STILTSVILLE

Stiltsville is a group of wood stilt houses located one mile south of Cape Florida, on sand banks of the Safety Valve on the edge of Biscayne Bay in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The structures stand on wood or reinforced concrete pilings, generally ten feet above the shallow water, which varies from one to three feet deep at low tide.

Most sources claim the first stilt shack was built in the early 1930s, but some Dade County historians say that there were a dozen shacks in "the flats" as early as 1922. Used mostly as an escape from the authorities, Stiltsville gained notoriety during prohibition, when drinking and gambling was commonplace here.

As prohibition ended, owners of the stilt houses looked at ways to extend the glory days. Numerous social clubs, bars, restaurants popped up, like the famous Quarterdeck Club, Miami Springs Boat Club, and the Bikini Club. But the weather and the authorities were never kind to Stiltsville. Authorities often raided and shut down illegal operations, and the hurricanes in 1950, 1960, and Andrew in 1992 changed the landscape often.

In it’s heyday there were 27 structures in 1960, before Hurricane Donna. Today 7 structures survive operated by a Trust. You can actually rent the houses for use, definitely worth checking out this bit of history before the next storm wipes them away for good!

• JUST 1 MILE SOUTH OF KEY BISCAYNE

• NOTORIOUS DRINKING AND GAMBLING ESTABLISHMENTS BACK IN THE 30’s & 40’s

• ONLY 7 HOUSES REMAIN, SOME AVAILABLE FOR RENT