Vizcaya presents learning opportunities in an environment unlike any other in Miami that is certain to amaze and astound your students. Vizcaya offers thematic tours for school audiences which support local, state and national curricular goals in Social Studies, Visual Arts and Language Arts. 

Guided tours of the Main House are available for school groups from 4th – 12th grades.  Tours last approximately one hour.  Because Vizcaya features 34 rooms on several floors, each tour may not include all areas of the Main House.  However, to include visiting the Main House or gardens more extensively on your own, plan to spend at least two hours.  Guided tours of the Main House are available October 1st – May 31st annually.

At this time, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens does not offer guided tours in the Main House or gardens for groups of preschool or Kindergarten – 3rd grade students.  If you would like to visit Vizcaya with students in these grades, educators may book a self-guided visit in accordance with the museum's group tour reservation policies and rates. 

All groups whether on a guided tour or self-guided visit must reserve at least three weeks in advance, and not more than six months in advance.  Guided tours for school-aged groups of the Main House are not available June 1 – September 30, 2009, however groups may reserve a self-guided visit during this period.

For reservations or information on group tours, please contact the Group Tour Coordinator  at group.tours@vizcayamuseum.org or call 305-860-8421.

Tours
Pricing
Cancellation
Scheduling
Supervision
Self-Guided Visits & Activities
Lunch
Map & Driving Directions
Photography
Bags & Backpacks
Gift Shop
Museum Education Program (MEP)

Tours
Group tours are conducted by professionally trained Volunteer Guides and are available by appointment any day of the week, October 1st through May 31st.  Vizcaya offers thematic tours for school audiences which support local, state and national curricular goals:

     Geography & Exploration, 4th – 8th grades
     A Day in the Life of Vizcaya, 4th – 8th grades
     Visual Vizcaya, 4th – 5th grades
     Vizcaya & the European Classical Tradition, 6th – 12th grades
     Design & Architecture, 4th – 5th grades
     Design & Architecture, 6th – 12th grades 
     
     * Tour titles subject to change pending pilot program review.

For descriptions of each theme tour and a classroom lesson, please visit School Tour Descriptions & Materials.

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Pricing
To qualify for the discounted group rate for student tours, visits must be reserved within five (5) days of the scheduled visit date.  Guides are guaranteed for groups who request a Guide and reserve at least three (3) weeks in advance of the scheduled visit.  Reservations may not be made more than six (6) months in advance.

• The discounted group rate for students ages 4 years and above is $5/person.  A minimum of ten (10) students is required to receive the discounted group rate and a volunteer guided tour. 
• Vizcaya Museum and Gardens requires one (1) adult chaperone for every ten (10) students for self-guided visits in Kindergarten – 3rd grade and self-guided or guided visits in 4th – 12th grades, and one (1) adult chaperone for every five (5) students for preschool self-guided visits.  These chaperones are admitted at no charge.  Additional chaperones, above that ratio, receive the discount tour rate of $5/person.
• Once a visit has been scheduled, a confirmation packet will be sent to the group leader.  The visit is not confirmed until you receive notice from the Museum.
• Cash, school check, or credit card (Visa/Mastercard/American Express) are accepted as payment.  Personal checks and purchase orders are not accepted. Credit card information is not kept on file.
• Payment in full is required upon arrival.  No deposit is necessary.  If a company check has been prepared in advance and does not include payment for all group members, the group is responsible for any necessary additional payment at the time of arrival.

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Cancellation
All reserved visits must be cancelled with the Group Tour Coordinator as soon as possible in the event a group is unable to visit.  Please contact  group.tours@vizcayamuseum.org or call 305-860-8421.

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Scheduling
Though the estate and Main House are quite large, individual rooms within the Main House are small.  For this reason, the number of students in one visit is limited to seventy (70) and the number of students on a reserved tour of the Main House, at one time, is limited to thirty-five (35) people. 

• To accomodate groups of thirty-five (35) or more the group is asked to divide into sections that can alternately tour the Main House, visit the gardens, and have lunch over a period of at least two hours.  Ideally, these sections are determined prior to arrival for ease of check-in.
• Prompt arrival is important, since tours are led by Volunteer Guides.  Groups must arrive at least fifteen (15) minutes prior to the scheduled visit time to check in.  Groups which do not arrive accordingly may forfeit their guided or self-guided experience.

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Supervision
It is the responsibility of teachers and chaperones to supervise students at all times, during guided tours or self-guided visits, in any area of the estate.  Chaperones accompany small groups of students, divided from the larger group, during the tour and supervise students during all aspects of the visit.  To aid in supervision, Guidelines for Chaperones  may be shared with chaperones prior to the day of your visit.  English and Spanish versions are available below.

School Group Guidelines & Behavior
Normas de Conducta e Instrucciones para Grupos Escolares

If at any time security officers or other staff witness behavior that puts the group, other visitors, the estate or collection at risk, the group may be asked to leave the premises and forfeit the remainder of their visit.  Groups that do not meet student and chaperone expectations may not be confirmed for future tours.

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Self-Guided Visits & Activities
During a reserved, self-guided visit, the Main House remains open to the public.  Visitors are welcome to explore the Main House on their own, while public tours for general audiences occur simultaneously.  We ask self-guided groups to yield to our public tours.  If a tour group is congregated in a room or area, we ask the self-guided visitors to please walk through quietly and return shortly.  Public tours do not spend more than 10 minutes in any given area or room of the Main House.  Self-guided groups are not permitted to join public tours. 

Self-guided groups visiting the Main House are required to divide into smaller sections with a teacher or chaperone supervising each section.  Please determine these sections before entering the Main House.  An estate map and School Group Guidelines & Behavior brochures are available at no charge in English and Spanish at the Ticket Booth and the front door of the Main House.

Self-directed art activities are permitted in the Main House and gardens.  These experiences should be reserved in addition to a guided tour, or instead of a guided tour.  Visitors interested in sketching indoors may only use graphite pencils.  No other materials are permitted inside the Main House.  Visitors may sketch and paint outdoors; no sprayed materials, permanent markers or electrical tools are permitted.  Vizcaya Museum and Gardens reserves the right to prohibit any materials security officers or other staff deem unsafe for the public, estate or collection.

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Lunch
Students may bring their lunches and eat in the shaded group picnic area.  The outdoor space includes a grassy area and tables which seat approximately eighty (80) people.  Groups must package lunches together in a box or bag with the school name on the front.  Lunches may be stored inside the Main House until the group is ready for lunch.  Volunteer Guides can help direct groups to this area upon arrival at the front entrance.  Unfortunately, at this time, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens does not have a covered or indoor area for lunches in the event of rain. Groups which have not appropriately packaged lunches in coolers and boxes will be asked to leave their lunches on the bus.

No eating or drinking is permitted in the Main House, gardens or David A. Klein Orchidarium.

All groups of ten (10) or more wishing to eat at the Vizcaya Café need to make advance reservations, 305-856-8189.

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Map & Driving Directions
Download map and directions (pdf) or click here for directions.

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Photography
Visitors to Vizcaya are welcome to take photographs or videos in the gardens only.  Photographs and videos are not permitted in the Main House for the benefit of other visitors and to protect our collection.  Information on film and photography permits may be obtained here.

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Bags & Backpacks
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens does not have a bag check.  Students should leave book bags and backpacks at school or on the bus.  Vizcaya security officers reserve the right to review bag size upon entry and prohibit any bags large enough to pose a hazard to the collections.

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Gift Shop
Gift Shop visitation is at the discretion of the group leader.  Small groups of students (10 maximum) may visit the Gift Shop, but must be accompanied by a chaperone.

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Museum Education Program (MEP)
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens places great value on its participation in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Museum Education Program (MEP). The MEP is a collaborative effort between the school system’s Art Education Office and local museums. The program is designed to provide students an opportunity to view and discuss original art and architecture. Throughout the school year, students in grades 4-12 are taken to Vizcaya and are given a curriculum-specific tour of the Main House. This is followed by a hands-on art activity in the gardens. The Art Education Office arranges transportation and Vizcaya waives its admission for this partnership.

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