Stiltsville: Miami's Forgotten Offshore Village
Seven wooden houses standing in the middle of Biscayne Bay, accessible only by boat. The strange and beautiful history of Miami's most unusual landmark.
What Is Stiltsville?
About a mile south of Cape Florida in Biscayne Bay, in three to five feet of open water, stand seven wooden structures on stilts. No roads lead to them. No ferry runs there. The only way to visit is by boat.
These are the remains of Stiltsville — at its peak in the 1940s–60s, a community of 27 homes, fishing shacks, social clubs, and weekend retreats built directly over the shallow flats of Biscayne Bay. Today those seven structures are protected by Biscayne National Park and managed by the Stiltsville Trust. From the water, they look like something between an Andrew Wyeth painting and a fever dream.
The History
The first stilt structure appeared in the 1930s, built by a man named Crawfish Eddie Walker who sold bootleg bait and beer from a shack over the water — allegedly because he was technically outside the three-mile limit of Dade County jurisdiction.
Through the 1940s and 50s the community grew. The Quarterdeck Club became a private social club — famous for gambling, high-profile members, and a lifestyle that was uniquely Miami.
Hurricane Donna in 1960 wiped out half the structures. Hurricane Betsy in 1965 took more. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was the near-fatal blow — only seven structures survived.
The National Park Service announced the remaining leases would not be renewed when they expired in 1999. A fierce preservation battle followed. The result was the Stiltsville Trust, which now holds a 99-year lease from the Park Service and maintains the remaining structures for educational and community use.
Visiting by Boat
The coordinates for Stiltsville center around 25°39'50" N, 80°09'30" W. Head south through Biscayne Bay past Cape Florida and you'll see them. Water depth around Stiltsville is 3–5 feet with some shallower areas.
Anchoring: There is no dock for visitors. Anchor in sand around the structures and use a dinghy or kayak to get close.
What you can do: Motor around and photograph the houses. The Stiltsville Trust occasionally opens specific structures for organized tours and events — check their website for current programming.
What you cannot do: Tie your boat to any Stiltsville structure, step onto any piling without permission, or remove any materials. Federal park rules apply and rangers patrol the area.
The Best Photo Angles
- Early morning from the east: The rising sun backlights the structures against the brightening sky. The water is glassy before the afternoon wind builds.
- Late afternoon from the west: The setting sun behind Miami throws warm light onto the house fronts. This is the money shot you'll see in most Stiltsville photography.
- Low tide: The flats are exposed, creating interesting reflections and making the scale of the structures more dramatic.
- Drone: Aerial shots are spectacular — the seven houses, the shallow flats, the open bay, and Miami's skyline in the distance. Know your Part 107 rules and the national park airspace restrictions before flying.
Why It Matters
There's a version of Miami that existed before the condos and highways — a version that was mostly water, mostly sky, and a few thousand people carving out an improbable life in a subtropical wilderness. Stiltsville is one of the last physical remnants of that Miami.
Go see it. Take the time to anchor out, get in the water, and float there looking at those seven houses standing in the middle of the bay. It's one of the most unusual and beautiful things Miami has.
We've filmed Stiltsville multiple times on the channel — look for our full history episode and the dedicated drone footage episode in the channel archives.