Things to Do in Scottsdale
Top things to do in Scottsdale
- Old Town Scottsdale. The city's historic and social heart, Old Town packs nine walkable neighborhoods with art galleries, boutique shops, acclaimed restaurants, and Arizona's most electric nightlife. Thursday evenings bring the ArtWalk — the oldest continuous art walk in the country — where galleries along Marshall Way and Main Street…
- Taliesin West — Frank Lloyd Wright's Desert Masterpiece. Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and studio, built in 1937 from the rocks and sand of the Sonoran Desert itself, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. Daily guided tours reveal how Wright wove the McDowell Mountain landscape into every room, terrace, and garden of this living laboratory of organic…
- McDowell Sonoran Preserve. One of the largest urban preserves in the United States, this 30,500-acre swath of protected Sonoran Desert offers more than 230 miles of shared-use trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The Gateway Loop Trail (4.4 miles, moderate) is the most popular entry point, rewarding visitors with sweeping…
- Camelback Mountain. Scottsdale's most iconic landmark rises 2,704 feet and offers two challenging summit trails — the steep Echo Canyon route and the longer Cholla Trail. The 1,500-foot elevation gain in under two miles is strenuous, but the panoramic views of the Valley of the Sun from the top are among the most dramatic in the desert…
- Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA). Housed in an inventive renovation of a historic theater, SMoCA brings world-class modern art, architecture, and design to the heart of Old Town. Its permanent centerpiece is James Turrell's Knight Rise skyspace — one of only a handful in the world — where visitors experience the ever-shifting light of the Arizona sky…
- Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West. A Smithsonian Affiliate since opening in 2015 and named Best Western Museum in the USA by True West magazine in 2023, this 43,000-square-foot museum brings to life the art, culture, and history of 19 Western states plus Western Canada and Mexico. Cowboy gear, frontier paintings, and Native American artifacts share…
- Scottsdale Spa and Wellness Scene. With more than 50 luxury resort and day spas, Scottsdale has more resort spas per capita than any other U.S. city. Treatments blend Sonoran Desert botanicals, ancient Native American healing traditions, and global wellness techniques — making the city a genuine pilgrimage destination for relaxation and rejuvenation.
- Scottsdale Fashion Square. Arizona's largest mall at roughly two million square feet anchors the intersection of Scottsdale Road and Camelback, with luxury flagships including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, and Brunello Cucinelli alongside a Nobu restaurant and Harkins movie theater. It consistently ranks among the top-grossing malls in the…
Top-rated tours & activities in Scottsdale
Pedal Bar Crawl of Old Town Scottsdale — 5.0★ (4,433 reviews)
Party Bike Private Party Up To 14 People in Old Town Scottsdale — 5.0★ (3,688 reviews)
Sonoran Desert Jeep Tour at Sunset — 5.0★ (2,749 reviews)
Scottsdale's Original Food Tour — 5.0★ (355 reviews)
Hole in the Rock & Tempe Lake E-Bike Tour - 2 Hours — 4.9★ (219 reviews)
2 Hour Segway Tour - Sunset & City Lights — 4.9★ (107 reviews)
Small-Group or Private Grand Canyon with Sedona Tour from Phoenix — 4.8★ (2,552 reviews)
Desert Off-Road UTV Tour, 2 hours, 2 people per vehicle — 5.0★ (1,597 reviews)