![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/tovrea-castle-phoenix-ticket-lottery-tours.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tTovrea Castle, the iconic tiered landmark in Phoenix, is set to hold a ticket lottery for its fall public tours.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tTovrea Castle, the iconic tiered landmark in Phoenix, is set to hold a ticket lottery for its fall public tours.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Benjamin Leatherman<\/p>\n
For some Valley residents, it\u2019s the \u201cwedding cake building.\u201d For others, it\u2019s \u201cthat castle on the hill.\u201d Whatever the moniker, its official name is Tovrea Castle at Carraro Heights<\/a>, one of the Phoenix\u2019s most iconic landmarks.<\/p>\n The historic <\/a>structure at 52nd Street and Van Buren has stood for almost a century years and is a familiar sight for anyone driving the Loop 202 Freeway. Its tiered architecture and surrounding cactus gardens make it one of the most photographed and distinctive sights in town.<\/p>\n Getting inside, though, isn\u2019t easy. Public access is limited and the only way to tour the attraction is through the official Tovrea Castle Phoenix ticket lottery, which occur twice a year. Tickets are in high demand and tours frequently sell out.<\/p>\n The next Tovrea Castle Phoenix ticket lottery, for tours scheduled from September through December 2026, opens on June 1 and closes June 15. If you want to see the inside of this unique Valley treasure, here\u2019s everything to know about the latest Tovrea Castle lottery.\t\t<\/p>\n Sign up for the Arts & Culture newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox<\/p>\n THANK YOU!<\/p>\n You’re all set.<\/p>\n CLOSE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n What is Tovrea Castle?<\/p>\n Tovrea Castle\u2019s history stretches back nearly a century. In the late 1920s, Italian immigrant and entrepreneur Alessio Carraro built the tiered, 5,000-square-foot structure as the centerpiece of a luxury desert resort that never materialized.<\/p>\n Arizona cattle baron and meat-packing mogul A.E. Tovrea bought the 44-acre property in 1931. After his death the following year, the castle became the home of his wife, Della, for three decades.<\/p>\n These days, the city of Phoenix owns the castle and it\u2019s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Tovrea Carraro Society, a local nonprofit, manages and maintains the property. In 2025, it unveiled two rebuilt outbuildings on the grounds, the Carraro Cottage and the Caretakers\u2019 House, that were previously destroyed by monsoon thunderstorms.<\/p>\n When the society\u2019s public tours of the property began in 2012, demand was overwhelming. As a result, a ticket lottery was introduced to manage the sheer number of people eager to storm the castle for a look inside.<\/p>\n When can the public visit Tovrea Castle?<\/p>\n Tamera Zivic, president of the Tovrea Carraro Society, told Phoenix New Times in 2021<\/a> that the public can tour the historic building through a twice-yearly ticket lottery conducted in the fall and spring. She stated that two factors fuel the demand for tours: mystery and scarcity.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of history behind the castle and people are just curious about it,\u201d Zivic stated in 2021. \u201cPeople who\u2019ve lived here for a very long time want to know more about it, like \u2018What the heck is that thing out there? What\u2019s inside?\u2019 Other people around the world have heard about and are quite interested in it also.\u201d<\/p>\n Tours last 75 minutes and are docent-led, but the number and size of groups are capped by city regulations, occupancy limits, and the need to protect the fragile property.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could be doing tours 24\/7 because of demand, but we don\u2019t want to take this historic site that the city of Phoenix refurbished and run it into the ground with lots of people going through it,\u201d Zivic told New Times in 2021. \u201cWe make sure that everybody gets a great tour and gets to see a lot when they\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n How to enter the Tovrea Castle ticket lottery<\/p>\n Zivic told New Times in 2025 that \u201cmany thousands\u201d of tickets will be available for purchase by those selected at random through the lottery. Here\u2019s how it works:<\/p>\n Tovrea Castle tour tickets cost $22 each with children 2 and under admitted free. Tickets can only be purchased by those 18 or older. Only one lottery entry per person is allowed.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/tovrea-castle-tours-ticket-lottery-phoenix-historic-photo.webp\")
A 1985 photo of Tovrea Castle. The historic structure dates back to 1929.<\/p>\n![\"Tovrea](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/tovrea-2.webp\")
Tovrea Castle is one of Phoenix\u2019s best-known buildings.<\/p>\n