Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

I’ve lived in south Florida for almost six years and have always wanted to visit the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. I finally had a weekend off when the weather was nice and decided to make the short trip down to the Coconut Grove area of Miami to see what it had to offer. It was amazing to see a house built over a century ago (1914 - 1922) in pristine condition. We opted to do a self-guided tour with the audio guides so we could take our time to explore the estate. The Vizcaya museum has two sections: the main house, and the gardens. It belonged to James Deering, and was his winter residence between 1916 until his passing in 1925.

The main house has two floors containing more than seventy rooms which are all decorated with antiques and furniture collected from different parts of the world. I took photos of some of my favorite rooms throughout the house as well as views of the picturesque gardens.

The east side of the house overlooks Biscayne Bay, and offers a prime location for weddings, as well as engagements, graduation, and maternity photo shoots. Behind me in the photo below you can see the stone barge that appears to be floating on the bay.

Over time, storms, wind, and salt caused widespread damage to the limestone that’s been used extensively throughout the estate. Fortunately, restoration efforts have helped recondition the limestone to help it resemble its original state.

Below are photos of James Deering’s bathroom and bedroom on the second floor of the house. His exquisite taste in decor can be seen in the marble used throughout his bathroom walls and bathtub.

As was mentioned in the audio guide, small bed sizes were common during this time period.

Here you can see the contrast between the basic guest bathroom and James Deering’s own lavish master bathroom.

The second floor dining room was James Deering’s favorite room in the house where he ate breakfast every morning.

Whether you are a Miami local or just in town visiting, I highly recommend checking out Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.

What are some of your favorite museum/historical homes you’ve visited? I would love to hear about them in the comments below.

A special thanks to Lola for helping me take some of these amazing photos!!