Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

Vizcaya is an amazing home that is located on Biscayne Bay in Coconut grove. It was once owned by a businessman who was a lover of renaissance style art. This is exhibited throughout the entire home even though it was built in the early 1900's. It is a villa that is often rented out to people who want to get married in the beautiful gardens, at a very high price. None the less, it is a very romantic location but, historical as well. Miami is a new city as most are in America and tends to not have a historical side to it. The inside of the house feels very much so of "under the Tuscan sun".

I do not have photos because from what I remember, you are not allowed to take photos inside. It is fully intact and quite beautiful. From what I recall, all the rooms are open to walk into but, some are guarded off due to the old furniture. Some rooms are completely open even with the old furniture not closed off. I found it funny that you could go into the kitchen which was the most bland part of the building. Everything was mostly white and really unattractive to the eye. The utensils and china were pretty bland which was amusing considering how fancy the rest of the house it. The walls are covered in murals. It feels like you are in a museum in Europe. You are offered a tour or can walk around on your own with a map.

My favorite part is that the villa is on the water and you can watch tour boats pass by. There is a cool breeze and steps, where boats once docked, to sit on and just enjoy the day. The dock itself is closed off sometimes (again from recollection) but, the view is beautiful because when you look across you can see the downtown and it's big buildings. The outside was by far my favorite part of the museum. There were gorgeous fountains, again that looked like those in Italy, and beautiful bushes full of blooming flowers. The garden is a very large portion of the museum and hard not to fall in love with the scenery. There are also gorgeous Greek like statues in almost every corner of the Garden. There are two levels. On the second level one you can find shady cement gazebo type structures and many places to sit and just truly enjoy the view.

For me it was a romantic outing and I have wanted to see it for a very long time. I was happy to get the chance to because it is absolutely gorgeous and whether you are there with a significant other or just friends, you can't help but fall in love with historical side of it and admire the beauty of the architecture and landscape. It is supposedly visited by many famous people and many events are held on the grounds. For students the entry is very cheap and one place I recommend to everyone, especially those who lived in Miami all of their lives.