Entry No. 16 — the Miami file — filed under: roadside oddity

Stiltsville

Six or seven wooden houses on stilts standing alone in a few feet of open water about a mile out in Biscayne Bay — the last survivors of a community that peaked at 27 buildings in 1960, home to a Prohibition-era offshore gambling shack (the Quarterdeck Club) and a 1962 'bikini club' that gave free drinks to women in bikinis. Now managed by the National Park Service and the Stiltsville Trust within Biscayne National Park, reachable only by boat and enterable only with permission/permit.

The move: Rent or charter a boat, or book a kayak/paddleboard tour out of Key Biscayne, to circle the houses at golden hour — you can't go inside without a permit, but paddling the perimeter of a ghost neighborhood standing in open water is its own strange payoff.

• 📍 Biscayne Bay (off Key Biscayne)
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Departure/viewing point: Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park area, near 1200 S Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL 33149 — the houses stand roughly a mile offshore in Biscayne Bay

Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: nps.gov · Wikipedia

last checked: 2026-07-19