Guided Tours of Arcosanti
Daily Tour
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.
Fall Tour Times:
Thursday-Sunday
9:30 a.m. | 11:00 a.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
The Archives Tour is an insightful exploration into the art and ideas of Arcosanti’s founding architect Paolo Soleri. Over the span of his career, Paolo Soleri was prolific in his output as a theorist, an architect, and an artist and the evidence of this industriousness is in the thousands of personal papers, journals, sketchbooks, original drawings, and models he produced. The materials are gathered in the Archives at Arcosanti, where they are catalogued, and preserved in the climate-controlled vault.
These invaluable objects and materials share space with volumes of history of exhibitions around the globe, extraordinary events and conferences here at Arcosanti, as well as of Arcosanti alumni journals and collections. We are also in the process of cataloging/digitizing a massive collection of slides, photos and film.
*Maximum of 15 participants
Duration: 1 hour
By Appointment Only: Please email archives@arcosanti.org at least a week prior to your preferred date.
Tour Fee: $30 per person
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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