Vizcaya Museum, House & Gardens, Miami - Replica of a 400-year-old Italian Estate

Vizcaya Museum (Villa Vizcaya), Miami

The Vizcaya mansion was built almost a century ago but deliberately designed to look much older and furnished with 15th-19th century antiques.

Now known as Vizcaya Museum, and owned by Miami-Dade County, it's located in extensive gardens on the shore of Biscayne Bay, between Downtown Miami and the centre of Coconut Grove.

Replica of a 400-year-old Italian Estate
It was the winter residence of industrialist James Deering whose aim was to create a replica of a 400-year-old Italian estate which had been occupied and renovated by several generations of a family. Although sometimes referred to as Villa Vizcaya, it's a big building, with more than 30 decorated rooms.

Vizcaya Mansion Has Hidden Floor for Servants
From outside Vizcaya mansion appears to be only two stories high, but between the main rooms and the top-storey bedrooms, there is a hidden floor with 12 rooms for servants and services.

Renaissance Italian and French Style Gardens
The gardens are a mixture of Renaissance Italian and French styles, and include fountains, statues, a miniature maze, an orchidarium and a pool with an island.

Miami Beach Botanical Garden, South Beach – Free Guided Tours

Miami Beach Botanical Garden

Just a short walk from the crowds of South Beach's Lincoln Road, is the peaceful Miami Beach Botanical Garden, on Convention Center Drive, with palm trees, orchids, a Japanese-style garden and many sub-tropical plants.

Pond and Meandering Paths
Remodelling of the garden is in progress and it is closed at present, probably until October. Meandering paths will replace the previous straight concrete ones and a pond is being added.

Types of Palm Tree
Varieties of palm trees in the garden include the royal palm, the cabbage or sabal palm – the state tree of Florida – and the MacArthur, Everglades and Puerto Rican hat palms.

Palm trees are mostly solitary, but are sometimes planted in artificial clumps.

South Florida's humid climate isn't suitable for date palms, which are desert trees, although there are coconut palms all over Miami.

The Barnacle House & Park, Coconut Grove - Oldest House in Miami in Original Location

The Barnacle, Coconut Grove, Miami

The Barnacle, in the Coconut Grove neighbourhood of the City of Miami, is the oldest house in Miami-Dade County still in its original location.

A park dotted with palm trees stretches from the house down to the boathouse on the waterfront, where there's a view over Biscayne Bay.

In Centre of Coconut Grove
Although the entrance to The Barnacle Florida State Park is right in the centre of Coconut Grove, a short walk from the shops, restaurants and bars, it's easy to pass by without noticing its discreet sign.

From the entrance, the house is a few minutes' walk along a paved track shaded by tropical hardwood trees, remnants of a forest which once covered a large part of what is now Miami.