The Deering Estate is a 450-acre historic preserve just south of Miami that should not be missed. A diverse ecosystem including coastal mangroves, exotic plants, rare butterflies, turtles, and snakes. Oh, and it also houses a converted hotel from 1896, and a stone mansion built in 1922 to house industrialist Charles Deering, his family, and his collection of fine art and furnishings. Hey look! Education below!

Charles Deering

Charles Deering was born into a wealthy family. He joined the U.S. Navy after graduating from the United States Naval Academy. Between the navy and his family business, Deering spent a lot of time in Europe and Asia. This is where he found his love of Spanish Arts. After his stint in the Navy, he went to work for his father’s company. His father was William Deering, founder of the Deering Harvester company, which later turned into International Harvester. His brother was James Deering who built his own mansion just north of the Deering Estate in Coconut Grove, Villa Vizcaya Estate, which is now also a museum.

The Richmond House

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Charles Deering was visiting south Florida and saw the potential for growth. At the time there wasn’t much development in the area. He bought the Richmond Cottage in 1916 as a winter house for himself and his wife. The Richmond Cottage was originally built as a residence for S. Howard Richmond, and in 1900 was converted into the only hotel between Coral Gables and Key West.

The Deering Estate was soon built out with a carriage house, pump house, and power house, along with a concrete and limestone wall surrounding the property. The Great Chicago Fire spooked Charles so much that he specified 18″ concrete walls for his new residence.

As long as you’re in the area check out where all the cool kids put their kayaks in on Biscayne Bay.

The Stone House

The Stone House was designed by well known Coral Gables architect Phineas Paist. The Mediterranean -Revival style home was built with the aforementioned 18″ concrete walls, oolitic limestone, brass encased doors, and no stove to alleviate Charles Deering’s fear of fire. All cooking was done in the Richmond Cottage. The Stone House kitchen only had refrigeration and storage cabinets.

What The Deering Estate Stone House lacked in cooking facilities, it made up for in modern conveniences. Included in the house was an Otis Elevator and in true “rich guy in the prohibition era” fashion, a hidden wine cellar. The wine cellar was behind a false wall and a bank vault door. The room was big enough to hold hundreds of bottles of wine and other liquors. The vault door was so formidable that in 1945 a hurricane flooded the room and apparently blew away the key to the door, because it was not opened again until 1985, by a safecracker no less. Unfortunately, by that time all the liquor was ruined, but they kept the bottles and now display them.

In 1992 Hurricane Andrew came ashore and deposited 16 feet of storm surge after pummeling the house with 170 MPH winds. After seven years and $7.2 million the Stone house and the Richmond house were renovated into what you see today.

The house was built to accommodate Charles’ extensive art (and evidently liquor) collection as he was an avid collector. He moved all the artwork that he accumulated in his travels and had staged in his residences in Spain to the Stone House. Deering always intended for the house to showcase his books and art collection, but currently there are only a few pieces on display and most of the rooms are empty.

The Grounds at Deering Estate

Turns out that you can fit a lot of stuff in 450 acres. About 111 acres of it is a tropical hardwood hammock that you can tour on the Nature Preserves Tour. There are also so many birds flying through it’s part of the Important Birding Area (they missed the boat to add very to the name and make it the VIB-Area). Anyway, you can find out about the guided bird walks here.

There’s actually a fossil record that dates back to 10,000 B.C.. Bringing things a little bit closer in time, there is also a burial mound from the Tequesta Tribe. There are estimated to be about 12-18 burials there from around 1600 A.D.. You can visit the site but the only way to get there is to take the tour. Find out more information here.

At some point they decided that the boat basin wasn’t big enough for them and it was made bigger. Luckily for you, it worked out alright…

Bring a picnic lunch and a blanket or use one of the convenient tables. As you’re eating, you can gaze across the bay or maybe a manatee will pop out in the basin for you. Wait, is that Miami across the way? Why, yes, it is, you’ve forgotten you were even near the city it’s been so quiet since you got there.

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The Fun Stuff at Deering Estate

While taking a tour of the house and grounds is interesting, Deering Estate also offers cruises, kayak tours, camps, and concerts. To match up your free dates with their schedule of events, mouse over here and press the button.

They have summer camps that cover a variety of educational aspect of nature, so rip that phone from your kid’s hand and kick them out into nature.

Photography buffs will want to look into their moonrise and sunrise photography events. Just a word of advice…DO NOT FORGET THE MOSQUITO SPRAY. If you do, just leave your contact information with the attendant because you’re not coming back.

Kayak tours are great on Biscayne Bay, keep your eyes peeled for manatees, sea turtles, and sting rays. Plus they offer both regular kayaks and clear kayaks.

If you want to go all in on your wedding, they also rent out the grounds for weddings and other events.

They have a lot of activities covered so be sure to check out their schedule.

Hours and Admission to Deering Estate

Deering Estate is open everyday except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hours are 10 AM to 5 PM. Just a warning, don’t think that you’re going to roll up at 4 PM and get in, the entrance gate closes at 4.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, veterans and active duty, and 7 for children aged 4-14. Better yet, become a foundation member and get in for free!

On your way to Key West? Well, we’ve got the ultimate guide for you right here.

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Pigeon Key, is a small key that you’ve likely never heard of. If you’re traveling the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys, when you get to the Seven Mile Bridge, you should take the time to visit this island that sits under a dazzling blue sky and is surrounded by turquoise waters. So, as you’re traveling along the Seven Mile Bridge, stuck behind somebody going 5 miles under the speed limit. When you are just south of Marathon if you look off of the west side of the bridge there’s a little-known tourist attraction. And no, I’m not talking about Fred the Tree.

The Overseas Highway

There are 800 keys in the Florida chain of islands. Of course, everyone knows the big ones, Key West, Key Largo, and Marathon, (which is really just a municipality for a bunch of keys grouped together). The Overseas Highway connects them all.

The Overseas Highway that connects the Florida Keys to the mainland is full of history. When Henry Flagler opened it in 1912 as a railroad (he wanted to take advantage of Key West’s deep-water ports), it was considered the eighth wonder of the world. Construction lasted for 7 years and employed thousands of workers on a 100 mile plus railway. At the time, the only way to get around the keys was by boat, so there had to be somewhere convenient to house those workers, enter Pigeon Key.

If you’ve ever had the white-knuckle pleasure of crossing the Seven Mile Bridge pre 1981 you would know that the bridge was only 22 feet wide for two lanes of traffic with no shoulders. Fortunately for drivers, they replaced that bridge with a modern, wider, bridge. And even more fortunately for you, they refurbished the old one and now you can walk, bike, or even take a trolley train to Pigeon Key.

After you’ve been through Pigeon Key, pay a visit to Bahia Honda State Park for fantastic camping, beaches, and reef tours.

Pigeon Key History

Pigeon Key was first set up for construction personnel in 1908 and could house up to 250 workers in a combination of fixed buildings and tents. Construction lasted until 1912, after that the key was turned into a maintenance/bridge-tender camp. It even housed a post office for a brief period. After the 1935 hurricane wiped out the railroad, the state bought the right of way and transformed the railroad into a highway. The state pretty much just laid concrete on the railroad R.O.W. so you were driving on a very narrow bridge with no shoulders. Imagine driving your 1972 Chrysler New Yorker in a rainstorm on a narrow bridge and a truck bearing down on you!

After the highway was completed in 1938, Pigeon Key went through various iterations of government property; toll road headquarters, research facilities, and Coast Guard barracks to name a few. The current seven-mile bridge which runs parallel to the old bridge was opened in 1982. In 1990 the National Register of Historic Places designated Pigeon Key as an historic district.

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Tours of Pigeon Key

Today it’s known as Pigeon Key and Marine Science Center and is a non-profit organization. They have youth summer camps and offer daily tours. While there are buildings on the island, there are only a few full-time people that stay on the island.

Summer camps allow students to stay overnight for up to 4 nights. Students are immersed in the marine environment that surrounds the island and are given background knowledge with fun activities. While this sounds like a great time for anybody, unfortunately for adults the camp is only for ages 10-16.

But, fortunately for everyone, Pigeon Key is open daily for tours, picnics, snorkeling, and just hanging out. There are four tours daily. If you take the trolley, it’ll cost you $30, you can save a few bucks if you’re a local or veteran. Child tickets are $25. You can purchase tickets here and catch the trolley here.

If you want to walk or bike, there is a small parking lot at the entrance, but you better get there early or be willing to wait for a spot to open up. Luckily parking spots turn over fairly often. There is also another parking lot about 1/4 mile north of the bridge. This is where you park if you’re taking the trolley or riding a bike.

The walk to Pigeon Key from the parking lot is two miles, so make sure that you hydrate before and during your walk or bike. You’ll want to keep an eye on the water below as you traverse the bridge, from there you can see sharks, sea turtles, stingrays, and other marine life. Notice the guard rails as you’re crossing the bridge, yes, those are the original railroad tracks the have been repurposed. Once you get to the island, admission is $15 for adults and $12 for kids, 3 and under are free. Again, veterans and locals save a couple of dollars, so don’t forget your ID.

Tours take you through the buildings, and the great staff elaborate on the history of the island. The tour includes the history of the 11 buildings that are still standing, displays, and artifacts. Bonus, if you take the 1 pm tour you can feed the sharks!

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Pigeon Key is a great place to stop on your way to Key West! Check out our ultimate guide to Key West here!

Enjoy the Day on Pigeon Key

Once you’re on the island you can explore on your own. Venture out and enjoy the stunning views from the dock. Better yet, bring your own snorkel gear and take a dip in the amazingly clear waters. From under the water or above it, you’ll see a variety of marine life that call Pigeon Key home.

There are tables and benches if you want to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy it while the island breeze keeps you cool. Bring a blanket and your bathing suit and enjoy hanging out near the water. Don’t forget your fishing pole and license so you can fish from the dock. Sorry, catch and release only, so make sure that you get a pic of that record breaking tarpon before you throw it back in.

One last thing, dogs aren’t allowed, so you’ll have to leave Rusty at home.

Pigeon Key opens at 9.30 am, they don’t even mind if you stay the whole day, they just want you gone by 4:30. There is a gate that they close once the last trolley for the day leaves. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the sunset from the bridge. Unpack those chairs that you brought and enjoy what is sure to be a spectacular sunset.

Want to know more about the Florida Keys? We’ve got you covered right here with Adventure Florida Keys.

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