The Stories of Vizcaya

As part of the Beyond Vizcaya project, we were able to meet and tour the grandson of one of Vizcaya’s longest working employees – Eustace Edgecombe.

30 Years in the Making Nestled in the mangrove forest and along an estuary from Biscayne Bay, the Marine Garden is an immersive tropical experience. At the edge of Vizcaya’s formal gardens, urban Miami melts away and visitors encounter a more wild, natural Vizcaya. It was designed to store fish when James Deering spent winter

Salting the Earth Vizcaya’s Fountain Garden was once known by a different name. Originally, this space was designed to be a rose garden. It served as such when the gardens were completed in 1922. James Deering enjoyed the roses while he wintered here from November to March. When the Great Hurricane of 1926 hit Miami,

One of the smallest items in Vizcaya’s archives contains oversized information about daily life in South Florida in the 1920s. Frank Landon McGinnis, Vizcaya’s estate manager from 1919 until the 1930s, kept a daily work diary in 1922

Vizcaya has a long tradition of inspiring and commissioning works by contemporary artists. When the estate was first built in 1916, a number of prominent artists were invited to create works for the site. For example: Alexander Stirling Calder, the master sculptor responsible for the statues that adorn Vizcaya’s Barge; Robert Winthrop Chanler, an American

If you’ve heard about Spectral Vizcaya and wondered about this installation’s origins, take a step back with us. Sebastian Duncan-Portuondo’s first project at Vizcaya was Arrangements for a Concrete Box, part of the 2015 exhibition, “Fantastical Vizcaya,” which celebrated the theatrics of the estate as envisioned by Paul Chalfin, Vizcaya’s Artistic Director. In that commission,

Like many Gilded Age homes, Vizcaya has its share of hidden passages and doors. None of these can be seen during a regular visit or private tour, so the museum has created this special video tour to share its secrets with you. In Vizcaya's "Secret Doors" video tour, Deputy Director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs
The July 1917 edition of Architectural Review was published the summer after James Deering moved into Vizcaya. In dedicating an entire edition to the Estate, the editors showed the importance of Vizcaya from its very beginnings.
Among the vast landholdings that James Deering acquired when building Vizcaya was some property on Key Biscayne, which included the Cape Florida Lighthouse.
Meet Eustace Edgecombe, a Bahamian teen who started working at Vizcaya as a waterboy in 1913 and dedicated the next 52 years to the estate.
Close-up of rare orchids in a greenhouse setting with text promoting a behind-the-scenes tour at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.

Visiting this Friday? Jump on this Exclusive Tour!

If you love orchids, you don’t miss this special behind-the-scenes tour on Friday, December 13, 11:30 a.m. Join Vizcaya’s own orchid specialist as we go inside the museum’s greenhouse to explore rare orchids and learn expert plant care tips.

Tickets are just $39 per person and include museum admission. Spots are limited, so reserve yours now!