Things to Do: 10 stories of the Old West you can learn during a visit to Western Spirit in Old Town Scottsdale

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West offers tales of the Old West

Staff Reports | Happenings & Events

Looking for reasons to visit Western Spirit: Scottsdale Museum of the West in Old Town Scottsdale?

Here are the Top 10 stories of the Old West you can’t find anywhere else:

1. Meet the early explorer artists of the American west and understand their impact on today’s art.
2. Experience the confluence of the many American west cultures.
3. Learn of the similarities and differences in the lives, artistic styles, and beliefs of the men and women of the American west.
4. Frontier storytelling and Westward migration: the reality, not Hollywood.
5. Who are these mountain men, fur trappers, and traders?
6. The first desert artists.
7. The early epic expeditions that profile the best of our exploratory spirit including an examination of Lewis and Clark, William Price Hunt, John Wesley Powell, and Edward S. Curtis.
8. Understand the impact that nature played in the westward migration: the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, the fauna, and wildlife.
9. Learn of the importance of the Oregon Trail.
10. Become immersed in the past, present, and future of the Greater Western Region.

Since its opening in January 2015, Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West — a Smithsonian affiliate — has played a critical role in preserving the rich history and cultural heritage of the American West, and community of Scottsdale. Also, Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West has been named the Best Western Museum by True West Magazine for a staggering 10 consecutive years.

Earlier this year, Western Spirit broke ground on a highly anticipated expansion made possible by Louis “Buzz” Sands IV, who is a respected entrepreneur and owner of several car dealerships across the Valley of the Sun.

The 11,360-square-foot extension of Western Spirit will include the construction of new galleries, to be named the Louis Sands IV Center. These galleries will become home to a diverse collection of artworks, artifacts, and stories that further illuminate the American west.

A perfect afternoon in Old Town Scottsdale could be a visit to the Arts Districts then walk over to Western Spirit, stop in at the Canopy Hotel for lunch, and then continue to Main Street to visit with members of the Scottsdale Gallery Association.