The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a Breathtaking Miami Attraction

Owned by Miami-Dade County and accredited by the American Association of Museums, The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a stunning piece of Miami history. Lauded as a National Historic Landmark, the museum is a beautiful combination of man-made and natural resources, attracting nearly a quarter-million visitors annually.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is often touted as the "Hearst Castle of the East'', in reference to the California home of newspaper mogul Randolph Hearst. Like Hearst's mansion, Vizcaya is quite lavish, boasting the best the Gilded Age had to offer.

Vizcaya was built in 1916 by James Deering, founder of International Harvester, and was used as his winter retreat. The agricultural industrialist was quite taken with the opulence of the time and employed 100 of the country's best artisans to build this spectacular home, which took about five years to complete.

In its function as a museum, Vizcaya hosts an impressive collection of art and artifacts, furniture and more, spanning approximately 2,000 years. Pieces come not only from throughout North America but also from Europe and Asia. Especially noteworthy are the home's original furnishings, most of which are still intact. Also of note are a number of early conveniences which are commonplace these days but were not at the time Vizcaya was built. These include a central vacuum system, a switchboard, elevators, and fire sprinklers.

Most of the artwork found at the Vizcaya Museum is from Deering's collection of 16th to 19th century pieces including paintings, sculpture, and more. The breathtaking antique furniture and tapestries inside the Italian Renaissance villa-style structure are favorites with visitors who revel in the over-the-top style of the Gatsby era.

Guided tours of the interior of the mansion are available daily. The tour includes all 34 furnished rooms on the first floor and takes about 45 minutes to complete. Guests may tour the second floor on their own. Tours depart every half-hour or so and Spanish language tours are available.

Outside the museum, the gardens are lush and present myriad photo-taking opportunities. The gardens are linked together in a series of "rooms'' and include not only plantings but also sculpture and a number of other accent items. Guests may roam through the gardens on their own, exploring sections like the "Secret Garden'' and "The Maze'', the latter a favorite with young visitors. During certain times of the year, Vizcaya offers 90-minute Moonlight Garden Tours under the full moon.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens also presents a number of other educational opportunities including family events and workshops, architectural and art history tours for adults or older youth, and both theatrical and musical performances, including recitals on the museum's 1917 Welte Mignon pipe organ. Certain parts of the facility are also available for rent and Vizcaya has long been a favorite site for wedding banquets and photo-taking.

The Vizcayans, a group of volunteers dedicated to preserving the museum and gardens, oversee its upkeep and conduct several fund raisers per year that are open to the general public.