The Arcosanti Visitor Experience
Tours: Let Us Be Your Guide
PLEASE NOTE: Our Visitors Center hours are 9 am to 5 pm daily, with tours offered daily. Our café is open 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, Friday through Mondays.
The easiest way to get to know Arcosanti is by taking one of our tours. From multiple daily site tours to speciality tours focusing on sustainability, architecture, and our extensive archives, you’re sure to find one (or several) to spark your interest and imagination. We even offer tours tailored to K-12 school groups. All Arcosanti tours are led by members of our community. Advance booking is highly recommended, and some tours are by appointment only.
Day visitors must be part of a guided tour in order to explore the grounds and architecture of Arcosanti.
The Visitor’s Center, Café, Gallery & Gift Shop, and restrooms are accessible to day visitors who do not wish to take the guided tour.
Those visitors taking the guided tour will be asked to sign a Release Form prior to their tour.
Guestrooms: Stay the Night
Arcosanti is a place for serenity and solitude, as well as culture and conviviality. Overnight guests get a first-hand immersive experience of life inside the arcology. As an overnight guest, you can enjoy a simple-but-elegant guestroom with beautiful canyon views, where architecture and nature work together.
Unlike day visitors, as an overnight guest, you will have the freedom to explore Arcosanti on your own, taking in our unique architecture and ecology, including our iconic Vaults, Colly Garden, Amphitheater, Music Center, Minds Garden, Swimming Pool, Hiking Trails, Sky Theater (on a clear moonless night, the Milky Way galaxy is easily visible to naked eye), and the 860+ acres of surrounding open nature on our property.
Public wifi is available throughout Arcosanti.
We recommend all overnight guests take our one-hour guided tour (ideally upon arrival), in order to familiarize themselves with Arcosanti’s grounds and learn about the history of this unique place.
Please be advised: Arcosanti uses passive heating and cooling systems, supplemented with space heaters and fans. Air conditioners are available in some, but not all, guestrooms. Each room is unique in its offerings of features and amenities.
Overnight accommodations are available for individuals and groups. Reservations are required. All overnight guests will be asked to sign this Release Form upon check-in.
Café: Let’s Do Lunch (and Breakfast)
The Café at Arcosanti is open Friday through Monday, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
The cafe offers fresh baked goods and hot/cold beverages Friday through Monday. Our in house bakers enjoy utilizing many of our site grown and wild crafted herbs and fruits to bring you a variety of stunning, diet friendly and uniquely flavorful options in both baked goods and beverages.
In addition to our esteemed bakers, the cafe also provides lunch services Friday through Sunday from 11:30-2:30 PM, rotating our menu to encourage both the individual creativity and unique skill sets of our beloved staff, as well as showcasing the hard work and passion from our very own agriculture team.
With breathtaking views of the valletta to the south, spectacular sunsets to the west, and our own distinctive architecture, art, and windbells, the Café at Arcosanti is an open and welcoming space for visitors and community alike. Here, you can sit and rest, contemplate your surroundings, take in the occasional indoor concert, lecture, and performance, enjoy our complimentary wifi, and, of course, take part in many a meal. The design of the café space incorporates abundant natural lighting, passive solar heating and cooling, enormous picture windows, and multiple balconies.
Hiking: Time to Hit the Trails
As a prototype arcology, where Arcosanti ends, the natural world begins.
The high desert plains that surround us are part of the transitional zone between the Sonoran Desert to the south and the Colorado Plateau to the north. An abundance of species are found here. In addition to snakes, skunks, scorpions, spiders, coyotes, and centipedes, you may see mule deer, javelina, and bobcats. You may also meet some of the cattle who graze our land through our partnership with a neighboring rancher. Bald eagles, turkey vultures, and red-tailed hawks are often spotted soaring the skies.
Two miles of the Agua Fria River flow through our 860-acre property, providing a rare and crucial riparian habitat characterized by cottonwoods and mesquite. Our many non-native and non-invasive Mediterranean olive and cypress trees also help to provide food and shelter for over 200 species of birds.
The established hiking trails at Arcosanti are easy to access, well-maintained, and have only a mild-to-moderate incline, accessible by most walking visitors. However, all visitors are advised to hike at their own risk, ensure adequate hydration, be aware of natural obstacles and wildlife, and use common sense when hiking in this or any other desert environment.
For the safety of all our visitors and guests, Day Visitors are permitted only on the Visitor’s Trail while Overnight Guests can access to the Valletta Loop, Mind’s Garden, and Tomiaki Trails.
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