Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

An Italian Renaissance-style villa and Baroque gardens on Biscayne Bay, built in 1916 and nicknamed the 'Versailles of Miami.' Its stone barge pier is a favorite spot for wedding photos.

Vizcaya was built between 1914 and 1922 by agricultural machinery tycoon James Deering as a winter villa on the seashore of Coconut Grove. The main house is modeled on Renaissance villas of the Veneto region of Italy. Its 70 rooms are filled with 15th- to 19th-century furniture, tapestries, fireplaces and sculptures that Deering shipped from Europe by the boatload. The interior features early elevator, central vacuum and telephone systems. In front of the terrace, facing Biscayne Bay, is a stone-carved 'Stone Barge' breakwater flanked by mermaid sculptures. It's Miami's most famous wedding photo spot. The 4-hectare garden behind the house blends Italian and French Baroque styles, with a maze of flower beds, a shell grotto, a secret garden and a mangrove trail. The 1994 Summit of the Americas was held here, and Pope John Paul II also visited. Admission is 25 USD for adults and 10 USD for children under 13. Entry is by timed online reservation, and the admission includes an audio guide (with Chinese). Closed on Tuesdays. Nearby, Coconut Grove is one of Miami's oldest neighborhoods, with a sailboat marina, the Cocowalk shopping center and a tropical market. Further south in Coral Gables, the Venetian Pool, a public pool converted from a quarry in 1924 (about 21 USD), and the Biltmore Hotel can be combined with Vizcaya for a half- to full-day 'Old Miami' route. Getting there: take Metrorail to the Vizcaya station, then walk 8 minutes, or take an Uber from downtown, which takes about 15 minutes. There is a free parking lot. Notes: flash photography and tripods are not allowed indoors. Commercial photography requires separate permission.

Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

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