My Traveling Diaries | 2018 | Miami, Florida, USA

We had an entire day completely unplanned to wander around Miami before we had to head home on our late night flight. We decided to head the the Viscaya Museum and Gardens, enjoy cuban food for lunch and then relax at a nearby park before heading to the air port. 

James Deering was the modern day Gatsby in Miami around the 1900s. He, his father William and half brother Charles were the founders of the Deering Harvester Company which became wildly successful. After combining with multiple companies they were officially known as the International Harvester Company and James landed his role as Vice President. By the time James reached 40 years old, he was ready to retire.

He met a man named Paul Chalin and they together began planning the construction of a gorgeous estate in Miami. They planned a trip to Italy for inspiration as well as to buy antiques and furniture. James never married, he never had any kids, he was somewhat of a mysterious and quiet man. After acres were bought and construction was finished, he opened up his home on Christmas Day in 1916 and invited people to his celebration. By the sounds of it, he wanted to make his home a place for everyone to enjoy. Each room had it's own theme inspired with designs from around the world! It's absolutely incredible. After his passing, his estate was passed down through Deering family members. After surviving a few hurricanes the estate was dedicated as a Museum and National Historic Landmark and is decorated how it would've looked back in the day.

The acres of trees, greenery, statues, gazebos and water fountains were absolutely stunning. While walking around the gardens, I kept hearing sounds of twigs snapping and rocks cracking. It took me a moment to realize, but these gardens were home to possibly hundreds of reptiles. Iguanas were basking on the sunny rocks and lizards creeping behind statues and stairs. I couldn't help but chase them and snap a photo when they struck a pose. Look at how cool they are! Every castle needs it's dragons!

After a hearty lunch of cuban food, we only had a few hours left of daylight. We decided to lounge about at the Matheson Hammock Park. I see why they gave it the name, this place would be the perfect place to hang hundreds of hammocks! (Except there are snakes and lizards, so I wouldn't recommend getting too cozy) I snapped some photos, climbed some trees and walked along trails with my love. Before you knew it, we were already out of time. We had a long night ahead of us, so we packed up our things and headed to the airport so we could catch our flight back home.

Thanks for Reading

Love, Nick