Deering Estate at Cutler: A Natural, Archeological, and Historical Preserve

Located along the edge of Biscayne Bay, the 444 acre Deering Estate at Cutler Preserve is in Palmetto Bay in South Miami. At the estate are activities for the whole family such as guided tours, canoe rides and hikes through the preserve.

From 1922 through 1927, the Deering Estate was the home of Charles Deering, the wealthy industrialist who was the chairman of the board of the International Harvester Company.

The estate offers daily tours of historic houses Stone House and Richmond Cottage as well as guided tours of the lush natural areas where fossil bones dating back more than 50,000 years have been found.

The Richmond Cottage was built in 1900. It was originally a hotel in the historic town of Cutler, which closed when the railroad bypassed the town. Deering bought the Richmond Cottage and moved it to his estate. The other building, the Stone House, is a grand castle-like place Deering built as his home in 1922. Its design was inspired by two castles in Sitges, Spain.

The Cutler Burial Mound, accessible via a boardwalk, is one of the few surviving prehistoric mounds in Miami-Dade County. The mound is about 38 feet by 20 feet at the base, and about five feet high. The mound is believed to contain from 12 to 18 burials of Native Americans.

From October to May, the Deering Estate offers a variety of guided hikes and activities, including night-time ghost tours, concerts, a seafood festival and open houses at the seasonal visiting-artist village.

Guided tours are offered daily at 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. and are well worth attending. (tours are included with admission price).

The estate, acquired by the State of Florida in 1985, includes pine rock land and coastal tropical hardwood hammock plus mangroves, salt marshes and a coastal dune island managed by the Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation Department.

For more information, please visit: www.deeringestate.org or call 305-235-1668.