Miami Adventure- Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

Today we're off to celebrate Jaden's sweet 16th birthday at Vizcaya Gardens. Everybody ready? Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a vibrant cultural hub in the heart of Miami, a space where history, nature, and art converge. One of Miami's most treasured landmarks, Vizcaya features a main house with the original furnishings and 34 rooms, 10 acres of meticulously landscaped gardens, as well as a historic Vizcaya village. A national historic landmark and an accredited museum, Vizcaya welcomes over 317,000 visitors annually from around the globe. The estate offers dynamic public and educational programs, including the Contemporary Arts Program, community events, and school partnerships that impact over 5,000 K-12 students each year. Vizcaya's commitment to the community is reflected in its diverse public offerings, such as weekly Vizcaya Village Farmer's Market, which attracts approximately 28,000 visitors annually, and various free or reduced admission programs for children, students, and underserved groups. In 2024, the museum received the American Public Gardens Association's Sustainability Award for Innovative Sustainability Practices. Vizcaya is more than a museum. It is a cultural oasis where history comes alive, inviting guests to explore and engage with its rich heritage and inspiring beauty. The main house is 45,225 square feet and has 54 rooms, but only 38,000 square feet and 34 rooms are open to the public. The house is known for its Mediterranean-inspired architecture and Baroque appearance, and some of its notable features include rooms. The first floor has a library, music room, and dining room, while the second floor has bedrooms, a breakfast room, and a kitchen. Each room is designed around the treasures it houses, such as paintings, gilded frames, and tapestries. The construction. The house is made of reinforced concrete and has heating and ventilation. The lighting in here is so wonderful. Other notable features are that the house has two elevators, a dumbwaiter, refrigerators, and an automated telephone switchboard, a central vacuum cleaning system, and a partly automated laundry room. I think it's when we were in the Biltmore. This is reminding me of like a mini Biltmore. This is part of the kitchen. Hi, little bear. The Vizcaya estate also includes formal gardens, a mangrove shoreline, and hardwood hammock, and historic village. Initially built in 1916 as a vacation home of the affluent businessman James Deering, it has since evolved into a revered public art museum. Throughout its history and existence, Vizcaya has actively engaged with the community and played a vital and pivotal role in shaping several important moments in Miami's history. I think this is one of the bedrooms. Oh, look at this buffet table. Talk about a buffet table, right? Oh, it's an ironwork. All the doors and the ceiling. Everything is so intricate. It's a music room. Another view of the courtyard with the main entrance being here. The beautiful backyard, which we'll explore once we go through the rest of the main house. Sufu was James Deering. James Deering was born in 1859 and died in 1925. He was a retired millionaire and a bachelor in his early 50s when he undertook the challenge to build an elaborate estate in South Florida. He was afflicted with anemia, a condition for which doctors recommended sunshine and a warm client. Vizcaya became the place where he hoped to restore his health. He loved sailing and boating. He owned three yachts and was greatly interested in landscaping and plant conservation. Both hobbies were to play an important role in the design of Vizcaya. The project began modestly, but it grew to become the engrossing pastime of last years of John Deering's life. James Deering was born in South Paris, Maine, the son of William Deering and his second wife, Clara Hammond Deering. William Deering, who had inherited a family woolen mill, invested in land in the western United States and financially backed the development of agricultural machinery to make his property more valuable. In 1873, he moved his family to Illinois and assumed control of a farm equipment manufacturer, renaming it the Deering Harvester Company. Deering Harvester enabled farmers to harvest an acre of grain in an hour, a dramatic increase in productivity that allowed commercial agriculture in the west to be more profitable. As more reapers were sold, Deering's land investments grew in value and, by the end of the 19th century, the Deerings became one of America's wealthiest families. What do you think, little bear? Do you remember being here now? Yeah, we came here probably two or three years ago, so it's been a while. It's over here. Is it a bathroom or is it just a small room? Oh, it's just a small tiny room. Like, I'm not even sure what would you do with this room? It's just a small tiny room. James attended Northwestern University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before joining the Deering Harvester Company in 1880. By the turn of the century, James Deering owned homes on Lakeshore Drive in Chicago and in nearby Evanston, as well as in New York City and in Paris. His name appeared in social columns as an active partygoer, traveler, and cultural ambassador, hosting visiting French dignitaries at his homes in New York and Chicago. For his work in promoting agricultural technology, James Deering received the French Legion of Honor in 1906. Are you having a happy birthday so far, Jadie? Yeah. Look, there's another little secret room up here. These are bedrooms. A little secret hallway. In 1902, in a deal brokered by banker J.P. Morgan, the Deering Harvester Company merged with the McCormick Reaper Company and others to form International Harvester, the largest producer of agricultural machinery in the nation. James Deering became vice president of the firm, charged with the oversight of the Illinois manufacturing plants. As William Deering's health weakened, the family began spending winters in St. Augustine. By 1910, however, William Deering purchased land and built a home in Coconut Grove, just south of Miami. In 1912, James Deering began to plan his own house on Biscayne Bay. Deering's health unfortunately began to fail even before Vizcaya was completed. He enjoyed several winters at the estate and, in September 1925, Deering died on board the steamship Paris en route to the United States. Deering left Vizcaya to his half-brother, Charles. Now, sit back in time to the grand opening of Vizcaya's museum in 1953. On this momentous occasion, Vizcaya welcomed an impressive 977 visitors, a remarkable feat even by today's standards. At that time, visitors were required to pay $1 to explore the enchanting gardens, an additional $1.23 for access to the main house. At the time of this recording, July 2024, admission prices are as follows. Adults $13 and over, $25, children 6 to 12 $10, and children 5 and under are free. I'm pleased to report that Vizcaya participates annually in the National Endowment for the Arts Blue Star Museum program, which offers complimentary general admission to our United States active military and up to five family members from Armed Forces Day through Labor Day. Tickets must be purchased on-site at admissions. Persons with a disability protected under the ADA and one accompanying caregiver, as well as all SNAP EBT cardholders, including up to three guests, gain entry into the museum for free as well. Vizcaya is open to the public Wednesday through Monday, beginning at 9 30. The last admission is at 4 30. Vizcaya is operated by the non-profit Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust Incorporated and owned and supported by Miami-Dade County. The board and staff are committed to advancing Vizcaya's role as a place of scholarship and dialogue that contributes to the vitality and sustainability of our community. Vizcaya's mission is to preserve the estate's cultural environmental resources to engage people in connecting with the past, understanding the present, and shaping the future. Is it worth going in? I think so. I'm trying to remember what's in here. Can you see the water? Oh no you can't. Careful buddies. This little guy is posing. Hey friend. He's singing happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to Jaden. Happy birthday to Jaden. Happy birthday to Jaden. Happy birthday to you. It's the back patio and if I remember correctly the pool is down here. This side of the house and there's actually a way that you can go inside the house from here. Okay the entrance of inside the house is down here. Here's the entrance to the house. Little bear found the food. Oh yeah here we are. I thought it was on the other side. That's just where you can sit. The food here is very good. Vizcaya cafe and shop. Those three pieces of bread. David doesn't know what to do with the sandwich. Oh it is pretty muddy. We don't need to go down there. We just experienced quite a bit of rain but it looks like it's subsiding for now. I think there's actually a trail that goes through here. You can see how muddy it is. Something you might find interesting are the movies that were filmed in Vizcaya. To date the movies Tony Rome, Ace Ventura Pet Detective, Any Given Sunday, Bad Boys 2, Airport 77, Haunts of the Very Rich, The Money Pit, The Champ, This Thing is Ours, Dostana, Daring Game, and Iron Man 3 were all filmed at Vizcaya. Hey. Wildlife habitat. Did you guys see any wildlife? What? Any alligators? Are you sure you didn't see any? I know. I don't think terrifying is quite the word but little bears trying to make friends with lizards. Did he run away from you? How rude. There's one on the left leg of that statue. So this is a beautiful beautiful place to go but as a friendly fellow Floridian reminder I would say summer is hot. Oh and it's raining. Thank you. Are you having fun? It's pretty hot though huh? Yeah it's pretty hot. It's probably about 96-97 degrees and 100% humidity and just random rain showers. You know we're used to those yeah just like Florida. So that was the end of the Sky Gardens. So yeah it was beautiful. Wonderful day. Really nice. Bye.