Arcosanti

Arcosanti is one of the strangest and most rewarding detours in Arizona, and the essential pilgrimage for anyone following the architecture trail from Taliesin West. Begun in 1970 by the Italian-born architect Paolo Soleri, a one-time apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright, it is an unfinished prototype town on the rim of a canyon above the Agua Fria River, built to test Soleri's idea of arcology: architecture and ecology fused into dense, walkable, energy-wise communities that leave the surrounding land wild. What you see is a cluster of poured-concrete structures that look like nothing else in the desert, great quarter-sphere apses that shade in summer and catch winter sun, vaults, round windows, terraced residences and open amphitheaters, with the high grassland and mesas stretching away on every side. A small community still lives and works here, and its most famous output is the bronze and ceramic windbells that hang throughout the site and fund the project. The Daily Tour is the way in for most visitors: about 60 to 90 minutes with a guide, starting with the history of the project and walking through the silt-cast and form-cast concrete structures, interior and exterior spaces, the bronze foundry and the ceramics studio, with honest discussion of what worked and what did not. It runs Thursday through Monday in the morning, late morning and early afternoon, and booking ahead is highly recommended. A deeper Architectural Tour runs every other Saturday for small groups and is not ADA-accessible; an Archives Tour can be requested by appointment. Day tickets are moderately priced, with discounts for students and teens and free entry for children twelve and under and for Indigenous and First Nations visitors.

Getting there is part of the experience. Arcosanti sits off Interstate 17 near Cordes Junction, about an hour's drive north of Phoenix, with the last stretch on a dirt road that is fine for ordinary cars in dry weather. That location makes it an easy add-on to a drive between Phoenix and the red-rock country further north; Sedona is roughly another hour up the road, so a north-bound day can combine an Arcosanti morning tour with an afternoon in Sedona, or Montezuma Castle in the Verde Valley. Leave Phoenix early, book a morning tour, and stay for lunch at the cafe, which serves simple meals with long views over the canyon.

To get the most out of it, read a little about Soleri beforehand and keep an open mind: Arcosanti is a work in progress that never reached the scale its founder imagined, and part of its fascination is the gap between the utopian drawings and the beautiful, weathered fragment on the ground. The windbell shop is the best souvenir stop in Arizona for design lovers. For a fuller experience, Arcosanti offers overnight stays in simple guest rooms, which give access to more of the hiking trails, quiet evenings under very dark skies and the chance to see the site at sunrise. Concerts and events are held on site through the year.

Fit: architecture and design travelers, Frank Lloyd Wright and midcentury enthusiasts, and curious couples who want a road trip with a story. It pairs perfectly with Cosanti, Soleri's earlier studio and foundry in Paradise Valley, where you can watch bronze bells being poured on weekdays. Families with young children may find the tour long, though the bells and the canyon setting appeal to older kids. Check the site for weather and holiday closures before driving up.