VIZCAYA MUSEUM review
What a fantastic place to visit in Coconut Grove, Miami’s oldest neighborhood! In fact, this is the most beautiful estate museum I’ve visited in the US so far. It’s better then the Ringling estate and the Flagler one. Reminiscent of the old European architecture, the mansion reminds me of Venice and its mysterious charm. James Deering envisioned the mansion build in style of several European historical periods and so some rooms have Venetian influence, others Spanish. There’s also a large room with Chinese art.
The Garden
The garden is similar to the one in Versailles. Every corner of the garden is eternally beautiful! I can sit and sketch there for hours if I could. It’s amazing to see this Mediterranean Revival art style integrated into the Florida landscape of mangroves and lizards. Get ready to spend at least two hours walking down the garden and examining the rooms of the estate. The café has tasty food and drinks if you’d like to have a bite there. What a treasure and a must-see in Miami for sure!
History
Vizcaya mansion used to be the winter residence of James Deering, an industrialist from Chicago. Born in 1859, Deering was incredibly wealthy and owned several properties in France, Chicago, Miami and New York. A retired multi-millionaire, he moved to Miami because of his poor health. The 130 acre estate took nearly a decade to complete. James died at 65 years of age and his nieces sold the estate to the county after the two hurricanes devastated the property they couldn’t maintain.
Art
The museum is open Wednesday through Monday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m, including December 31 and January 1. https://vizcaya.org/ | ADDRESS: 3251 South Miami Ave. Miami Fl. 33129