Tovrea Castle and Carraro Cactus Garden

As others have noted, tours book up extremely fast. We booked ours six months ago and I’d nearly forgotten about it.
Was it the most awesome thing ever? No. But having lived in Phoenix for 16 years and driving past the castle more times than I can count wondering what the heck it was… it was nice to put curiosity at rest. The tours are entertaining (and I’m not much of a history buff) and the inside of the castle is beautiful.

Catching a glimpse of the castle from the road was awesome. Definitely provides the curiosity & desire to imagine what the story «fairy-​tale» is. My family and I walked in, however they’re booked in until fall. Apparently you must make reservations to take the hour tour to see the beautiful little castle. My family and I are looking forward to making a trip there… So I would say the downfall was that you must make reservations months in advance to see the castle.

The volunteers were super nice and very well-​informed on the history of the castle. The surrounding area was pretty neat, seeing the different reasons for building the castle the way they did… but… this tour was very bland as far as what is in the castle. A few replica pieces here and there and again, everything was re-​done… so it was hard to see any history in this landmark. Also, you do not go upstairs as noted on the website, there is no décor anywhere, it is just a large open room with one «replica» chair and some informative poster boards… For waiting 6 months to see this (since it sells out insanely fast) I would not recommend this as it is not a castle tour and there is nothing to see.

Catching a glimpse of that little castle from the freeway, or even from a plane arriving at Sky Harbor, you can’t help but wonder what the story is… Fortunately, the castle and desert grounds are now open for tours! What’s equally impressive, is that the public tour program is entirely run by volunteers — although the preservation process was competed in 2010, the city was unable to open the facility to the public due to lack of funding, an agreement was created between the city and a volunteer driven non-​profit organization that allows public access, and all tour ticket sales goes directly to program.
Fun little tour, neat place to visit and supports local history — Phoenix needs more programs like this — check it out!

I had viewed this place from the freeway so often and had always wondered what it was and what is was being used for. I was pretty excited when I happened upon an opportunity to take a tour and find out. That was when they first started doing tours but from what I understand now, they are a bit harder to book. I just checked the website and they are indeed booked through June. All I can say is, it is worth the time so make an effort, you won’t be disappointed!
The tour lasts approximately 2 hours and starts off with a little video. The video was pretty good and explained the history of the Castle and a bit of Phoenix History. You get to go into the castle and it is really pretty awesome. Like I said before, I always wondered what this place was and I had no idea of its significance to the area before. The people that work here are all volunteers, so help support and take a tour if you have the chance.

Three stars because we were not able to see it since they only accept online tours thru their website. And from to this day (Thanksgiving Day 2013), the next available tour will be next year January. Wonder why this is so popular? I’m so curious now.

When the Tovrea Castle opened for tours I was as anxious as any Phoenician to see the place to only discover tour tickets sell out months in advance. This is still the case so I took the docent training and am now leading tours and I love it.
Here’s a couple notes for those interested in touring:
–the tour is about 2 hours and there is no bathrooms after leaving the visitor center.
–for fire safety guests only get to see the basement and first floor. There’s nothing really to see on the second and third floor since it never opened as a hotel in 1931 as planned.
–70% of the tour is the grounds and cactus gardens although the updated docent guide is allowing guests more time inside the castle.
–volunteers are needed in all aspects of operation, please sign up.

In my family, it was known as the Cake House. I moved to Phoenix in 1992, and this building has always been a point of curiosity for me. Imagine my delight to discover that it is now available for tours! It must be a delight for lots of people since tours are fully booked until next year.
The visitor center is clean and entirely operated by volunteers. There is a short introductory video and then you’re taken on a golf cart out to the expansive grounds of the castle. The tour is limited to only the main floor and basement of the actual building, and a series of loops around the cactus gardens that surround the property. Unfortunately this means no access to the cupola at the top of the castle, which is really a shame. We were told this is due to building codes and accessibility issues. I was quite disappointed not to see these areas, especially when the price for a tour is $ 15, I felt that there should have been more of the building to see. They do have an iPad hooked up with a panoramic view of the upper floors, but obviously that isn’t quite as cool as getting to see it for yourself.
For the most part, I felt that the tour guides were well informed about the history of the building and surrounding property, and it was fun to learn a bit about old timey Phoenix. I appreciate that tours are available, but I do wish they were a bit more extensive. Our guide mentioned they hope to offer garden tours in the future, but I’m personally more interested in architecture. I do recommend a visit to Tovrea Castle, since it is a unique opportunity to see such a prominent landmark up close.

I went online looking for tickets for a friend and discovered that Tovrea Castle Tours are so popular that 2013 March — May tickets are completely SOLD OUT!
If you want to tour this little piece of Phoenix history you definitely need to plan ahead!
2013 Tour Schedule:
January — April 8:30 AM & 11:30 AM Fri, Sat and Sun
May 7:30 AM & 10:30 AM Fri, Sat and Sun
June — July 7:30 AM Fri, Sat and Sun
August Closed
September 7:30 AM Fri, Sat and Sun
October 7:30 AM & 10:30 AM Fri, Sat and Sun
November — Dec 8:30 AM & 11:30 AM Fri, Sat and Sun
PLAN AHEAD FOLKS! PLAN AHEAD. ..

My husband and I, born and raised in Scottsdale, are guilty of not exploring some of Arizona’s best points of interest. So back in October of 2012 we purchased tickets for a tour of Tovrea Castle and Carraro Gardens on 3−3−13. You need to plan ahead for this tour, because it books up months in advance. There are only 15 people per tour, and it’s closed in August due to the heat. The tour lasts 1 ¾ hours and starts with a ride up to the castle in golf carts, with several stops along the way. The docents tell you about the history of the immediate area, how it was landscaped, and how it came to be known as the Tovrea Castle. You then tour the first floor and basement of the castle, where the family spent most of their time. (Here I wish we had a little more time because they have information boards about the history of the rooms. We didn’t have a lot of time to read.) They can’t take you to the top floors because the rooms are so small, they can’t be made accessible to the disabled, as well as due to fire code restrictions. At the end of the tour, you are in the basement where they have a very small gift shop that supports the continuing renovation of the castle. From there you ride the golf carts back down the hill to the parking lot. This is a great way to spend a couple of hours — for tourists as well as locals. Just plan ahead!

The Birthday Cake Castle is now open for tours. Having grown up in Phoenix and just down the street from the castle I had many grandios ideas about the castle. I was fortunate enough to tour the castle this year when it opened. It is a great tour, however it is my reservation only. Call now for a tour next year as they are booked up through the year. It is a must see tour when coming to the valley.

Good news! The castle is open for tours. Only on the weekends right now & you must make a reservation at

My family and I arrived at Tovrea Castle and Carraro Cactus Garden in the late morning on a Sunday. We saw that the gate was closed. We called the number on the gate and sadly found that due to the current economic state, the park has been closed and no tours were available.
That was such a shame because this looked like a beautiful, interesting place to visit.

If you have ever been curious about the castle at all do yourself a favor and hop on over to the City of Phoenix Parks and Rec Website and sign up for a tour of the Carraro Cactus Garden. Tours are Saturdays and are $ 15. You will learn the about the history of the property (including all the urban legends), meet the master gardner who is restoring the cactus garden, and get a peek inside the Tovrea Castle (they opened all the first floor doors and windows for us).
There are plans to create a visitor center for the castle and gardens. They would also like to allow special events like weddings, etc. Learn a little Phoenix history while helping to restore this Phoenix landmark! Sign up. You will not be disappointed.
P. S. Bring your nice cameras. There are some amazing photo opps on the tour!

An interesting bit of history. My curiosity about this landmark was finally satisfied as I became a Master Gardener and volunteered with classmates to help Jason replant the garden. The rehabilitation of the house is underway, but the tour of the gardens is definitely worth the trip.