Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

Vizcaya was built between 1914 and the early 1920s as the winter home of the industrialist James Deering, on the shore of Biscayne Bay south of downtown Miami. The villa was designed by the architect F. Burrall Hoffman with Paul Chalfin as design director, and the landscape architect Diego Suarez laid out the gardens. The estate is now a museum and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994. Its architecture is Mediterranean Revival, drawing on Italian Renaissance and Baroque models, and it gives a clear picture of how Miami's earliest grand winter homes looked.

Inside the main house there are more than 70 rooms of European decorative arts and furnishings. Outside, roughly ten acres of formal gardens step down towards the water, with features including the Secret Garden, the Theater Garden, the Maze Garden and the Fountain Garden. Look out for the stonework, which mixes Cuban limestone with Florida coral stone, and for the swimming pool grotto beneath the house. Beyond the formal areas, part of the estate is native hammock and mangrove shoreline.

The estate opens daily except Tuesdays, from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Tickets are sold online and shown on your phone at the gate, so buy them before you travel. Allow at least two to three hours to see the house and walk the gardens without rushing, and longer if you enjoy photography or garden design. The paths are long and much of the visit is outdoors, so bring water, a hat and sun protection, and plan your garden walk for the morning when it is cooler.

Vizcaya suits couples, architecture and history lovers, and anyone who wants a break from the beach. Families with older children usually enjoy the gardens and the bay views, while younger children may find the house less engaging. The estate publishes accessibility information on its website, which is worth reading before you go if you have mobility needs, as the gardens include steps and uneven surfaces.

There is free parking on site, and the museum highlights its proximity to the Metrorail, so it can be reached by train as well as by car or taxi. The Vizcaya Village area has a café and a shop, which is useful because the visit involves a lot of walking. As a general tip, weekday mornings tend to be calmer than weekend afternoons at popular historic houses, and the gardens photograph best in softer early light. Coconut Grove, with Panther Coffee, Fireman Derek's and Greenstreet Cafe on Main Highway, makes a good place to continue the day.