Tours, Classes & Programs
The Deering Estate at Cutler offers Pilates, Beginning Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Connected Warriors yoga classes for veterans, and Preparatory Music for Youth in a relaxing atmosphere and a beautiful, historic setting. Please note that there is a one-time $12 annual registration fee for all courses. To enroll with a credit card, please call the Ticket Office at (305) 235-1668 ext 233.
Regular tours of the natural areas and historic buildings are offered daily by our Education and Interpretive Staff and are free with regular Estate admission.
The following specialty tours will replace the daily natural areas tour at 12:30 pm on weekends (October - May) and are free with Estate admission:
Pine Rockland Trail Hike: 1st weekend of the month
There are approximately only 4000 acres left of Pine Rocklands in the world. The Deering Estate at Cutler preserves one of the largest blocks of these globally endangered habitats remaining in the United States. On this specialized tour, walk with the Estate’s naturalists among slash pines and an incredibly diverse understory of shrubby and herbaceous vegetation. You will see numerous endangered plant and animal species that live in this area - some are included on the federally endangered list.
Tequesta Trail Tour: 2nd weekend of the month
This special walking tour introduces the public to the Tequesta – a Native American people who canoed the waters of Biscayne Bay and hunted on the high ground of the Miami Rock Ridge on the land known today as the Deering Estate at Cutler. Naturalists guide you through protected natural areas as you visit a Tequesta habitation site and a burial mound, walk an ancient Tequesta trail, and handle Tequesta artifacts, in the hopes of inspiring an interest in the Native Americans who lived in the Miami area before us, and a respect for a people and a way of life that vanished long ago.
Ethnobotany Tour: 3rd weekend of the month
Walk through the Tropical Hardwood Hammock with a Deering Estate naturalist, exploring the diverse uses of plants by different cultures. You will learn to identify native plants that have been used in the past for food, clothing, shelter, medicine, and magic, and discover the fascinating connection that people and plants have always shared.
Butterfly Walk: 4th weekend of the month
Whether you’re looking to photograph the elusive Dingy Purplewing or just want to appreciate some of nature’s most delicate beauties, butterflies abound at the Deering Estate at Cutler. Walk with a Deering Education and Interpretive Staff Member along historic roads and trails, through sunny pineland, tree-shaded forest, manicured grounds and other habitats. Here you’ll encounter graceful Giant Swallowtails, lively Ruddy Daggerwings, rare Atalas, and other butterflies of all wondrous shapes, sizes, and colors.
A variety of EcoAdventure Tours are available at the Deering Estate at Cutler for an additional fee. The Education and Interpretive Staff is a highly trained group of individuals who are dedicated in preserving and interpreting the invaluable resources found at the Estate. While reservations are not required, large groups and groups with special requests are encouraged to book their tours in advance to better accommodate particular interests and needs.
In addition to our regularly scheduled tours and activities, our Education and Interpretive Staff specialize in customized tour programs for individuals, groups or corporate outings by request. Our private tours offer you, your colleagues and friends the opportunity to explore the Deering Estate at Cutler and surrounding area in the company of experienced naturalists and guides. Because of the specialized nature of these tours, we suggest reserving your activity at least three weeks in advance.
Historic House Tour
Daily, 10:30 am & 3:00 pm
This tour begins on the front porch of the Richmond Cottage.
Free with admission to the Estate
After Charles Deering's death in 1927, the mysterious Deering Estate sat for nearly six decades, frozen in time. The houses were immaculately maintained and filled with fine art and antiques (now in private collections and museums worldwide) but virtually unoccupied. Join one of our Education and Interpretive Staff Members on a guided tour to hear the amazing history of the Richmond Cottage, the first hotel between Coconut Grove and Key West, and the Stone House, a tiny piece of Deering’s beloved Barcelona on Biscayne Bay.
Natural Areas Tour
Daily, 12:30 pm (Seasonal: October through May)
This tour begins on the front porch of the Richmond Cottage.
Free with admission to the Estate
Join one of our Education and Interpretive Staff Members and walk in the footsteps of Florida’s first peoples. Hike through a lush forest of tropical hardwood trees and clinging vines down the Native American footpath that, near the end of the nineteenth century, would become the first Cutler Road/Ingraham Highway. Along the way visit the Cutler Burial Mound and Cutler Creek, where work is currently underway to restore historic water flow throughout the park. Comfortable walking shoes and insect repellent are recommended for this one-and-a-half mile excursion.
Night Hike
2nd Wednesday of the month (Seasonal: October through May)
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Free with admission to the Estate
Walking down the tropical hardwood hammock trail at dusk takes on a whole new meaning to the exploration of our natural areas. This hike offers the visitor a rare opportunity to view the woods and it’s wildlife as it comes to life at night. A Deering Education and Interpretive Staff Member will guide you through the trail to the Tequesta burial mound where they will provide interesting facts about the Tequesta Indians. Listen for great horned owls and eastern screech-owls along the way. Recommended for ages 9 and older.
Book Nook by the Bay
In Collaboration with the Miami-Dade Public Library System
3rd Saturday of the month
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Free with admission to the Estate
Held on the third Saturday of each month, join us for “Book Nook by the Bay” where the Estate's Eco-Brigade and volunteers/staff from our partner organizations open the rich resources of the Estate to the public for family story time, on-site eco-arts and crafts, science programs and more! Each month, the Estate offers to the public an environmentally themed topic, story-time and a host of activities.
Current Exhibit & Artist Village Tour
Monthly, 1st Saturday (October through May)
11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Free with admission to the Estate
Meet on Richmond Cottage Front porch
This tour begins with a brief docent walk through of the current art exhibit in the Historic Homes and is followed by a tour of the outlying Buildings that make up the Artist Village. Artists will be onsite and available for public studio visits on a rotating schedule from October Through May.
Bird Walk
2nd Saturday of the month (Seasonal)
7:30 am - 10:30 am
Free with admission to the Estate
South Florida is the most truly tropical region in the United States, with habitats, flora, and fauna found nowhere else in the country. Have you wanted to see Thick-billed Vireo, Mangrove Cuckoo, or White-crowned Pigeon? These are just 3 of the more than 170 species that can be found at the Deering Estate at Cutler. The Deering Estate at Cutler is part of the Biscayne Bay IBA – Important Bird Area - recognized as being a globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Within our 444 acres are Pine Rockland, Mangrove Forests and Tropical Hardwood Hammocks. These environments attract everything from migrating songbirds in fall and spring, to specialty summer residents and even the occasional Caribbean vagrant. Wildlife viewing is not limited to birds; River Otters, American Crocodiles and Manatees are common sights as well in the surrounding bay waters.
Ghost Tours in partnership with the League of Paranormal Investigators
Now you can have your own paranormal experience if you dare to join us! In partnership with the League of Paranormal Investigators, the Deering Estate at Cutler offers a variety of ghost tours, paranormal investigations, and overnight experiences. Hear about the sightings and experiences from the actual paranormal investigations of the Estate, and experience for yourself evidence recorded on video, in photographs, and via audio recordings. Ghost Tours offered include the Deering Estate SPOOKOVER, "Be Your Own Investigator" Ghost Tour, and "Voices of the Past" Series.