Taliesin West was the desert home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright, one of America's greatest 20th-century architects. A prime example of organic architecture, with buildings incorporating elements and structures found in surrounding nature, it was built between 1938 and 1940, and is still home to an architecture school. It's now a National Historical Monument, open to the public for informative guided tours – reservations are essential.

　　During the popular Insights Tour ($35), a docent leads visitors to Wright's office, with its slanted canvas roof, the grand stone-walled living room where you can sit on original Wright-designed furniture, and the half-sunken Cabaret Theater. It's 90 minutes; several longer tours are also available.