How to enter the 2027 lottery

For some Valley residents, it’s the “wedding cake building.” For others, it’s “that castle on the hill.” Whatever it’s been called over the decades, the structure’s official name is Tovrea Castle at Carraro Heights, one of Phoenix’s most iconic landmarks.

The historic building near 52nd Street and Van Buren has been around for close to a century 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 distinctive sights in town.

Getting inside, though, takes a certain amount of effort and a little luck. Public access is limited and tickets are distributed through the Tovrea Castle ticket lottery, held twice a year. Demand is high and tours frequently sell out.

The next lottery opens Oct. 1 and runs through Oct. 15 for Tovrea Castle tours scheduled January through May 2027. If you want to see the inside of this unique Valley treasure, here’s everything to know about how to enter and get tickets.

What is Tovrea Castle?

Tovrea Castle’s history goes 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.

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.

The city of Phoenix now owns Tovrea Castle, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The local nonprofit Tovrea Carraro Society oversees the property. In 2025, two rebuilt outbuildings opened on the grounds: the Carraro Cottage and Caretakers’ House. Both had previously been destroyed by monsoon storms.

When public tours began in 2012, demand quickly outpaced the number of available tickets. Officials introduced a lottery, giving people a chance to storm the castle for a look inside.

When can the public visit Tovrea Castle?

Tamera Zivic, president of the Tovrea Carraro Society, told Phoenix New Times in 2021 that the public can tour the historic building through a twice-yearly ticket lottery conducted in the fall and spring. She stated the demand for tickets comes down to two factors: mystery and scarcity.

“There’s a lot of history behind the castle and people are just curious about it,” Zivic stated in 2021. “People who’ve lived here for a very long time want to know more about it, like ‘What the heck is that thing out there? What’s inside?’ Other people around the world have heard about and are quite interested in it also.”

The docent-led tours last 75 minutes, with the number and size of groups limited by city regulations, occupancy limits and the need to protect the historic property.

“We could be doing tours 24/7 because of demand, but we don’t 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,” Zivic told New Times in 2021. “We make sure that everybody gets a great tour and gets to see a lot when they’re here.”

How to enter the Tovrea Castle ticket lottery

Zivic told New Times in 2025 that “many thousands” of tickets are available for purchase by people selected at random through the lottery. Here’s how it works:

Tovrea Castle tour tickets cost $22 each, with children 2 and younger admitted free with a paid adult.

The spring 2027 Tovrea Castle ticket lottery is open Oct. 1 to 15. Anyone interested in entering can visit the Tovrea Castle tour website and follow the link for the lottery.

Entrants must provide their name, phone number and email address. They can select up to three preferred tour dates and times January through May 2027 and request one to four tickets.

Tours are offered Fridays through Sundays. Entering the lottery doesn’t guarantee tickets, though. It only gives entrants a chance to purchase them if they’re selected.

Winners will be notified by email two to three weeks after the lottery closes. It can take several rounds for all tickets to be claimed and people who aren’t selected won’t be notified.

Lottery winners will have 72 hours after the notification email is sent to purchase their tickets. If they don’t complete the purchase in time, the tickets will be offered to another entrant.

May the odds be in your favor.