3251
South Miami Ave.
Miami, FL 33129
(305) 250-9133
Hours:
open daily except Christmas from 9:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., when the ticket booth closes. The house
remains open until 5 p.m., the gardens until 5:30,
in case you want to linger a little.
Admission:
$10 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 13.
Check
out an Ipix 360-degree picture of scenic
Vizcaya Museum
& Gardens
Millionaire
industrialist James Deering liked the good things in
life. Even when it came to his winter home on
Biscayne Bay, he spared no expense. He roamed Europe
to find the finest of period pieces for his mansion.
Now,
his home and gardens are owned by the Metro-Dade
Parks, and the property is one of two officially designated
National Historic Landmarks in Miami-Dade County.
The museum and gardens offer visitors a glimpse of
high-society living during the early 20th century.
Deering’s
34-room Italian-Renaissance-style "villa",
constructed around a central courtyard, was
completed in 1916. It is furnished with antique furniture and artwork from the 15th to 19th centuries.
The
formal Italian gardens cover more than 10 acres with
beautiful plants and dramatic fountains and
statuary.
Vizcaya
was the site of the 1994 Summit of the Americas and
has been visited by scores of dignitaries including Pope
John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth and American presidents Ronald
Reagan and Bill Clinton.
Guided and
group tours are available and moonlight 
tours of the
formal gardens are especially popular. Be sure to
call ahead to see when the next one’s scheduled.
Special
accommodations are available for wheelchair-bound
visitors. An audio-taped tour and large-print
guidebooks are available for visually impaired
visitors.
