Scottsdale Museum of the West, Scottsdale, Bezoekersgids & wat te doen in de buurt

The Scottsdale Museum of the West is a museum of Western art, culture and history on North Marshall Way in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona. It opened in 2015 in a striking desert-modern building and is a Smithsonian Affiliate, which makes it a good anchor for any walk through the neighborhood.

The story behind it

The museum was first known as Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West, and the name still appears in places. It stands on the corner of Marshall Way and First Street, a spot that was once the Loloma Transit Station, so the building began life on the site of a bus stop. It opened in January 2015, and it was designed by the firm Studio MA.

Its collections cover the art, culture and history of the American West, and the museum changes its exhibits and public programs over time, so a return visit rarely looks the same. It has also drawn national notice, including recognition from True West Magazine as a leading Western museum.

What to look for

• The concrete ribs on the outer walls are modelled on the ribs of a saguaro cactus, and like the cactus they help shade the building from the desert sun.
• Two sculptures stand out front: one by Colorado artist Barry Eisenach, whose work often features Native peoples of the Southwest, and one by Utah painter Gary Ernest Smith.
• The building is LEED Gold certified, so notice how the design answers the heat with shade and texture rather than decoration.
• Look at the setting too, with Marshall Way's galleries and studios all around, which shows why this block became the art district of Old Town.

Tips for your visit

• You can go inside, but check current opening hours and admission before you go.
• Allow an hour or two for the galleries, or just a few minutes if you only want to see the facade and the sculptures.
• Go in the morning or late afternoon, when the light is softer and the heat is easier to handle, especially in summer.
• Marshall Way and the other Old Town streets are lined with galleries, so it is easy to combine the museum with a longer stroll on foot.

See it on a quest

Historic Old Town Scottsdale: A Western Adventure reaches the museum on foot as one stop of a longer route through Old Town. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you, so you look at the building properly rather than just walking past. One ticket covers the whole group.

Ghost Hunt in Scottsdale also passes this corner, and gives it a different, spookier angle as part of a walk through the area. You move between stops at your own pace, hear about each place as you get there and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.