Unexpected Arizona

The West’s pioneering spirit and eccentric personality are alive and well in Arizona. Check out the manmade lakes, the quirky public art pieces, and the old ghost town where hippies and bikers now roam the streets.

Phoenix

Mystery Castle [1]: Mary Lou Gulley still welcomes visitors into her home, an eccentric “castle” her father built in the 1930s and ’40s from found objects like rocks, adobe, glass, auto parts, and even petroglyphs.

Civic Space Park [2]: Her Secret Is Patience, a massive fabric-net sculpture that hangs over the park from steel rings, resembles a saguaro cactus blossom — or a giant jellyfish, depending on your perspective.

Tempe Town Lake [3]: The city of Tempe [4] converted two miles of the usually dry Salt River into a reservoir lake for boating, rowing, and fishing, thanks to a series of inflatable rubber dams.

Scottsdale

Cosanti [5]: Visit this small artists’ village and bell foundry by Paolo Soleri, Frank Lloyd Wright’s former student, which includes a subterranean “Earth House,” outdoor studios, and student dorms.

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park [6]: Antique engines and train cars dot this popular city park, where children and train buffs can ride a scale reproduction of a narrow-gauge railroad.

Cave Creek [7]: You’re more likely today to find yuppie bikers and artists than cattlemen in this former Old West town. Still, the community manages to retain much of its 1880s character at Frontier Town.

Sedona

Snoopy Rock [8]: Kids get a kick out of the red-rock formation from the perspective of Uptown Sedona, where they recognize the famous beagle asleep on his back. Lucy Rock is nearby.

Sedona Air Tours [9]: Take to the skies in a vintage Red Waco biplane, which can accommodate two passengers at a time, with a pilot providing commentary about the changing landscape.

Jerome [10]: Hippies, artists, and bikers have transformed the old mining town into an eclectic mix of galleries, hotels, restaurants, and saloons.