Old Town is the historic urban core of Scottsdale, bounded roughly by Indian School Road to the north, the Arizona Canal to the south, Scottsdale Road to the east, and Brown Avenue to the west. In practical terms it is about one walkable square mile, and it breaks into five distinct districts sitting side by side: the Historic Arts District (galleries along Main Street and Marshall Way), Fifth Avenue (independent boutiques and Southwestern crafts), the Waterfront (upscale canal-side dining), the Civic Center (SMoCA and Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts), and the Entertainment District (nightlife to the south).
The 'town' part is real history. Scottsdale was founded in 1888 when U.S. Army Chaplain Winfield Scott purchased 640 acres in the Salt River Valley, choosing land alongside the Arizona Canal — the only reliable water source in the desert at the time. The settlement was originally called 'Orangedale' by a neighboring resident, then formally renamed Scottsdale and recorded with Maricopa County in 1894. The city incorporated in 1951 with roughly 2,000 residents. The slogan 'The West's Most Western Town' dates from that era, when Scottsdale leaned into cowboy aesthetics to attract tourists. The cowboy bars and adobe storefronts from that period are still there — and still operating.
Three structures anchor the historic grid and are worth finding on foot.
The Old Adobe Mission (3817 N. Brown Ave.) was built between 1931 and 1933 by Mexican settler families using approximately 14,000 hand-laid adobe bricks, each weighing around 50 lbs. Its formal name is Our Lady of Perpetual Help; it is the oldest standing church in Scottsdale and still an active Catholic parish. The Spanish Colonial Revival building sits at Brown Avenue and East First Street, two blocks west of the main gallery strip.
The Little Red Schoolhouse (7333 E. Scottsdale Mall) is a 1909 brick building that served as Scottsdale's only grade school from 1910 to 1928. It was dedicated on February 26, 1910 — Winfield Scott's birthday — and now houses the Scottsdale Historical Museum, free of charge. Hours run Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. from October through April (reduced in May-September, closed June-August). It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Cavalliere's Blacksmith Shop (3805 N. Brown Ave.) has been at the same address since 1920 and is still family-run — one of the oldest continuously operating blacksmith shops in Arizona. The Rusty Spur Saloon (7245 E. Main St.), a registered landmark in a former bank building, bills itself as Scottsdale's oldest cowboy saloon: live music most weekday afternoons, no cover.
Old Adobe Mission — 3817 N. Brown Ave. at E. First St.; oldest church in Scottsdale; still an active parish
Little Red Schoolhouse / Historical Museum — 7333 E. Scottsdale Mall; free; Wed-Sat 10am-5pm (Oct-Apr)
Cavalliere's Blacksmith Shop — 3805 N. Brown Ave.; family-operated since 1920
Rusty Spur Saloon — 7245 E. Main St.; registered landmark; live music, no cover
Get short, interactive stories that make each place easier to remember while you travel.
Taliesin West is the most architecturally significant building in Arizona. Frank Lloyd Wright began constructing his winter home and school on the slopes of the McDowell Mountains in 1937, choosing the site for its desert isolation and its views across the Valley of the Sun. It became the winter headquarters of the Taliesin Fellowship, his apprenticeship program, which continued operating after his death in 1959.
In July 2019, Taliesin West was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of 'The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright' — a serial property of 8 buildings and the first modern architecture UNESCO designation in the United States. The other seven are Wright buildings in the Midwest and East Coast; Taliesin West is the only one in the American Southwest.
The site at 12621 Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. is open year-round except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. All visits require advance tickets — there is no walk-in admission. A self-guided audio tour runs 60-75 minutes via a free smartphone app; guided group tours are also offered. The Artist Pass (available June 1-September 30) allows up to 3 hours of self-guided exploration. Check franklloydwright.org for current pricing and availability. Advance reservations sell out quickly in the October-April high season.
Address: 12621 Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85259
UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 7, 2019 — first modern architecture designation in the US
No walk-ins — book in advance at franklloydwright.org
Self-guided audio tour (60-75 min via app) or guided group tour
Closed Tue-Wed in summer; also closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter
The Scottsdale Arts District occupies the blocks along Main Street and Marshall Way, where 30-plus galleries operate out of low-slung adobe buildings with interior courtyards that open onto the street — a layout built for browsing on foot.
The ArtWalk has run every Thursday evening since 1975, making it one of the oldest continuously running free art walks in the country. Hours are 7-9 p.m. along Main Street and Marshall Way. From November through June, themed 'Gold Palette ArtWalks' extend to 6:30-9 p.m. Galleries are open, admission is free, and most offer light refreshments.
Specific galleries currently operating in the district include Marshall Gallery (7106 E. Main St.), Xanadu Gallery (7039 E. Main St.), Altamira Fine Art (7038 E. Main St.), Faust Gallery (7100 E. Main St.), and The Legacy Gallery (7178 E. Main St.), among many others. The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) at 7374 E. 2nd St. runs extended hours until 7 p.m. on Thursdays to align with the walk — its current exhibition, 'Desert Perspectives,' runs through September 2027. Admission is $13 online, $16 walk-up.
Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West (3830 N. Marshall Way) anchors the other end of the spectrum: Western American art, cowboy gear, Hopi pottery, and frontier photography. Open Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Arizona Canal was completed in 1885 by engineer William J. Murphy — three years before Winfield Scott arrived. Scott deliberately purchased land adjacent to it; the canal was the only reliable water source in the Salt River Valley, and Scottsdale could not have existed without it.
Today the canal runs through the southern edge of Old Town and forms the spine of the Scottsdale Waterfront, a 1.1-million-square-foot mixed-use development at Camelback Road and Scottsdale Road. The canal banks have a paved multi-use trail connecting Peoria, Glendale, Phoenix, Scottsdale, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa community — you can walk or bike it east or west from Old Town. The SouthBridge pedestrian bridge links the Waterfront to the Fifth Avenue district, and Scottsdale Fashion Square (7014 E. Camelback Rd.) is directly across the canal to the north.
For dining, the Waterfront's confirmed options include Olive & Ivy (Mediterranean, canal patio, wood-fired flatbreads) and STK Scottsdale (rooftop steakhouse with weekend DJ brunch). In the Old Town grid, FnB in Craftsman Court is the standout — chef Charleen Badman won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest in 2019 with a seasonal, vegetable-forward menu. Citizen Public House is the neighborhood's most reliable gastropub. For lower-cost quality, Chula Seafood draws locals who want chef-driven food without resort prices.
Fifth Avenue is a pedestrian strip with 80-plus independent boutiques, Native American crafts, jewelry, and Southwestern art galleries, anchored by the Bob Parks Horse Fountain. No chain retail — that is what Fashion Square is for. See Sedona's red rock country if you are extending the Arizona trip two hours north.
From Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX): Old Town Scottsdale is 9-11 miles east of PHX, about 20 minutes by car. There is no Valley Metro light rail connection to Scottsdale — the rail network does not extend into the city. Practical options are Uber/Lyft (approximately 20 minutes), Waymo autonomous taxis (which operate in Scottsdale with curbside pickup at PHX), or a rental car via the PHX Sky Train to the Rental Car Center.
Within Old Town: The five districts are walkable from each other — the Arts District, Fifth Avenue, and the Waterfront are each about 5 minutes on foot from the center. The Scottsdale Trolley is free and runs on weekdays approximately every 20 minutes; however, the dedicated Old Town route has been suspended since 2021. Most visitors walk within the district and take a car to Taliesin West (6 miles northeast) and Scottsdale Fashion Square. A free parking structure on 1st Street near Scottsdale Road has over 500 spaces.
October-November (recommended): October highs run 86-88 degrees Fahrenheit with low humidity — genuinely comfortable for outdoor dining and gallery-hopping. November drops to 68-77 degrees. The Farmers Market reopens in October; the Gold Palette ArtWalk season begins in November. Crowds are lighter and hotel prices lower than the February-March peak. This is the sweet spot.
December-March (peak season): Busiest and most expensive. December averages around 72 degrees; January and February draw maximum snowbird traffic, along with Barrett-Jackson (typically mid-January, WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Rd.) and the Waste Management Phoenix Open (typically early February, TPC Scottsdale). Book hotels well ahead if visiting during either event.
April-May: Still comfortable; crowds thin from March. Late April can push into the mid-90s.
June-September (not recommended): Average highs reach 103-106 degrees in July and August. Monsoon season runs mid-July through mid-September, bringing afternoon thunderstorms and flash flood risk. The Historical Museum closes in summer; Taliesin West reduces its hours. Scottsdale gets 300-plus sunny days per year and only 8-9 inches of annual rainfall — the summer heat is real.
Practical FAQ:
*Is Taliesin West worth the ticket price?* It is one of eight buildings in the United States with the UNESCO designation for 20th-century American architecture, and the only one in the Southwest. If you have any interest in design or desert landscape, yes.
*Do galleries require reservations?* During the Thursday ArtWalk, 30-plus galleries open without appointment from 7-9 p.m. Outside that, hours vary; most open mid-morning and close by early evening.
*Is the ArtWalk really free?* Fully free to walk and enter galleries. There is no wristband, no ticket, no sign-up.
