Old Town Scottsdale: Galleries, Dining, and Western Heritage
Old Town Scottsdale is the city's historic core, and it holds two identities in the same few walkable blocks: Western-heritage storefronts and saddle shops tracing back to the city's early-20th-century roots, and a contemporary gallery scene most visible during the weekly Scottsdale ArtWalk, held Thursday evenings when galleries open their doors. The same streets hold a dense cluster of restaurants and rooftop bars, so a gallery evening flows naturally into dinner.
For a closer look at the district's two sides and how they fit together, see our Old Town Scottsdale guide, and check individual galleries' and restaurants' official pages for current hours before you go.
McDowell Sonoran Preserve and Desert Trails
North Scottsdale is home to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, more than 30,500 acres that the City of Scottsdale describes as one of the largest permanently protected urban desert preserves in the world, with a network of trails ranging from easy desert washes to longer climbs into the McDowell Mountains. It's a genuinely different side of Scottsdale from Old Town and the resort corridor -- open Sonoran Desert scenery, saguaro stands, and mountain views a short drive from the golf courses and galleries.
Trail difficulty and distance vary widely across the preserve's trailheads, so check the preserve's official trail maps and current conditions before choosing a route, especially outside the cooler months.
Golf and Resort Spas
Scottsdale anchors one of the densest concentrations of golf courses in the country, spread across public, resort, and private clubs, with TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course as the marquee name -- home of the WM Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour every February. Outside tournament week, the Stadium Course and the area's many other resort and public courses operate as premium, bookable golf.
Spa amenities are a real draw in their own right, not an afterthought bolted onto a golf trip -- several Scottsdale resorts run destination-spa programs that stand on their own as a reason to book. Season shifts the calculation on both fronts: winter and spring are peak for weather and price, while summer brings sharply lower resort rates in exchange for serious heat. See our best time to visit Scottsdale guide for the full seasonal breakdown.
Scottsdale Fashion Square and the Dining Scene
Scottsdale Fashion Square is Arizona's largest luxury shopping center, with a concentration of flagship and designer retail not matched elsewhere in the state. It sits close enough to Old Town that pairing a shopping afternoon with an Old Town dinner and gallery walk is a common way to spend a day rather than a special itinerary.
The dining scene tracks the same upscale positioning -- a dense cluster of restaurants around both Fashion Square and Old Town, plus the rooftop-bar and patio-dining culture that Scottsdale's mostly sunny climate makes practical much of the year outside peak summer heat.
Beyond Scottsdale: Phoenix and Day Trips
Scottsdale sits immediately east and northeast of Phoenix, close enough that most visitors treat the two as one connected trip rather than separate destinations. Phoenix functions as the broader metro basecamp -- desert hiking, downtown museums, and Sky Harbor International Airport -- while Scottsdale supplies the resort, golf, and gallery side of the same visit.
If you have extra time, Sedona's red rock country is roughly a two-hour drive north via I-17, a genuine luxury-to-canyon contrast in a single longer Arizona loop. See our 3-day Scottsdale itinerary for one way to structure a trip that covers both the resort side and a fuller day-by-day plan.