Cool N Arizona

Find your green-thumb inspiration in the garden's Berlin Agave Yucca Forest or the Desert Wildflower Loop Trail at the Desert Botanical Garden, a naturalist's dream where they showcase more than 145 acres of stunning desert blooms, flora, and fauna year-round. The site opened in 1939 and now boasts over 21,000 plants, including outdoor exhibits and displays, specialty greenhouses, and endangered and fragile species preservation. One-third of the plants are native to the area, while the remaining plants come from all over the world, including special collections from Australia and Baja California. Ecosystems represented include mesquite bosque, semidesert grassland, and upland chaparral scrub.

If you're a fan of architecture or appreciate stunningly designed structures, you won't want to miss touring Taliesin West. Frank Lloyd Wright-designed this masterpiece as his private winter home, studio, and architectural campus. Its prehistoric grandeur and deep connection to the surrounding desert will captivate you. What's even more impressive is that Wright and his apprentices built and maintained the building almost entirely by hand, making it one of the most personal creations of his career. Public tours are available daily, with themed terms incorporating Wright's architectural theories also on offer. As Wright once said, his mission was to "make life more beautiful, the world a better one for living in, and to give reason, rhyme, and meaning to life." The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation seeks to continue this legacy by inspiring people to connect with nature, the arts, and each other through architecture.

Did you know that the Arizona State University Art Museum started as a small display of books? Today, it has become a stunning collection of contemporary American and British ceramics, among other works of art. The museum has over 12,000 pieces in its permanent collection, with over 10,000 square feet of exhibition space in five extensive galleries. One of the unique features of the museum is its focus on contemporary artists and Latin American Art.