Coral Gables Merrick House

George Merrick was the Founder of Coral Gables, so a visit to the house of George Merrick is pretty incredible. Make sure you call first to get the hours of operation to visit.

This museum house is beautiful, big and an awesome thing to do when you have a free Saturday. The young tour guide was knowledgeable and really great at what he does. It was cheap too. I've lived in Miami my whole life and never even knew this was there until we passed by on our way to church

My sister and I had an extraordinary tour. Our tour guide was amazing, a Panamanian lady, so sorry I forgot your name. Her love for the history of this family and their contributions to Coral Gables made us love it too! The Merrick family is the reason why there is a Coral Gables!! If you love history, it's worth the trip!!

An interesting place to visit and learn about the history of Coral Gables. The tour I went to was on the weekend and started at 1 pm and had a nominal fee. The tours guide, ours as well as the one from the other group who joined us at the conclusion of the first tour, were very eager, knowledgeable, and informative.

Hands down one of the best museums in Miami. One of Coral Gables’ finest landmarks. It’s the best $5 tour I can think of, our guide Laura was amazing.

The Merrick House of Coral Gables is a must in Miami. Everyone should go to get to know why it is such a beautiful community. The tour guides have first hand experience on the history of the community, and the family that had the dream to envision it. I would recommend stopping here first, then walk down to the venetian pool through the beautifully banyan tree-filled streets, and finally to the biltmore Hotel.

This is the childhood home of George E. Merrick, the founder and developer of the City of Coral Gables. This historic landmark originally began as a 1903 frame house, and was added onto in 1910.

What a beautiful tiny park, full of tropical plants and with a small pond! There were cichlids, koi, and I believe a parrot fish! Divine hidden park

This review is based on seeing the outside as the inside, was shut. I would like to come back to also see inside, maybe after the pandemic. Built in 1899 by Reverend Solomon Merrick, this residence, which served as the home base for Merrick's 3000-acre grapefruit plantation, grew from a modest frame house to one encased in coral rock. Solomon's wife Althea planted oaks, gumbo limbos, n rubber trees throughout her vegetable n cut flower gardens n lined the keystone walkways with low coral walls, conch shells, n crepe myrtles. In 1921 the plantation was transformed into a planned community by Solomon's son George who named his subdivision "Coral Gables" for the oolitic limestone pillars that ornamented his childhood home, preserved on a half-acre lot. At this time, Althea added a grotto, a bamboo grove, n a fish pond planted with water lilies n irises. Following the collapse of the land boom, the house became a boarding house through the 1940s. George's sister Ethel continued to add plantings n cared for the gardens until she passed away in 1961. At this time the property was purchased by W.L. Philbrick who funded the Merrick Manor Foundation. In 1976 the City of Coral Gables acquired the house n gardens n encouraged the Coral Gables Garden Club to undertake its restoration. Aided by historic photographs n personal interviews, the garden club worked with landscape architect Jonathon Seymour to restore the garden. Flowering b fruit trees native to Florida's high hammock were rejuvenated or replaced, the pond was restored, and a replica sundial was set in the cut flower garden. The house, restored to its 1920s appearance, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

I was visiting Coral Gables and wanted to see the boyhood home of George Merrick who created the city of Coral Gables. Constructed in 1907 the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1973. I did not even know that the home was open for tours. I was just planning on snapping a few pictures of the outside. I was surprised to see that the house actually had a parking lot which is quite the rarity for places in Miami. I took a chance and knocked on the door and to my surprise a lady actually answered it. It turns out that they officially open in December but they are offering $5 cash only tours on the weekends on the hour between 1 and 3 PM. I jumped at the chance to see the inside of the house and ended up getting a private tour from two of the sweetest ladies, Joann and Collette who love the house and volunteer there. I was surprised at how nicely the house was decorated and furnished. I have visited other historic homes that are quite empty. About 60% of the furnishings are original to the house and the rest are to the period. The house is filled with wonderful artwork by different members of the family who were talented in their own right, especially George's mother. I don't want to recount the entire story because you should really hear it in person but George Merrick's family came to Miami from PA two years after Henry Flagler brought the railroad to Florida. It was the dawn of the development of Florida. George Merrick attended Rollins College in Winter Park and in 1922 he meticulously planned Coral Gables. The houses were so well made that they survived hurricanes before there were building codes and his architecture was so charming that Coral gables is called the city beautiful. He also created the University of Miami. There is a lot more to the story and on the tour you can learn all about the Merrick family and how he married the daughter of the pioneer family the Peacocks. The history is very interesting even if you don't have any connection to Coral Gables. I loved my tour of this historic house. Collette and Joann are two of the loveliest people you could hope to meet. It was like visiting with friends. You can tell that a lot of love and time has been invested in the restoration of this property. One of my favorite things was seeing George Merrick's attache case propped against his office wall as if he would be right back to get to work. When you take the tour don't forget to visit the koi pond and waterfall out back. For $5 this tour is a bargain.

Tours for this historic house museum only cost $5 cash. It's open again, & masks are required. Sign says to check website to make sure house is open.

A great place to visit! I learned a lot about the local history after a very detailed tour given by a woman named Colette. She knew EVERYTHING about the house, and seemingly about the area! The house and the surrounding property is really beautiful, and I could have spent all day here. I strongly urge everyone who is interested in history - whether small town or on a larger level - to come to the Merrick House for a tour. You won't regret it!

The Merrick House is now open! Learn some Coral Gables history, see the home of the founder of Coral Gables, George Merrick, take a docent led tour of the inside and stroll through the beautiful gardens! Constructed in 1907 the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and has been meticulously renovated and maintained.

Definitely worth going to. Very informative and very interesting regarding this areas history including its beginnings. The tour people did a super job!

Merrick House is a museum in Coral Gables, constructed in 1907, this was the home to Rev. Solomon Merrick - George Merrick's father - George Merrick is widely considered the founder of Coral Gables - The house represents a combination of Northern architecture with a bit of tropical touches. To wit, thick limestone walls and a wraparound veranda- This place is open for tours Wednesday and Sunday from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM - Feed your quest for knowledge of South Florida History and make a stop in this museum - and while you're at it, drive down the beautiful tree covered Coral Way - This by the way is what sold me on accepting my transfer to South Florida !

Fascinating tour of the family house of Coral Gables founder George Merrick. Original artwork and furniture, plus a great family story! The neighborhood, grounds, and house are so beautiful. Well worth several hours to tour, explore, and relax!

Beautiful historic home. It's a beautiful drive lined with tree canopies, and the neighborhood's aligned with beautiful historic homes. Make it a point to visit on a Sunday on one of their guided tours (I believe the tour is $4 or $5 per person), so you can see the beautiful interior. For those who want to see more, you can visit the upstairs area on your own after the docent guides you throughout the downstairs. They have different events going on like poetry nights, and in a couple of weeks, they will have an open house with cookies and Christmas decor. I cannot wait to visit for one of these events! Very family-friendly, and I love the interior of the home, even if it does have a bit of a musty smell to it.

I went to this park for a photoshoot and it left me pretty speechless. The house is so vintage and beautiful! There's many colors that pop and the Ocean is right next to it. There's also a huge field of grass where many event/activities take place. I heard they also do a night tour which appealed to me very much and id like to do it some time. Overall, very nice, huge park, with lots of nature and beautiful history!

Part of history The Merick House is something unique to Coral Gables it tells a very interesting history of our city it is very well maintained I recommend everyone to go visit It is what Coral Gables should be like not the McMasipns the are coming up everywhere taking away the ambiance of Coral Gables

Pretty cool little place. I came for a "wedding expo" which really wasn't an expo in my opinion. They were exhibiting wedding dresses from the late 1800s and early 1900s so that was pretty cool. I love history, so seeing this historical house was a pleasant stop for me. We didn't spend much time here but there is not a lot to see so you don't need to plan for a long visit.