Adventuring @ the Merrick House

Today I'd like to transport you to a pioneer-era tropical oasis. ツ

My cousin/part-time photographer Allie joined me on this fun, touristy adventure that I've been meaning to go on for years!

This is the Merrick House. It was built in the early 1900's by a reverend and his wife who traded the fun winters of Massachusetts for the beauty and splendor of mosquitoville Miami. George Merrick, one of the reverend's children, inherited the house and went on to found Coral Gables, one of the most beautiful cities in America and definitely a place I'd like to call home someday.

The home is now a museum of sorts. The inside is only open from 3-6 on Mondays and Wednesdays but the yard and gardens aren't fenced in so they're accessible whenever.

Here I am marveling at the beautiful coral rock garden. This is Coral Gables's signature "coral", which isn't really coral at all. It's actually limestone that Merrick made available to anyone who wanted to build homes with it. Or at least that's the way the story goes. Since the coral was free and plentiful at first (not to mention beautiful), it was used in many of the early Coral Gables homes and landmarks. In fact, so much coral was dug out that Merrick decided to make an artificial lagoon out of the old quarry: Venetian Pool.

The view from the bench I sat in. So tranquil.

The beautiful coral rock garden is next to what I assume was a guest house?

View from up top.. The stairs are so steep. And it's noisy in there! The building houses some sort of machinery. It was kinda creepy.

Guest house from main house side port view. Lots of banana trees!

A single bulb in a simple antique drop over the car port. So beautiful. Also notice the chimney in the background for those chilly Miami winter nights! I'm tellin' ya, it can get really cold here a few times a year without heating, especially in old, uninsulated homes.

Side door on the northwest side. Anybody know what in the world that orange thing inside the coral is? It looked squishy!

Cute little windows on the west side of the main house.

Back view of the main house. So quaint. <3

Also short. Notice the beautiful coral rock in the steps again.

Summer crops grown on the east side of the property. In coral beds, of course!

Such dense, tropical vegetation in the yard.

That little table and bench must be original to the home (at least 1920's original?), otherwise it wouldn't be chained up like that.

The columns and ceilings wrap around the entire home, excluding the north (back) part of the house.

The bees die at night. :(

When Allie took these pictures she looked at me and said, "Nature photography!" Lol, indeed it is.

Please ignore my pretentious look here. Didn't mean to do that! Just wanted you to see my turquoise eye makeup. :)

We were so intrigued by these avocados! We'd never seen them in this shape before.

Found it right there on the coral rock.

It's a gable-roofed coral home on Coral Way in Coral Gables.

So that was my day at this precious Coral Gables landmark that will surely be treasured for centuries to come. If Florida isn't underwater by then of course. I had an anthropology professor once who strongly advised us not to invest in FL real estate because he says in 100 years it'll all be buried in water. But that's a conversation for a whole 'nother time.

Like I said, I didn't even see the inside because they're only open on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons. If you are from Miami or are ever in Miami, I highly recommend visiting the Merrick House. It will surely take you back to the pioneer era, before the real estate booms and the Cubans and the fancy buildings built on drug money, back when panthers roamed with the carriages (yikes) and ladies wore their Sunday Best in 90 degree, mosquito-laden weather.

Linked up with Friday's Fab Favorites + Favorite Fashion Friday.

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Top: American Rag via Macy's (old)

Skirt: LOFT (last fall)

Sandals: Nine West (old)

Bag: TJ Maxx (last spring)

Bracelets: Pandora, Lucky Brand

Watch: Fossil via Macy's

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