Vizcaya Museum and Gardens hosts Marine Garden tour on 4 December
Published on 11/14/2026 at 19:46 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSMarine Garden access and history
- Vizcaya's lead conservator Davina Kuh Jacobi leads the 4 December tour.
- Gaston Lachaise's peacock statues have returned after more than 30 years.
- The estate was built between 1914 and 1922 and became a public museum in 1953.
- Vizcaya stands at 3251 South Miami Avenue in Miami's Coconut Grove neighbourhood.
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens will host a behind-the-scenes Marine Garden guided tour on 4 December 2026 in Miami, offering access to a garden area shaped by recent conservation work. The operator lists the session from 11.30am to 12pm and says it will be led by lead conservator Davina Kuh Jacobi.
Marine Garden tour brings restored sculpture into view
The tour centres on the Marine Garden, a waterfront section at 3251 South Miami Avenue. The organiser says sculptor Gaston Lachaise's peacock statues have returned there for the first time in more than 30 years.
Visitors will be shown the garden room and its relationship with the estate's wider landscape. The operator describes the programme as a behind-the-scenes opportunity connected with the returning statues and the work involved in caring for the space. The 4 December tour listing names both the date and Vizcaya as the venue.
The Marine Garden is not a separate attraction outside the estate. It forms part of the grounds beside Biscayne Bay, making the scheduled tour a more focused way to examine a section that is usually encountered within the larger museum and garden visit.
How the Marine Garden fits Vizcaya's history
Vizcaya was built between 1914 and 1922 as the Miami winter estate of James Deering. Architect F. Burrall Hoffman Jr. worked with interior designer Paul Chalfin, while landscape architect Diego Suarez shaped the formal gardens around European traditions and South Florida's subtropical setting.
The estate contains a Main House with 34 decorated rooms and ten acres of formal gardens. Its Marine Garden sits among garden rooms, fountains, sculptures and native plantings that extend towards the waterfront. This setting gives the December programme a direct link to both the sculpture and the landscape it occupies.
After Deering's death, the property passed through his family before becoming a public museum in March 1953. Vizcaya is now owned and supported by Miami-Dade County and operated by Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust. The operator's current fact sheet records the estate's construction dates, museum opening and garden acreage.
Storm damage explains the garden's conservation story
The Marine Garden has a history of restricted access because of its low waterfront position. Vizcaya says Hurricane Andrew damaged the area in 1992, while Hurricane Wilma caused further damage in 2005 and kept the garden closed for 11 years.
Later conservation work addressed historic stone, metal and wood elements, while a Tiger Dam system was installed to improve protection against storm surge. The museum says the Marine Garden is open to the public again, giving the 4 December tour a connection to the site's long restoration history rather than simply to a new seasonal programme.
The operator's account of the Marine Garden restoration also places the area between the formal gardens and the more natural Lagoon Gardens. That transition helps explain why the tour combines sculpture, horticulture and conservation in one compact part of the estate.
Visiting Vizcaya Museum and Gardens: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Marine Garden: A Behind the Scenes Guided Tour takes place on 4 December 2026 at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, 3251 South Miami Avenue, Miami, Florida 33129.
- The programme concerns the Marine Garden and the returned peacock statues; the operator lists lead conservator Davina Kuh Jacobi as the guide.
- Vizcaya lies in Miami's Coconut Grove neighbourhood beside Biscayne Bay, with the Main House, formal gardens and waterfront areas forming one historic estate.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
When does the Marine Garden tour take place at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens?
The behind-the-scenes guided tour takes place on 4 December 2026. The operator lists it from 11.30am to 12pm.
What is the Marine Garden at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens?
It is a waterfront garden area within the estate, positioned between the formal gardens and the Lagoon Gardens. Its conservation history includes damage from hurricanes Andrew and Wilma.
Where is Vizcaya Museum and Gardens and how do you get there?
The estate is at 3251 South Miami Avenue in Miami's Coconut Grove neighbourhood. The grounds extend towards Biscayne Bay and include the Main House, formal gardens and Marine Garden.
