Was in the area from out of town and I wanted to see this beautiful house in person. I wasn't able…read moreto go inside but the outside is so pretty Love all the details. It's truly breathtaking

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.

Organ Pipe Cacti is a rare form of cacti in America and basically, this park is the only area that…read morehas them. Mexico has a bunch but it's not safe near the border overall. Organ Pipe is a desolate, super hot and schizo region. The summer heat easily hits 115-120 and during winter it can dip pretty low so prepare cautiously because no one can find you. In the event someone can find you, it is a dangerous predicament because of bad stuff that happens near this inhospitable border region involving smuggling humans, drugs and money. Nothing good happens whenever the underworld's money is threatened. Regardless of the existential threats, the views, scenery and colors is breathtaking. You have a good vantage points of the exterior and at times the interior since the main road is 3-5 hour loop. The desert is beautiful if you can understand the killer heat. Turtles, critters, snakes, plants, large avians and so much more. I didn't snap too many pics of animals cause they were hiding. Maybe next time! You might see a roadrunner if your lucky **beep beep**! I don't recommend wearing sandals when walking around here. Highly advise high-top steel toes with some wool/thicker socks in the event a snake bites ya. This region is home to the deadly yet gorgeous diamondback rattlers. Rattlers don't typically bite higher than the adult ankle so when they hit your boots, hopefully the snake will retract and go into a defensive position for you to walk back. Snakes don't chase humans however scorpions and poisonous critters will. Scorpions will claw at your toes and the pincher can pierce socks but not leather and metallic toe'd boots. If you see a scorpion, your best option is to squash it, kick it or stomp real hard to scare it. If it's not scared, then these nocturnal predators will attack your toes relentlessly. Getting bit by one of these tricks is basically a death sentence in the wilderness. Access/Roads: The main hub called the Kris Eggle Center is located off of HWY 89. It's visible, you can't miss it. Besides if you hit Mexico then duuuh, you passed it. If you are coming from Mexico and hit the second ICE checkpoint, duuh you passed it. The park has a west and east side. The east side makes a quick loop around Diablo Mountain. The west side is the main attraction where the Organ Pipe Cactus is located. The western portion has two entrances, the North and South entrance which is near Mexico however you have to visit the North sector if you want to check out the loop (the 3-5 hour version). The North and South entrances are a two-way for about 50 miles and then they become a one way. The northern is the entrance to the one-way while the Southern is the exit. When traveling on the Southwest corner, the road is two way for a second for local traffic. The dirt road to the right leads to small towns/Native territories. Please drive with care as the desert heat can blind ya. The entire loop is gravel paved with debris everywhere. Parking: Free. Plenty space on the dirt in the park and the center has paved roads. Distance: Phoenix (north from Ajo) is appx 120 miles or two hour drive. Yuma, AZ (west from) is appx 160 miles or 2.5 hours. Tucson, AZ (east) is appx 135 - 170 miles or 3 hrs (depends on route). Mexico (South) less than an hour. Costs: Free Nearby Attractions: ICE facilities & checkpoints (forced). Ajo Historical Society/Museum (North) Sonora Desert (North) Yuma Territorial Museum (West) Saguaro National Park (East) Other Notes: ICE/DEA checkpoints. There is one to the south and one to the north from Ajo. The checkpoints only stop vehicles traveling northbound on HWY 85. Warning for all you Californians. ICE agent stated "Californians who go through here are typically up to no good." And wished us safe travels. If you are a Cali native and travel through here, the agents will assume you are up to nefarious activities so be prepared to convince them that you are not to prevent further hassles and time wasting. If you are up to no good then I hope they put you in the slammer. I can't wait to come back~!

Being a native to Arizona, I love that I am still discovering new places after all my years of…read moreliving here. I have heard of this national monument before and have seen the sign pointing to it on the drive to Rocky Point on many occasions. I enjoyed my first visit to Organ Pipe National Monument. This location in Arizona is one of the only places where senita and organ pipe cactus grow in the wild. It is unfortunate that the park is so remote or I would have visited it earlier. It is located in Southern Arizona and at least a two-hour drive from Tucson. But it is well worth the trip. The park shares a border with Mexico. Organ Pipe National Monument has a nice visitor center with restrooms, exhibits, souvenirs and staff on hand to answer questions. It is named in honor of a fallen park ranger who was shot and killed by a drug smuggler. I used my National Park Pass to get into the park. There is a paved nature trail around the visitor center that has many examples of organ pipe cacti in all stages of development. I started my day off on the nature trail and enjoyed my introduction to the park on it. If you like to camp, Twin Peaks Campground is located just over one mile away from the Kris Eggle Visitor Center. I like to do a hike or two whenever I visit a national park or monument. There are a number of them on the Ajo Mountain Loop Drive and on the drive through the Puerto Blanco Mountains. The Bull Pasture/Estes Canyon and Arch Canyon Trails are a couple of popular hikes at Organ Pipe National Monument. I did the full 21-mile Ajo Moutain loop drive and stopped to hike the 1.2 miles roundtrip Arch Canyon Trail. It is an easy hike through a canyon that leads to an arch. Overall, I enjoyed my first visit to Organ Pipe National Monument and glad I took a day off to check it out.

Great tour! So much history shared. Host was amazing and knowledgeable. Highly recommend!!!read more

From the owner: Yuma Uncovered is dedicated to the preservation of Yuma's unique history and culture through…read morehistoric tours and events.

It was the Felch House and it's front lawn chess set that had caught my eye about eight months ago…read more Then, the whole tree-lined street of Lynwood seemed to suck us in as we'd just done to our breakfasts. (Vovomeena) For a leisurely after-breakfast walk, we went. We admired the grassy front lawns (many "newer" suburban communities don't allow grass in the front lawn) and the architecture of the homes (bungalows mostly) as well as the mature trees and landscaping. Then, just a couple days ago, it happened again. Lynwood is one nice street down which to take a stroll and check out the architecture. And it was then that I learned that this area is designated "The Historic Roosevelt Neighborhood" which is the area from McDowell to VanBuren and from Central to 7th Avenue. it's a series of neighborhoods that grew North of Phoenix between 1893 and 1930. Lynwood St is actually located in an overlap with historic area: "The FQ Story Neighborhood Historic District" which spans from McDowell south to Roosevelt Street and from 7th Ave west to Grand. I'd thought I'd noticed, too, as we'd driven by one of the homes..that there was a white box affixed to a tree. Christmastime...letters to Santa maybe? or maybe the home had a special historical designation...? The joy of discovery. Simple stuff. It wasn't either of those. Note: There's an annual home tour in early November "Historic Roosevelt Home Tour" If you feel like you want to keep walking/sightseeing - check out the nearby "Japanese Friendship Garden" at Portland and 3rd Ave...(there is an admission fee.)

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!

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

This was a very unique food tour and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Elysa really loves Tucson and it…read moreshows through her knowledge of history, current events, murals and cultural events. It was definitely an immersion in the city, being woven together with a food tour. We met at a food market, but ended up using that as a place for introductions (and parking for those who drove) and a way to catch the streetcar into downtown, Elysa sharing info about Tucson and the surrounding area, all along the way. She also has really honed in her relationships with the restaurant owners/managers, as a couple of them came out to speak with us about what they do. That was a really nice touch. The dishes were unique - a pasta dish with peaches (much better than it sounds), and East Indian Latino fusion. And we each got to choose what flavors of ice cream we wanted for dessert. And as a treat, we went into the Fox Theater and met the sound engineer and heard about the fascinating history of the theater. The Historic Downtown tour is a lovely way to spend a half day in Tucson and for anyone who is into food or history, should make this part of their visit.

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!

We just finished a tour with Russ of Puerto Penasco and it was great. Russ lives here full time,…read moreknows many people in town and all the little secrets that only the locals know about, like the tiny bakery with a wood burning oven built 67 years ago that hand makes bread for those in the immediate barrio. He took us out to Barb's Dog Rescue to see the amazing work she is doing and to a really simple and delicious Taco restaurant. Russ is open hearted and shares his life and love of Puerto Penasco with you and that is priceless.

From the owner: We do city tours of Puerto Penasco and the shrouding desert region in Sonora Mexico we also do…read moregroup activities and coordinate groups on vacation or for work parties.

Did a night tour with a friend. This house, its story and the treasures it houses were colorful and…read morefascinating. I don't want to give anything away that my photos didn't already reveal. You owe it to yourself to do a tour. The gift shop/cottage houses more of the properties treasures: lavender inspired home, bath, and body products. I'm coming back to take a soap making class.

I've always assumed a celebrity once lived here, but it turns out that's far from the truth. The…read morereal history was nothing like I expected. I won't give it away--you'll have to go on the tour yourself. Upon arrival, there's free parking on the premises in a designated grassy area. John was a great tour guide--nice, informative, and absolutely hilarious! There were a few places we couldn't see that I personally would've loved to explore, such as the hidden rooms behind the doors and the son's room upstairs. Due to time, those areas weren't included, which was a bit of a bummer. Overall, though, the tour was enjoyable. Since the place was built in the '80s, there aren't really any ghost stories--probably because in the '80s the only ghosts people talked about were the Ghostbusters. The property definitely needs a bit of love. The carpets need cleaning, and the whole place could use a refresh to bring back that '80s charm instead of feeling more like the '50s. I did love the artwork throughout, especially the stair rails, doors, and mural. A small on-site café or coffee spot would be amazing--there's so much potential here to elevate the experience, especially if they plan to maintain it as historic grounds. They no longer host weddings here, which is disappointing since I remember driving by years ago and seeing celebrations happening on the property. Overall, the tour is worth the price and definitely something to check out for yourself. Drink your coffee before you go! And remember: don't touch anything on the tour. It's always embarrassing when the guide has to remind everyone because of that one person who just can't follow the rules. Sheesh! Why is there always that one human?‍ The kitchen was definitely a 80s kitchen. In any case, I recommend checking it out if you're a history buff or just simply need something to do. Tours are held on the weekends in 3 sessions... check their site and get your tickets online. (Subject to change) Tell John that you heard it here! Btw... There's a cute gift shop on premises that sells lavender soaps and trinkets. They also sell sugar cookies and soda No coffee on the premises at all!

We had an incredible experience! Kendace was an amazing guide and instructor. She was friendly,…read moreprofessional, incredibly knowledgeable, and communicated everything clearly, making us feel comfortable from start to finish. The ranch is absolutely beautiful, and the horses are well cared for and wonderful to ride. One of our favorite parts was the tour through the little Western town--it was such a unique experience and really brought the area's history to life. You can tell this land is full of rich history and has been cared for with pride. This experience exceeded our expectations, and we absolutely got our money's worth. If you're looking for an authentic Arizona adventure with great people, beautiful horses, and fascinating history, I highly recommend visiting. We can't wait to come back!

Great experience! Our guide Bob was so informative and fun…read more You can't ask for better scenery!