Really lovely place - if you love gilded age house museums, this one is definitely worth a visit. The whole property is an unexpected surprise, from the juxtaposition of the european furnishings against the mostly definitely non-european exterior, to the formal gardens right next to the mangroves, to the stunning water views that are completely not like Newport. Really, REALLY worth a visit if you love house museums.

This place is awesome and should be advertised more. It’s a private residence that was sold to the county for public visits. There is a house and grounds to explore. It’s HOT so be prepared. I had a neck fan that helped a lot. I started outside first. To be honest some of it feels a little weathered but they did state that most of the place was built out of coral stone which does not hold up in the weather. Which I get, but in the gardens there seemed to be some empty foundations that collected rain water and grossness. Yet it was still very rustic looking. But the rotting leaves smelled a little bit. Just in one tiny section though. They were updating the pool so I was a little disappointed to not get the full effect of it. I went to the house next. I really liked the Audio tour. Please be respectful and bring headphones though. Also people need to be more mindful of their picture taking. Don’t spend 10 mins trying to get the perfect selfie when others are trying to take a picture in the same spot. I ate in the cafe and it was honestly the best meal I had during my whole trip to Miami. I had the caprese salad with chicken. I did shop in the gift shop and lots of items didn’t have prices which they need to fix. Also I asked one staff person if there were places to charge your phone if need be and she pointed to one plug that was available. I asked about the cafe and she wasn’t sure. With modern technology and use of phones to buy tickets, get lyft, take the Audio tour you need to know if phone charging is available. I went to the cafe myself to see and there’s a few tables inside with outlets. I was able to use my phone for the audio tour and map and charge my phone later. Please make sure all the staff knows there’s outlets in the cafe. Other than that minor detail this place was awesome and I spent 5 hours there!

Beautiful mansion/castle. 70 rooms and we saw dozens of them. Interesting to learn their “modern” conveniences. The gardens were spectacular, as were tge views of the water. The staff was very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. It reminded me a bit of the Biltmore in Asheville, NC

This has to be one of the most beautiful house and garden I have been to. Get there early to avoid the crowds and escape the heat. We started in the garden and it has so many beautiful spots within it. Be warned we did see quite a large alligator in the back garden area but there are signs warning you about this. Everything is beautiful and photogenic. The barge on the bay is just amazing and everything looks like it should have been there centuries. The house itself is beyond amazing, I would have loved to have been a guest of James Deerling and seen it at its prime. There is an audio tour you can download prior to arrival to get more information. It was easy to get an Uber to and from there. You really need at least 2 hours to explore everything. It really is a must see if you go to Miami.

After breakfast/brunch we went to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. Driving into the gardens was magical because of the trees all around and hanging over the car! It was so cool! Even though it was HOT HOT HOT the day we went to the gardens we still thoroughly enjoyed walking around and exploring. I'd definitely go back to explore more!

Interesting to see a vision to create a European style "palace" or grand mansion in Miami. If you have travelled Europe extensively, you may not find this interesting but (even having lived and travelled in Europe extensively) I found it interesting. The audio tour (free via their app) definitely added to the experience. Worth a few hours visit. Note that it is fairly open and thus is not an airconditioned museum.

We had a great time at Vizcaya learning the history and enjoying the architecture. We had an excellent, assertive tour guide who was clearly passionate about the place and was volunteering on his birthday after many years working at the location. It was neat seeing the house, grounds, railcar, and storm damage to the water features - though it was sad to see how much of the original gardens were sold off for development. Still - what's left is very worth the trip and the excellent tour guides make it all the better.

Fun and informative visit! Really enjoyed the Main House tour for an additional small fee which reviewed how James Deering and his guests and staff would have lived and worked at Vizcaya. The main part of the house is air conditioned so one can enjoy admiring the architecture and furnishings.

My husband and I arrived about 15 minutes before the opening time. We were easily able to find parking in Vizcaya’s lot at that time. When we left a few hours later, the lot was full. At the advice of one of the docents, we started out in the gardens first since it was so hot. The gardens are beautiful, with many fountains. It’s a popular place for professional photographs of brides and birthday girls, so that was slightly annoying: having to wait until they were done to take pictures of the fountains and stonework. The house was equally gorgeous. Most of the rooms are open to the public, although many are blocked off by a rope, so you just peek in. There is a third floor as well, so don’t miss that! The stairs aren’t obvious like on the first floor. We ate at the cafe afterwards, in the basement of the house. It was okay.

We bought tickets at the entrance for $25 per person on Saturday, SEP 22, and spent 2-3 hrs touring the mansion and gardens. It wasn’t crowded. The rooms are beautifully decorated and accurately reflect the time period- be sure and explore all 3 floors. We especially enjoyed the lovely gardens and fountains.