Old Town Scottsdale Art District: Self-Guided Walking Tour

Gallery by gallery, from Native American trading posts to contemporary art in a former bank vault

A self-guided audio walking tour of Old Town Scottsdale's art district with GPS navigation, offline maps and lifetime access to the app. You walk at your own pace through the historical center—starting at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art—discovering how Native American trading posts evolved into luxury galleries, browsing Navajo rugs in a 1952 bank building's original vaults, and seeing works by Wyeth, Warhol and Picasso. The two-hour route ends at the Scottsdale Public Library, tracing the complete arc from frontier farming community to the Southwest's premier art destination.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Old Town Scottsdale Art District

• Start at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
• Walk through historical center
• Browse Main Street gallery corridor
• Visit Marshall Way boutique district
• See Old Adobe Mission and Little Red Schoolhouse
• Enter Bischoff’s Gallery and Navajo rug vaults
• Explore Sarah Thomas’ 1897 general store site
• Visit King Galleries for Pueblo pottery
• Discover art at American Fine Art showcase
• Browse Sissoko Tribal Art Gallery
• Experience Sugar Bowl ice cream parlor
• End tour at Scottsdale Public Library and Civic Center

The Experience

Start in front of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and let the audio guide walk you through the historical center where trading posts became galleries. The GPS keeps you on route as you weave through Main Street's gallery corridor and Marshall Way's boutique district, stopping where you choose—no fixed pace, no group waiting. You'll pass the Old Adobe Mission and the Little Red Schoolhouse, then step into Bischoff's Gallery, housed in a 1952 bank building where the original vaults now protect valuable Navajo rug collections. The same building holds Bischoff's Shades of the West, built on the site of Sarah Thomas' 1897 general store, Scottsdale's first female-owned business.

The route takes you through King Galleries, recognized as one of the world's top five destinations for authentic Pueblo Indian pottery, and American Fine Art's 12,000-square-foot showcase of works by Andrew Wyeth, Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso. You'll also find Sissoko Tribal Art Gallery's collection of African artifacts assembled by a former Malian gold trader, and Sugar Bowl's ice cream parlor, immortalized in "The Family Circus" comic strip. Louise Nevelson's monumental 1973 "Windows to the West" sculpture—the city's first public art installation—anchors the district's public art story.

The audio guide works offline on iOS and Android, so you don't need data or a signal to navigate. You get lifetime access to the tour, meaning you can return to Scottsdale months or years later and walk it again without paying again. The app gives you directions to the starting point; once you're there, the tour begins. Two hours is the standard pace, though you can linger at any gallery or move faster if you prefer.

What’s included

• Lifetime access to the audio tour in English.
• offline maps and GPS navigation.
• iOS and iOS app.
• directions to the starting point.
• flexibility to walk at your own pace and revisit galleries as long as you want.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by VoiceMap Audio Tours

Is this one for you?You walk the whole route yourself—no guide, no group, no fixed stops—so the two hours stretches or compresses depending on which galleries hold your attention. This works best if you're comfortable navigating with a phone and prefer to linger where you choose rather than move with a group schedule.

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Top questions

What's inside Bischoff's Gallery that makes it worth a stop?

Bischoff's Gallery occupies a 1952 bank building where the original vaults now protect valuable Navajo rug collections—a rare chance to see high-value textiles stored in the same security the bank once used for cash.

Can I use this tour if I don't have a smartphone or data plan?

The audio guide and maps download to your phone before you start, so the tour works completely offline. You'll need a smartphone and headphones to listen, but no cellular signal or data connection.

How long does the walking tour actually take?

The tour is designed as a two-hour walk, though you set the pace yourself. You can spend longer browsing galleries or move through faster depending on what interests you.

Where exactly does the tour start and end?

The tour starts in front of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and ends at the Scottsdale Public Library and Civic Center Library, covering the full historical center of Old Town Scottsdale.

What kind of art will I actually see on this route?

You'll encounter Native American pottery at galleries representing four generations of trading families, Navajo rugs, African tribal art, and contemporary works by artists including Andrew Wyeth, Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso across multiple galleries and public installations.

Do I need to buy tickets to enter the galleries?

The tour itself is free to walk, but some galleries may charge entry or have their own policies. The app doesn't include paid admissions to attractions, so budget separately if you want to enter museums or special collections.