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Amelia Schoolhouse Inn- Fernandina Beach, FL
Amelia Schoolhouse Inn is impossibly quaint and charming. It feels fresh and modern, without losing any of the building’s original charm. Small and personal without feeling intrusive, it strikes the perfect balance all boutique hotels aspire to achieve.
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Grace United Methodist Church- St. Augustine, FL
As previous discussed, St. Augustine flourished during The Gilded Age. While opulent hotels and casinos were constructed to attract rich and famous vacationers, equally fabulous spiritual structures were bankrolled by the same tycoons, resulting in an architecturally outstanding collection of churches scattered around town. As usual, Carrère and Hastings are responsible for some of the most impressive, including Grace United Methodist Church.
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Miami Architecture Cruise- Miami, FL
Miami is home to ridiculous wealth and fabulous houses- anyone who remembers Miami Vice knows that as fact. Over the last few decades, the stakes have only been raised, with more modern designs, and more expensive properties. With an absolutely fabulous skyline, and stunning waterfront homes tucked away on exclusive islands, the best way to take them in is by boat, with a Pina Colada in hand. If you don’t have one, rent one, or take one of the many architecture cruises available. There are far worse ways to spend the day- just remember sunscreen.
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Vizcaya Gardens- Miami, FL
John Deering’s Gilded Age Miami mansion is absolutely lovely, and architecturally interesting. The gardens, however, are nothing short of magnificent- transcendent even. Unquestionably European in design, arranged as a series of outdoor rooms, they are perhaps the finest Italian Renaissance gardens in the United States.
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Vizcaya Mansion- Miami, FL
Located mere minutes from modern Miami is a magnificent Gilded Age estate, left virtually untouched by time or developers. Well researched and designed around salvaged architectural elements, it feels like a centuries old Italian Villa, magically transported through time and place to South Florida. One of the finest extant examples of the era’s excess outside of Newport, exploring Vizcaya is an architectural adventure.
