How to Tour Stiltsville
Because the Stiltsville houses hover over the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay at least 1. 5 miles off the shoreline of Miami’s Key Biscayne, the only way to get to Stiltsville is by boat. You will need to either have your own boat, hire a private boat or sign up with one of the Miami boat tour companies that are licensed by the National Park Service to provide tours within the park.
The boat cruise from downtown Miami over water to Stiltsville offers spectacular vistas of the Miami, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables and Key Biscayne skylines.
Historic boat tours to Stiltsville provide you with an authentic look into Miami’s history, culture and notorious past as a mecca for bootleggers and gamblers. These boat tour experiences are for travellers wanting to see remote and off the beaten path locations.
The Ocean Force Adventures sightseeing boat tour to Stiltsville is personalized with only 6 passengers per boat. You will get up very close to 5 of the remaining 7 houses and discuss the history of each. Photographers will love the trip out to Stiltsville passing local landmarks including Miami Marine Stadium, Rickenbacker Causeway, Viscaya Museum and Gardens, Brickell Avenue and in the distance the iconic Biltmore hotel tower can be seen.
To see the Miami skyline from Stiltsville is a magical experience be it on morning, mid-day or afternoon sightseeing tours. You feel like you are a million miles away from the hustle bustle of the city but you are only a 20 minute boat ride back to the downtown Miami area.
To get to Stiltsville for a tour of the Stiltsville houses you can book online here.
For Historical information on Stiltsville click here.
Tour Stiltsville: What to Expect
All boat tours that take visitors to Stiltsville must be possess a permit from Biscayne National park, so check with the company you choose to ensure you are getting a legitimate and licensed boat tour provider.
Boat rides and cruises to Stiltsville are out in the wide open waters of Biscayne Bay, some might think you are actually in the ocean the bay is so wide in the area. Check weather conditions with your boat tour company to ensure they are good for a boat tour visit to Stiltsville. Weather conditions in Miami are generally balmy and calm so you will likely have a great experience.
Be prepared to encouner marine life on the boat tours through Biscayne National Park and Stiltsville. Biscayne Bay is teaming with fish speicies, marine birds and the always popular wild dolphin. It’s very common to encounter pods of dolphin on the boat ride to Stiltsville.
The houses of Stiltsville are built on shallow underwater seagrass beds, and these “grassflats” act as estuaries for marine life, where you have young fish, seahorse, starfish, stonecrab and lobster. Occasionally you will see sharks feeding on schools of bait in the shallows during your boat tour.
The iconic houses are colorful reminders of Miami’s past and you will want to have camera’s ready for capturing the unique architecture of each structure.
A poplular feature of the Stiltsville houses are the “Space Invader” mosiacs found on two of the structures placed there by the renowned artist, Invader.
To tour Stiltsville you can book online here.