Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
For this second set of Miami pics, we visited Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, in Coconut Grove.
Formerly known as Villa Vizcaya, the former estate of businessman James Deering was built primarily between 1914 and 1922 and was designated a historic site in 1994.
The Cathay Room
The downward spiral
Vizcaya's iconic swimming pool grotto, one of only two public sites in the world featuring work by artist Robert Winthrop Chanler.
The grotto is undergoing significant restoration to revert the piece to how it might have looked years ago when it was competed in 1916.
This massive, 158-foot-long aquatic sculpture functions as a breakwater, calming the waters offshore.
It was also one of the first things one would see when entering the Villaʼs property via watercraft. An impressive sight indeed!
Male Red-headed Agama (or Agama agama)
These lizards were everywhere on the Vizcaya property. Originally native to sub-Saharan Africa, they were introduced to southern Florida through the reptile trade.
Tiered fountain in the garden
Thank you to the wonderful staff of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. We can’t wait to return!
Sources:
miaminewtimes.com
vizcaya.org
Wikipedia.org