Stiltsville, Florida, United States

5Naddia's Favorites 5:00 PM May 10, 2022

Absolutely amazing ❤️
I have been living in Miami for over 8 years and I never went to see the Stiltsville at Biscayne Bay, Stiltsville has a colorful history that dates back to the 1930s, when the first shack on stilts was built above the water. Over the years more buildings were constructed, accessible only by water, the area was the place to see and be seen when visiting nearby Miami Beach. Stories of illegal alcohol and gambling led to several police raids back in the days. At its peak in 1960, there were 27 structures on the flats, but hurricanes, fires and the ravages of being in such an exposed place made every building relatively short-lived. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew left only seven buildings standing. What a wonderful experience, you can buy a 2 hours educational cruise tour on the website of Biscayne National Park Institute. We really loved it and for sure I will go again when friends visit us, it is really worth it, you spend 2 relaxing hours seeing something totally different, learn some Miami history and have gorgeous views, highly recommended @biscaynenationalparkinstitute @stiltsvillemiami @biscaynenps @thenewtropic For more of my favorite things to do, activities, restaurants, places and more, like my Facebook page Naddia’s Favorites or follow me on Instagram @naddias_favorites

5Rachael C 5:00 PM Aug 2, 2019

Houses literally in the middle of Biscayne Bay
We booked a tour of Stiltsville through the Biscayne National Institute. The entire tour is by boat, these homes are located in the middle of Biscayne Bay. The boat is operated by the Miami Dade park system, but a volunteer from the Biscayne National Park is on board to explain the history of the homes. There are only 7 homes left, so I highly recommend seeing this at the first opportunity you can. They offer the tours on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month. BOOK IN ADVANCE. You can chance showing up the day of, but the boat may be full. Your ticket covers entry into the Deering Estate. I did not realize this at the time, so we missed the final estate tour of the day (the boat comes back at 4pm). I recommend going early, touring the estate, and then going for the boat tour as scheduled. I would consider this a laid back, lazy Sunday activity. The boat ride out to the houses is very relaxing (if you have good weather!) and the captain idles by the houses so you can hear the volunteer give the history as well as take plenty of pictures. These are NOT houses you can tour, you will NOT be getting off the boat. I highly recommend this activity. It's a very interesting part of Miami's history, plus it's a pretty relaxing day! Bring sunscreen and lunch!!!! You may even see dolphins (we were lucky and saw a pod, the captain idled the boat so we could all watch and enjoy!)