Biscayne National Park & Stiltsville Boat Tour from Miami Beach
Small-group boat tour with exclusive access to historic Stiltsville
From$196/ personincl. taxes and fees
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Small-group boat tour with exclusive access to historic Stiltsville
Discover what we've curated for you
2 hours
Up to 6 people
Captain, fuel
Cruise through Biscayne Bay on a small-group boat tour that takes you into Biscayne National Park for an exclusive visit to Stiltsville, the legendary cluster of colorful houses built on stilts above the shallow waters a mile offshore. Ocean Force Adventures is the only tour operator with a National Park permit for daily guided tours to Stiltsville, giving you close-up access to these historic structures that are otherwise unreachable without a private boat. Along the way, your captain narrates Miami's history and points out dolphins, manatees, and seabirds as you pass Star Island, Key Biscayne, the Cape Florida Lighthouse, and the downtown skyline.
This is the only way to visit Stiltsville inside Biscayne National Park on a daily guided tour, combining Miami's most iconic waterfront landmarks with access to a hidden chapter of the city's history that most visitors never see.
Tours are limited to a maximum of 6 passengers for a small-group, personalized experience. All ages are welcome. Reservations are required. Bring a reusable water bottle; bottled water is not provided. Sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat are recommended. The boat is an open Zodiac RIB, so dress for the weather and expect some spray. The tour visits Stiltsville from the water; landing on the houses is not permitted without a separate National Park Service permit. The Stiltsville portion and other remote areas of Biscayne National Park are weather-dependent; if conditions do not allow safe access, the captain may adjust the route.
This is a typical itinerary for this boat tour. The exact route and order of landmarks may vary based on conditions, wildlife activity, and the captain's judgment. The total experience is approximately 2 hours.
Board at Miami Beach Marina, 300 Alton Road, Pier E, Miami Beach. Your captain greets the group (maximum 6 passengers), provides a safety briefing, and outlines the route for the day. The 30-foot Zodiac RIB is built for speed and comfort, with cushioned seating and an open design that puts you close to the water.
The boat heads south through Biscayne Bay, and your captain begins the narrated tour of Miami's waterfront. You pass Star Island, where some of Miami's most famous mansions line the shore, and Fisher Island, a private community accessible only by ferry or boat. The downtown Miami skyline and the Brickell financial district rise to the west, while Port Miami's cruise terminals are visible across the bay. Your captain shares the history of each landmark, from Miami's founding as a frontier outpost to its transformation into a global city, weaving in stories of its prohibition-era smugglers, celebrity residents, and filming locations from Miami Vice and CSI.
The route continues south past Key Biscayne, with views of the Cape Florida Lighthouse, the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County. Your captain narrates the lighthouse's history and points out the mangrove coastlines and shallow grass flats that define this stretch of Biscayne Bay. Keep watch for dolphins, which commonly appear in pods along this part of the route, as well as manatees, sea turtles, and a variety of seabirds.
The boat enters the waters of Biscayne National Park, the largest underwater park in the United States, and approaches Stiltsville. Seven colorful houses stand on wooden pilings above the shallow flats of Biscayne Bay, approximately 1.5 miles from the shoreline. These structures date back to the 1930s, when the first stilt house was built as an offshore club beyond the reach of city laws. Over the decades, Stiltsville grew into a collection of private retreats, gambling clubs, and party houses used by Miami's elite. Hurricanes, changing regulations, and the creation of Biscayne National Park in 1985 reduced the original 27 structures to the 7 that remain today, now protected by the Stiltsville Trust under a partnership with the National Park Service.
Your captain navigates close to 5 of the remaining houses, spending approximately 20 minutes in the area. You learn the story of each house, including the A-Frame House, the Sessions House, and the Jimmy Ellenburg House. On some structures, look for the tile mosaics placed by the artist Space Invader. The shallow seagrass beds surrounding the houses serve as nursery habitat for marine life, and you may see fish, starfish, and crabs in the crystal-clear water below.
After Stiltsville, the boat returns through Biscayne Bay toward Miami Beach Marina, with additional views of the Miami skyline, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, and the historic Miami Marine Stadium along the way. The tour concludes at Pier E.
Landmarks along the route include: Star Island, Fisher Island, downtown Miami skyline, Brickell, Port Miami, Key Biscayne, Cape Florida Lighthouse, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami Marine Stadium, and Stiltsville inside Biscayne National Park
Free cancellation up to 48 hours before the tour. Cancellations within 48 hours may not be refunded. If weather forces cancellation before departure, you will receive a full refund.
Miami Beach Marina, 300 Alton Road, Pier E, Miami Beach, FL.
Biscayne National Park is the largest underwater park in the United States, protecting 173,000 acres of Biscayne Bay, coral reefs, mangrove shoreline, and the northernmost Florida Keys. Most of the park is water, and most visitors never realize that one of its most fascinating features sits in plain sight above the surface: Stiltsville, a cluster of seven colorful houses standing on wooden pilings a mile offshore in the shallow flats of the bay. Built beginning in the 1930s, Stiltsville was once a collection of offshore clubs, private retreats, and party houses that operated just beyond the reach of Miami's laws. Today the surviving structures are protected within Biscayne National Park, and Ocean Force Adventures is the only operator with a National Park permit to bring visitors to Stiltsville on daily guided tours.
The 2-hour tour covers far more than Stiltsville alone. The route through Biscayne Bay passes Miami's most iconic waterfront landmarks: Star Island's mansions, the Cape Florida Lighthouse, the downtown skyline, and the filming locations that put Miami on screen. The captain narrates the entire ride, connecting the glamour of the present-day city to its history as a mosquito-infested outpost, a prohibition-era smuggling hub, and the backdrop for some of the most famous television and film of the past 40 years. Dolphins commonly appear along the route, and the clear, shallow waters of Biscayne National Park are home to manatees, sea turtles, and a rich ecosystem of seagrass and marine life.
This Biscayne National Park tour is ideal for visitors who want to see Miami from the water, history lovers who are drawn to Stiltsville's story, families and couples looking for a small-group experience, and photographers who want water-level access to landmarks and wildlife that are not visible from shore.
Ocean Force Adventures runs intimate small-boat tours (6 passengers max) around Miami's waters, with Captains Kim and Colin earning consistent praise for their deep knowledge of local history. Guests repeatedly highlight how these captains transform a simple boat ride into an engaging educational experience, sharing historical facts, pointing out landmarks from the Miami skyline to Biscayne Bay, and even showing vintage photos. The tours cover various itineraries including Stiltsville, Key Biscayne lighthouse, and the popular Raccoon Island excursion where visitors can interact with surprisingly friendly raccoons. The Raccoon Island trip gets mixed feedback worth noting. While most guests loved the experience and successfully encountered the curious animals (who apparently love Lays chips), one visitor felt underwhelmed by their private tour, citing minimal guidance on the island itself and no raccoons spotted. Morning tours seem to yield better results for wildlife viewing. Guests recommend bringing water for the raccoons, snacks to attract them, and bug spray. The smooth rides, thrilling speeds, and unexpected wildlife encounters like dolphin pods add extra magic to these tours that repeat customers keep booking again and again.
What a blast to go on this tour with our incredibly knowledgeable and impressive tour guide, Louis, who is a Miami native who knew just about everything about the area! Louis answered a million questions with a smile and a great attitude and prioritized safety while also having loads of fun! We would totally come back on this tour - in fact, the other family who was on the boat with us was there for the second time in a short period! They literally couldn’t wait to get back out there on tour with Ocean Force! Thanks so much for a beautiful day in the sun and for all the Miami history!
Haley Post
March 23, 2026
What a blast to go on this tour with our incredibly knowledgeable and impressive tour guide, Louis, who is a Miami native who knew just about everything about the area! Louis answered a million questions with a smile and a great attitude and prioritized safety while also having loads of fun! We would totally come back on this tour - in fact, the other family who was on the boat with us was there for the second time in a short period! They literally couldn’t wait to get back out there on tour with Ocean Force! Thanks so much for a beautiful day in the sun and for all the Miami history!
Haley Post
March 23, 2026