Scottsdale sits on the eastern edge of the Phoenix metropolitan area, separated from its neighbor by manicured golf courses and the sharp geometry of the Sonoran Desert. It is one of the American Southwest's most polished resort towns — a place of pink-hued sunsets, art galleries, upscale spas, and the kind of outdoor lifestyle that draws sun-seekers from across the country.
The city divides neatly into Old Town, a walkable core of adobe storefronts and art galleries clustered around Fifth Avenue and Main Street, and the newer resort corridor stretching north toward Scottsdale Road. Old Town is the place to start: it's compact, human-scaled, and full of character, with the Friday ArtWalk drawing crowds to the gallery strip most weeks.
Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and studio at Taliesin West, on the northern outskirts of the city, is the single most important sight. Wright himself described the desert site as his greatest work, and guided tours take visitors through the organic buildings that inspired his later career. Even those with no prior interest in architecture tend to find it absorbing.
The Sonoran Desert surrounding Scottsdale is genuinely spectacular. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve gives hikers and mountain bikers access to thousands of acres of saguaro-studded terrain, with trails ranging from easy washes to demanding ridge hikes. The desert is at its most dramatic in April and May, when wildflowers bloom.