Deering Estate

Deering Estate review Rate it

No, not the same Deering who built Vizcaya, but close. The Deering Estate was, in fact, set up and built by James's similarly well-off brother Charles, who erected his own winter retreat at about the same time that Vizcaya was constructed. The main building, the Stone House, takes a similarly revivalist tack to Vizcaya: Deering built it to remind himself of his properties in Spain. It's not as grand as his brother's place, but it's impressive nonetheless. Other buildings on site include the Richmond Cottage, built at the turn of the 19th century, and three small but delightful utilitarian buildings from 1918. The vast grounds contain all manner of nature, including a mangrove boardwalk, and canoe trips to pleasant Chicken Key are available if you book in advance. The estate is most notable for its fossil pit of 50,000-year-old animal bones and 10,000-year-old human remains; the latter are Paleo-Indians, the first known North Americans.