Last weekend was Halloween. I am not personally a big Halloween person -- I love the little trick-or-treaters, but the scary movies and the haunted houses are not really my thing. However, one year in Miami I did go to an amazing Halloween party at an amazing historical site -- Vizcaya Musuem and Gardens in Coconut Grove. 
Vizcaya is a National Historic Landmark and museum in the heart of Miami. Built by agricultural industrialist James Deering (of John Deere fame) in 1916, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens features a Main House, ten acres of formal gardens, and a rockland hammock (native forest). The house was intended to appear as an Italian estate that had stood for 400 years and had been occupied and renovated by several generations of a family. It has 34 decorated rooms with 15th through 19th century antique furnishings and art objects. The house appears to be only two stories high but between the main public rooms and the bedrooms, there is an intervening level with 12 rooms for servants and service. The expansive gardens combine elements of Renaissance Italian and French designs. Key features include the many fountains, a central pool surrounding an elevated island, the elevated Mound with its small house, or “Casino,” statuary, and several themed gardens.
Vizcaya hosts numerous events throughout the year including tours, talks and movie showings. You can even rent it for events, but you have to be pretty wealthy in order to do that!
One of the big events of the year is their Halloween Sundowner which takes place on the Saturday closest to Halloween. This party is awesome! It reminds you of one of those cool parties in a movie that you always think..."who goes to parties like that?" The grounds are decorated to the nines and all the party-goers come in costume. Very elaborate costumes usually. There are open bars scattered around the grounds and a few places to buy food, if interested. There are usually a few dance floors and the accompanying bands and DJs. At the end of the night there is a costume party where people pull out super-elaborate costumes. It is a huge party that typically sells out every year. So, if you are in Miami over Halloween, I would definitely recommend attending this event!
TIP: Take some time to plan a great costume -- you will have a much better time if you are dressed to the nines! It is the perfect time to pull out that elaborate costume you have always wanted to wear!
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
3251 South Miami Avenue
Miami, Florida 33129
Main: 305-250-9133
Fax: 305-285-2004
