Holiday Wonderland at Deering Estate in Miami

Throughout December, visitors can tour the elegant and historic houses at the Charles Deering Estate in Miami as the Estate grounds come alive with holiday accents and decorations created by a number of local gardening clubs and other organizations. Guests can explore the beautifully landscaped main grounds and historic buildings at their own leisure or they can enjoy one of the Estate’s guided house tours held daily at 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Tours of the natural areas are also held daily at 12:30 p.m. Tours of the historic buildings and natural areas are offered by one of the Estate’s experienced guides and are free with admission.

The Deering Estate was built for Charles Deering, who was the chairman of International Harvester from 1902 to 1910. Both Charles and his younger brother James grew up with an appreciation for European culture and fine arts. (James Deering’s winter home at the nearby Vizcaya Mansion is another popular tourist site in the south Miami area.) Before his death in 1927, Charles Deering amassed more than 4,000 pieces of art and had one of the largest collections of art in the world, which was appraised at $60 million dollars in 1922.