What to See at the Vibrant Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

In a city known for opulent mansions and beachside estates, there is one that stands above the rest. The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens takes guests on a tour of a beautifully picturesque estate in Coconut Grove, Miami’s oldest neighbourhood. Visiting Vizcaya is an essential stop on a trip to Miami. The grand Renaissance inspired mansion from the early 20th century is Miami’s finest example of Mediterranean Revival style, and you’ll feel like you’re living a life of wealth and luxury as you wander its halls. Of it’s 70 rooms, 34 are open to guests, and then there’s the gorgeous gardens to keep you going afterwards. If you only have time to visit one historical site in Miami, I’d make it Vizcaya. In this post, I hope to convey the beauty of vibrant Vizcaya to you, as I take you through a tour of the estate.

• Heading to Miami? Check out guide and 3 day itinerary to the city HERE.

Vizcaya Museum & Gardens – The Basics

• Where? 3251 S Miami Avenue, Miami, Florida
• When? 9.30am – 4.30pm Wednesday to Monday (closed on Tuesdays)
• How much? $25.00 USD for adults (13 years and over); $10.00 USD for children 6 to 12 years. Note that online reservations are required at the time of writing.
• How to get there: As the Vizcaya Museum is situated in Coconut Grove on Miami’s mainland, Uber is the most efficient way to get there from Miami Beach. The drive will take around 20-25 minutes. If you’re staying in Miami City itself, you can take the Trolley Brickell Route (the Museum is stop #15 going south or #39 northbound).
• Website: https://vizcaya.org/

About Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

Vizcaya Museum’s centrepiece mansion served as the winter residence of James Deering, a businessman and industrialist who made his mark in Chicago. Deering was born in 1859 and came from one of America’s richest families in the late 19th century. He went on to own properites throughout Chicago, New York and even France. He was a retired millionaire and bachelor when he decided to move to South Florida. Deering was diagnosed with anaemia and was therefore encouraged to get more sunshine. He started out spending time in St Augustine in the winters, however by 1912 the plans were in motion for his own house on Miami’s Biscayne Bay.

Construction of Deering’s 130 acre estate took a decade to complete, with over 1000 workers involved on the project. Deering’s vision for Villa Vizcaya was of a 16th century estate which had been altered by generations, and therefore insisted the mansion incorporate styles from different historical periods. With the assistance of Paul Chalfin, Vizcaya drew heavily from architecture of France and Italy, while also incorporating the South Florida influence. As was common for the era, Deering also decorated Vizcaya’s rooms with historic styles and treasures.

Deering moved into Vizcaya in 1916, and saw the estate’s completion in 1922. He died in September 1925, en route back to the US from Paris aged 65. Following his death, Vizcaya passed to Deering’s nieces Marion and Barbara, though it was devastated by hurricanes in 1926 and 1935. Owing to the estate’s escalating maintenance costs, they sold Vizcaya to Miami-Dade County, which subsequently converted the property to a museum in 1953. Today, Vizcaya is recognised as a National Historic Landmark.

Visiting Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

Vizcaya was my first stop of the day during my trip to Miami. I recommend getting there around opening time, as you’ll be able to see more of the property without crowds. I toured the mansion’s rooms first thing, and enjoyed not having to shuffle between groups of people. As I moved into the gardens, crowds started to pick up, but they were mostly heading inside, so it worked out well.

Overall, I spent just over 2 hours at Vizcaya. If you’re doing a comprehensive tour, you could spend even more time here. You can take an audio tour while going through the property and it comes highly recommended. You’ll learn more about the mansion and the life of James Deering throughout your stay. It normally costs an extra $5, but at the time of my visit, the audio guide was complimentary (and I believe this is still the case for a limited time). If you listen to everything, the audio tour takes about 90 minutes. If its not your thing, there’s also plenty of informative panels throughout the mansion that will fill you in on Vizcaya’s story.

One very important thing to know before visiting the Vizcaya Museum is that you currently need to book your ticket online – there’s no sales at the museum’s entrance. I suspect that will change as we move on from the pandemic, however for now, make you sure you book on the official website. Of course, if you’ve got internet reception, you could always just book on your phone when you arrive in the worst case scenario.

Vizcaya Mansion’s Ground Floor

Your first steps into the Vizcaya Mansion will take you into the Entrance Loggia. Decorated with Roman marble, the Loggia sets the stage for the grandeur to come. The focal point is a classical sculpture. Just like today, the gods of Ancient Greece and Rome stood here via statuary, welcoming guests into Deering’s home.

While you can’t access it from here, behind a barrier you’ll catch a glimpse of the house’s Courtyard. Vizcaya’s layout basically sees its assortment of rooms loop around the exterior of the Courtyard, which was originally open to the elements. The Courtyard was my favourite part of Vizcaya mansion, filled with luscious palms, sunlight and water features.

If you go left from the Loggia, you’ll pass into the Entrance Hall, a small Neoclassical French room, from which a duo of coatrooms and the Library branch off, the latter more English in design. Up next is the Reception Room. Often referred to as the ‘Marie Antoinette Salon’ by Paul Chalfin (see her bust on the mantel), this living space is dominated by a breathtaking chandelier.

Continuing through the ground floor, there’s a number of rooms filled with more treasures, ranging from tapestries, musical instruments, paintings and more. The Living Room is the largest room in all of Vizcaya, with 20 foot ceilings and a pipe organ sitting beneath an altar painting. The Dining Room follows the Music Room. Despite being fit for a banquet, Deering actually preferred eating his meals al fresco style in the courtyard or on the terrace.

Not to be missed, the Enclosed Loggia (basically a tea room) connects to the Dining Room This loggia is absolutely gorgeous, furnished with marble floors and 18th century artwork, all while overlooking the gardens outside. The adjoining Serving Pantry contained many a modern appliance for Deering’s time.

Upstairs in Vizcaya Mansion

The mansion’s second floor is again comprised of a series of rooms looping around the main courtyard. Upstairs you’ll find yourself on an open air walkway that overlooks the courtyard, offering great views below. As you might expect, Vizcaya’s second floor is mostly made up of the bedrooms, both Deering’s personal chambers, and those occupied by guests.

The Master Suite has its own balcony and overlooks Biscayne Bay in all its glory. Deering’s chambers also extended into a Sitting Room, inspired heavily by the 18th century architect Giocondo Albertolli. Deering’s bedroom links to a private bathroom, complete with gold plated faucets able to fill the tub with both salt and fresh water.

To be honest, I felt Deering’s chambers were actually overshadowed by some of the other guest rooms on Vizcaya’s second floor. All decorated in different styles, the guest rooms are referred to by exotic names. Espagnolette adjoins into Deering’s own bedroom, so it is suspected that it may have been occupied by his more romantically favoured guests. The guest rooms are all named after characters from historical literature – Pantaloon, Cathay, Mainin and Goyesca – just to name a few. Most just branch off the main upper gallery, but there are a few in the north and south tower, along with the Galleon sitting room, used by important guests.

Also on the second floor of Vizcaya, you’ll find the Breakfast Room. Used for casual dining, this loggia’s windows span floor to ceiling and look out into the gardens below. Inside the room itself, tapestries harken to nautical ports, surrounding artefacts from Ming-era China. Just off this chamber, you can step into Vizcaya’s main Pantry and Kitchen space.

The Bay Side

Heading outside, there’s much more to see at the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. Exiting the mansion from the rear, you’ll be face to face with the blue waters of Biscayne Bay, with the skyscrapers of Miami Beach on the horizon. Its a beautiful view, so you can understand why Deering chose this site for his residence. The property is actually unusually close to the water, which has brought about flooding over the years. Also, while I missed it, if you look to the left while on the Terrace, you’ll be able to see the property’s swimming pool extending underneath the mansion!

Moving off the East Terrace, you can wander over to the Boat Landing. Across a small Venetian bridge, this landing is actually where Deering initially arrived at Vizcaya. Coming to his new residence by sea, the incredible views of the property from here are the same that Deering would have taken as he saw the property in person for the first time. Opposite the Landing, the docking area winds around to the Tea House. This prominent open air structure would have been an excellent place to sit outside while watching over the Bay with a cup of tea (hence the name).

The most fascinating part of Vizcaya’s Bayside however has to be the Stone Barge across the water. Built with the intention of serving as a breakwater, shielding the property from Biscayne’s waves, Deering was actually quite fond of this structure. During his time, the barge was filled with trees and statues, and also had a large gazebo on top, which has since been weathered away by storms. It was aboard the Barge that Deering hosted parties, with gondolas ferrying his guests across the water.

The Gardens

Vizcaya’s Gardens cover a whopping 10 acres and are a highlight of any trip to Vizcaya Museum. Immersed between native forest and mangroves, they are modelled after formal Italian gardens from the 17th and 18th centuries, and consist of various manicured spaces filled with plants, sculptures and fountains. They’re incredibly diverse and ripe for exploration, with a picturesque backdrop for a photo shoot looming around every corner. In fact, while exploring the Gardens, you’re likely to run into a wedding party or three taking photos throughout. Don’t worry – they’re large enough that you’ll have plenty of room for yourself.

My favourite part of the Garden was actually where I started. Just away from the Bayfront, the so called Secret Garden. This walled in area (designed to house orchards) is filled with greenery, but is overlooked by an archway. After climbing to the top for countless photos, I noticed that the archways underneath it were comprised of coral like particles, which was really unique.

Moving deeper into the Gardens, you’ll find a hedge maze, the Fountain Garden, and eventually ascend the Garden Mound. Commonly used for weddings, this artificial terrace overlooks much of Vizcaya, across the Center Island and back towards the main mansion. Its another really beautiful spot on the property. In an interesting spot, the stairs leading up to the Mound have tracks up the centre, allowing garden staff to push heavy wheelbarrows up and down. Once on top, you’ll find more coral stucco covered grottos and the Casino, a shaded area to enjoy the scenic surrounds (which was closed at the time of my visit).

Looping back towards the Mansion, I passed back through the main gardens. The focal points here are the semi-circular pools, statue heads and countless iguanas that you might see during your wander.

After a few hours exploring Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, I felt I had seen enough of the property to move on with my day, but I can see how people could want to spend even longer here. This Museum (although far from a museum in the conventional sense) is one of the best places to spend a relaxing morning in Miami, while also learning about a bygone time. James Deering’s slice of paradise on Biscayne Bay comes highly recommended, and I hope you experience it for yourself if you’re in Miami. If you’ve already visited, what was your favourite part of the property? Is there a piece in the mansion or a hidden nook in the gardens that you feel people have to check out? What fun facts did you uncover about Vizcaya on your visit?