Cape Florida Lighthouse and Stiltsville, Seen From the Water
What you actually see passing Cape Florida Lighthouse and Stiltsville on a private Miami yacht charter south of Key Biscayne.
South of Key Biscayne, the water changes character. The Key Biscayne and Stiltsville route already covers that stretch as a route; this file is a closer look at the two landmarks that give it its name, for anyone deciding whether to add them to a route.
A lighthouse at the point
Cape Florida Lighthouse stands at the southern tip of Key Biscayne, inside Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. It dates to 1825 and is one of the oldest structures on this stretch of Florida coastline still standing. From the water, it reads as a plain white tower against green park land, the kind of landmark that marks a clear turning point at the southern edge of a route rather than a stop along the way.
A cluster of houses that should not be there
Stiltsville is stranger, and more memorable for it: a small cluster of wooden houses built out on pilings in open water, with nothing else around them. There is no shoreline nearby, no road, nothing but bay on every side. Seeing it for the first time tends to prompt the same question every time, why are there houses out here, and the honest answer from the water is simply that they are a longstanding, unusual feature of Biscayne Bay, unlike anything else you pass on a Miami charter.
Why they sit together on a route
Cape Florida Lighthouse and Stiltsville are close enough to each other that a southern route naturally passes both without much added distance. The broader Key Biscayne read already leans quieter and more natural than a route closer to the city; adding this stretch extends that same character further, fewer buildings, more open water, and two landmarks that read as genuinely different from anything on a downtown or beach-side route.
What the pace feels like
Neither landmark is a stop with something to board or explore. Both are viewed from the water, at a pace that suits looking rather than rushing past. A route through this stretch tends to slow down naturally, since there is more to take in and less reason to move quickly through it. It suits a group that wants a quieter visual close to the day, the same instinct behind other Biscayne Bay landmarks passed on a typical charter, just further south and further from the skyline.
Adding it to your route
This stretch is a request, not a fixed leg of every charter. If you want your route to include Cape Florida Lighthouse and Stiltsville specifically, say so when you inquire, and it gets built into the plan alongside whatever else is on your list, a sandbar stop, a skyline pass, or nothing else at all. Rates start from $4,495 for a 4-hour window; 6 and 8-hour windows are published by vessel; the final quote is confirmed by inquiry, regardless of which landmarks your route favors.
Pairing it with a sandbar day
Nixon Sandbar sits nearby, on the western side of Key Biscayne, which makes it easy to combine a stop at the sandbar with a pass by the lighthouse and Stiltsville inside one longer window. The sandbar almanac covers Nixon in more detail if that pairing interests you.
The honest limit
Neither landmark can be guaranteed at a fixed distance or a fixed number of minutes in your route; how much time a route spends in this stretch depends on your duration and whatever else is on the day's plan. What can be confirmed is that both are real, public, southern Biscayne Bay landmarks worth naming specifically if you want them included.
Learn more before you go
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, home to the lighthouse, publishes its own visitor information at floridastateparks.org, a useful independent source if you want more on the park itself beyond what a charter route passes.
Request the route
Tell Luxx you want Cape Florida Lighthouse and Stiltsville included, along with your date and how much time you have, and the route gets shaped around it.
Good questions before you book.
Can a charter stop at Stiltsville or the lighthouse?
No. Both are viewed from the water as part of a route, not stops you board. Stiltsville's houses sit inside Biscayne National Park with no public boarding, and the lighthouse is reached from the state park on land, not from a passing boat.
Is Cape Florida Lighthouse the same landmark as the one near the sandbars?
It is nearby but distinct. The lighthouse sits at the southern tip of Key Biscayne; Nixon Sandbar sits on the western side of the same island, close enough that a route can pass both in one window.
Do I need to request this stretch specifically, or is it included automatically?
Request it specifically. Routes are built around what you ask for, so name Cape Florida Lighthouse and Stiltsville when you inquire if you want your day to include them.
Tell us the date, the group size, and the day you are reading about.
Each vessel has a U.S. Coast Guard-set guest capacity - tell us your group size when you inquire and we'll confirm the right boat.