or go with a group of pals. Be careful not to step on dead gnomes.

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!

A friend of mine wanted to do this and I wasn't sure if it would be fun or dumb, but I'm a good…read moresport... We booked the food tour and it was an absolute blast! It's pretty much impossible not to laugh riding around downtown Mesa on these critter-mobiles and it was fun to see the reactions on people's faces as we rode by. We received detailed instructions including parking info and arrived to get situated and select our rides. The rydables are well outfitted and very easy to maneuver. Each had a speaker on it as well as a walkie talkie, so our guide up front could keep instructing us and we could hear that as well as a cheery playlist. Another staff member rides at the back for safety. We ate at several places and definitely had enough food! There was time to relax a bit at each stop. We also stopped for photos a few times and to do something called "the wiggle" which was a highlight. I'd like to try the history tour as well. Definitely recommend this and will do it again!

What an awesome surprise this was from my wife!!! She took us by the shop and I saw all these…read morecrazy fun critter scooter thang-a-ma-bobs and went, "OMG"!!! Then I found out that we were going to get to ride these all around Scottsdale. Man was this a blast. Highly recommend for couples, families and groups. Steve was a great host and guide. Loved this tour from start to finish!