How to Get to Raccoon Island in Miami (With Kids)

If you’re planning a Miami trip and have come across Raccoon Island, you’re probably wondering:
how do you actually get to Raccoon Island with kids — and is it easy to organise?

It’s one of those experiences that looks simple at first, but once you start looking into it, the logistics can feel a bit unclear — especially when you’re travelling with children and trying to plan around timing, parking, and departure points.

This guide is for families who want a clear, practical breakdown of how to get to Raccoon Island in Miami with kids — based on real experience, not guesswork.

Quick Answer: How Do You Get to Raccoon Island With Kids?

You can’t get there independently → you’ll need a boat or kayak tour
Boat tours are the easiest option → especially with children

We visited Raccoon Island as part of a boat tour, which made everything much simpler — transport, timing, and access were all handled, and it removed a lot of the planning stress.

In this guide, we’ll break down the different ways to get there (including boat and kayak options), what the journey actually feels like with kids, and how to choose the right option for your family. You’ll also find practical details like parking, departure points, timings, and what to expect on the day, so you can decide whether it’s worth including in your Miami itinerary.

Where helpful, we’ve included tours and booking options we used or considered. These may be affiliate links, but we only recommend experiences we’ve tried or would confidently book again — with the aim of helping you plan a smoother, more enjoyable day.

What Is Raccoon Island and Where Is It?

Raccoon Island is a small, natural island sitting in Biscayne Bay, just off the Miami coastline. It's not connected to the mainland — there are no bridges, no roads, and no public access. The only way to reach it is by boat. The island is home to wild raccoons that have become accustomed to human visitors.

The Only Way to Get There: By Boat

Getting to Raccoon Island by Tour Boat

Because the island is only accessible by water, a guided boat tour is your only realistic option as a family. Tours go daily and stop there for around an hour, giving families time to explore the shoreline, watch the raccoons up close, and enjoy some light water play before heading back.

It's a half-day experience rather than a full day out, so understanding the logistics matters.

We booked a tour using Aqua Party Boat as the operator which I would highly recommend for families wanting to visit Raccoon Island. The tour departed from Miami harbour at 9.45am and included:

• A boat ride of around 45–60 minutes each way through Biscayne Bay

• Approximately one hour on the island itself

• Optional swimming or floating in the water during the trip

Total time from departure to return is roughly 3 to 3.5 hours, so plan your day accordingly.

Get Your Guide is a good platform for this kind of booking — you can cancel up until the night before, which removes a lot of stress if your plans change or the weather looks uncertain. We've found it worth checking both Get Your Guide and Viator for the same tour, as prices and availability can vary. We got ours discounted from £75 to £56 in April 2026.

Getting to Raccoon Island by Kayak

If you'd prefer a more active way to experience Biscayne Bay, kayaking to Raccoon Island is a genuine option — and for families with older, confident children, it adds a different dimension to the whole experience.

The route involves paddling through a roughly 1.5-mile mangrove passage from North Miami. The waters around the island are shallow, calm, and protected from heavy waves, which makes the paddle manageable even if your children haven't kayaked much before.

Starting point: Kayak rentals are available from Oleta River State Park in North Miami, which is a popular and well-established departure point for independent paddlers heading towards the island. If you're renting independently, you'll need to plan your own route and timing.

Honest assessment for families: Solo kayaking to Raccoon Island is technically possible but involves a reasonable amount of open water paddling and navigation. For most families, it's a significant undertaking — especially if your children are younger or you're not experienced paddlers. It also adds considerable time to what is otherwise a half-day activity.

The Better Middle Ground: A Guided Kayak Tour

If the kayaking element appeals but you don't want to do it independently, there's a third option worth knowing about — a guided kayak tour that combines a boat tour alongside the Kayaking experience.

This option is bookable through both GetYourGuide and Viator, and like the standard boat tour, cancellation is available up to 24 hours before departure.

Is the Journey Worth the Effort?

Honestly — yes, for the right family.

The logistics are manageable once you know what to expect. The traffic getting into Miami is the main variable, and as long as you leave plenty of time, the actual process of getting there is straightforward.

The experience works best as part of a wider Miami day rather than a standalone trip. We did ours on the morning of our Miami day, which meant the afternoon was free to explore the city at a relaxed pace, for more on planning a trip to Miami see our other guides.

We visited by boat, which made everything simple — but there are also tours that include kayaking if you want a more hands-on experience:

plan your TRIP TO Miami

If you’re planning your family trip to Miami, these guides will help you pull everything together:

About Plan Family Escapes

We’re a UK-based family sharing real, experience-led travel guides based on trips we’ve taken with our school-age son Joshua across destinations like Lapland, Turkey and India.

Everything we share is based on what we’ve personally experienced — with honest advice on what actually works when travelling with kids, focusing on making family travel easier, more comfortable and genuinely enjoyable.