Vizcaya Invites the Community to Explore the Vizcaya Village with Open Houses
MIAMI – May 9, 2017 – In celebration of its centennial year, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens invites the community to discover an unknown part of the estate, known as the Vizcaya Village, through free community programs. A series of Vizcaya Village Open Houses occurring this May and June. These events will include a variety of fun activities for the entire family, encouraging guests to explore the Village as well as learn more about its past and plans for the future.
THE VIZCAYA VILLAGE
Sheltered under large banyan trees, the Vizcaya Village is a natural extension of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, located across South Miami Avenue from the Main House and gardens. The historic Village was part of the original 1916 estate, and consisted of more than a dozen buildings with the intent of making Vizcaya virtually self-sufficient. This idea evoked the spirit of European estates of the Renaissance era while, on a practical level, compensating for the limited services and merchandise available in early twentieth-century Miami. The Village included staff quarters, an automobile garage, workshops and an array of barns.
Today, 100 years later, the plans for the Vizcaya Village aim to reunite the two sides of the Vizcaya property to realize its full potential as a cultural hub for the community. This outlines a strategic approach to improving upon Vizcaya and telling its full history by restoring land and historic buildings, with the goal of bringing together locals and visitors through expanded green spaces, new venues and community engagement programs. The vision for the Village includes a visitor center, classrooms, urban gardens, greenhouses and shade houses, green space and restoration of remaining original buildings for walking tours and additional operational space.
OPEN HOUSES
At each the Vizcaya Village Open House, guests will be encouraged to explore the property and enjoy an afternoon full of guided tours, urban farming, art, music, food trucks and more. Registration is free and open to the public. Guests are encouraged to register in advance online via Eventbrite. Events take place from noon to 4:00 p.m. on the following Sundays:, May 21 and June 11.
The Vizcaya Village is located at 3250 South Miami Avenue, on the west side of South Miami Ave. and directly across the street from the main entrance of Vizcaya. Please note that these events take place exclusively at the Vizcaya Village and, therefore, do not include free admission to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.
There is limited parking available on-site, so guests are encouraged to walk, take the Trolley, arrive by Metrorail (exit at Vizcaya Station) or take advantage of free bike valet. Activities are available while supplies last.
For questions regarding this event, please contact the Community Programs Office by phone at 305.860.8423 or via email at learning.programs@vizcaya.org. To learn more about the Vizcaya Village, please visit our website at http://vizcaya.org/vizcaya-village.asp.
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ABOUT VIZCAYA MUSEUM AND GARDENS
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a National Historic Landmark that preserves the Miami estate of agricultural industrialist James Deering to engage our community and its visitors in learning through the arts, history and the environment. Built between 1914 and 1922, Vizcaya is one of the most intact remaining examples from this era in United States history, when the nation’s most successful entrepreneurs built estates inspired by the stately homes of Europe. Vizcaya features a Main House filled with a decorative art collection, 10 acres of formal gardens, a rockland hammock (native forest), mangrove shore, and a historic village that is being restored to tell Vizcaya’s full story and provide additional spaces for programs and community outreach, including those on agriculture. Vizcaya has been a community hub since it opened to the public in 1953; it currently welcomes about 275,000 visitors annually.
Located on Biscayne Bay at 3251 South Miami Avenue, Vizcaya is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except Tuesdays, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For more information, visit www.vizcaya.org, connect via social
