Guided Tours of Arcosanti
Explore and Learn About Arcosanti
May 1st: We have switched to our Summer Tour Schedule. There is no 2:00 p.m. tour.
Our Visitors Center hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Daily tours of the unique architecture and grounds at Arcosanti, led by a knowledgeable resident tour guide, are held multiple times every day of the year except for major holidays.
Tour Times:
Thursday-Monday
9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday-Wednesday
11:00 a.m.
Visitors to Arcosanti, the world’s first prototype arcology consciously integrating architecture and ecology into its design, will learn about the rich 50-year history of the project and understand why Arcosanti continues to influence young architects, urban planners, and designers from around the world.
Arcosanti currently sits on and stewards land that was tended to by the Hohokam (present day Akimel-O’odham and Tohono-O’odham) and Yavapai-Apache people and served as a critical trading route for the Hopi, Zuni, O’odham, and Diné (Navajo) people. In acknowledgement of these Southwestern Indigenous communities, our daily tour fee is waived for Indigenous and First Nations people. To receive free admission, make a reservation below.
Daily Tour
Arcosanti will be closed Friday, December 20, for a holiday event.
Our in-depth guided tour begins with a brief history of Arcosanti from its beginning in 1970 to today. Included on the daily tour are the iconic silt-cast and form-cast concrete structures, interior and exterior spaces, the bronze foundry, and the ceramics studio. Additionally, tour guides will share the origins and history of Arcosanti, why it is where it is, the community of environmentally-conscious residents that occupy it, and what Arcosanti continues to teach us about sustainable architecture.
PLEASE NOTE: Arcosanti is open daily except New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Easter, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Veteran’s Day (Observed), Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Our Visitors Center hours are 9 am to 5 pm daily, with tours offered daily.
Fall Tour Times:
Thursday-Monday
9:30 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. | 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday-Wednesday
11:00 a.m. | 2:00 p.m.
Duration: 60-90 minutes
Tour Prices:
- $25/General
- $17/Students with ID
- $13 Youth (ages 13-17)
- Indigenous and First Nations people free
- Children 12 and under free
- Advance booking highly recommended
K-12 School Tour
Throughout the academic year, Arcosanti welcomes student groups in grades K-12 to experience the project first-hand through a brief tour of its architecture and grounds and thoughtfully planned activities. Enhanced with pre- and post-tour classroom materials developed by master educators, this tour experience geared toward students enriches academics through connections to STEAM areas of science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
Duration: 1.5 hours
By Appointment Only: Please email tours@arcosanti.org at least two weeks prior to your preferred date.
Tour Fee: $12 per person
Architectural Tour
This behind-the-scenes Architectural Tour is led by Tomiaki Tamura, Arcosanti resident, a long-term architectural assistant to Paolo Soleri, having first-hand experience in planning and building the distinctive architecture of Arcosanti. From an expansive explanation of how the same earth-casting technique used to make Ceramic Windbells influenced the unique way the buildings at Arcosanti were constructed, to an innovative spatial arrangement focusing on passive heating and cooling via creating microclimates, effective daylighting and acoustics. The tour also shares a basic understanding of Arcology, an urban development concept, evident in Arcosanti’s mixed-use spaces.
*Maximum of 10 participants
PLEASE NOTE: This tour is not ADA-accessible. The Architectural Tour explores grounds and structures at Arcosanti with narrow pathways, steps, uneven walkways, and other structural and natural features that may be challenging to guests with mobility concerns. If you have mobility concerns, we recommend booking the Daily or Archives Tours instead.
Duration: Architectural Tours begin at 10:15 AM and last for approximately 90 minutes, ending by noon.
Plan your visit: These tours are available to the public every other Saturday; 2-3 times a month.
Tour Fee: $30
Archives Tour
Led by the Director of the Archives, the Archives Tour is an insightful exploration into the art and ideas of the Arcosanti’s founding architect Paolo Soleri. Focusing on models, sketches, photographs, and journals from those who built Arcosanti over its 50 years, this enriching tour provides a look into the past as well as the future. Through virtual reality technology, many original Soleri sketches are “brought to life” and give participants on this tour amazing access to the creative brilliance of groundbreaking and complex arcology concepts that predicted a radical reimagining of what cities of today could have become.
*Maximum of 6 participants
Duration: 1.5 hours
By Appointment Only: Please email tours@arcosanti.org at least a week prior to your preferred date.
Tour Fee: $30 per person
Land Stewardship Tour
Addressing the ecology aspect of arcology, our Land Stewardship department showcases how important it is to respect all aspects of the desert ecosystem.
This tour will give you an inside glimpse to the different ways of stewarding a land – appreciating its beauty, chronicling the plants and animals that live here, and understanding what the desert has to offer. As the high desert is a harsh environment with high temperatures and low precipitation, you will learn how life persists in these challenges.
PLEASE NOTE: This tour is not ADA-accessible. The Land Stewardship Tour explores grounds and structures at Arcosanti with narrow pathways, steps, uneven walkways, and other structural and natural features that may be challenging to guests with mobility concerns. If you have mobility concerns, we recommend booking the Daily or Archives Tours instead.
*Maximum of 20 participants
Duration: 60-90 minutes
By Appointment Only: Please email tours@arcosanti.org at least a week prior to your preferred date.
Tour Fee: $30 per person
Land Stewardship tours are available upon request for certain groups. If you are interested in booking a Land Stewardship Tour for your group, please email tours@arcosanti.org.
Sustainability Tour
At Arcosanti, sustainable technology solutions combine elements of design and creativity in the use of available resources to achieve inventive urban design solutions. During this in-depth tour of Arcosanti’s sustainable systems, participants will learn about construction techniques, mechanical system efficiencies, and natural resource utilization developed for this unique urban prototype. Led by members of our Planning Department, participants on this tour will gain a greater understanding of the smart operating systems that make Arcosanti run.
PLEASE NOTE: This tour is not ADA-accessible. The Sustainability Tour explores grounds and structures at Arcosanti with narrow pathways, steps, uneven walkways, and other structural and natural features that may be challenging to guests with mobility concerns. If you have mobility concerns, we recommend booking the Daily or Archives Tours instead.
*Maximum of 10 participants
Duration: 1.5 hours
By Appointment Only: Please email tours@arcosanti.org at least a week prior to your preferred date.
Tour Fee: $30 per person
Sustainability tours are available upon request for certain groups. If you are interested in booking a Sustainability Tour for your group, please email tours@arcosanti.org.
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.
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