Architect Frank Lloyd Wright spent the money he made from his masterpiece Falling Water on a large swath of desert northeast of Scottsdale, and from about 1937 onward he spent a portion of each year living in the desert with his apprentices and building what would become Taliesin West (12621 Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., 480/860-2700, recorded tour info 480/860-8810, www.franklloydwright.org, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.).

If every house built in the desert used the natural landscape in the same way as this wondrous complex does, the Valley would be a very different, better place today. Familiar Wright motifs, like his ubiquitous compression-and-release entranceways, Oriental touches, and native-rockand- mortar aesthetic, are on display at this truly unique and important attraction.

You can only see Taliesin by tour, but the guides are knowledgeable and very enthusiastic about Wright’s work and legacy. Since the complex is still used and lived in today by fellows of Taliesin Associated Architects, a group carrying on the spirit of Wright’s work, some buildings may be off limits during a tour.

There are several tours to choose from, including an in-depth, three-hour, behind-the-scenes look around ($45). The most popular tour is the 90-minute Insights Tour (9 a.m.–4 p.m. daily, every half-hour Nov. –Apr., every hour May.–Oct., $32) which includes a look at the beautiful Garden Room and the living quarters as well as all of the sights included in the one-hour Panorama Tour (10:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m., and 2:15 p.m. daily, $27). They change the tour schedules sometimes, so it’s a good idea to call before you go. Arrive a little early so you can check out the excellent bookstore and gift shop, which sells Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired knickknacks and just about every book ever published by or on the master.