How to get from Miami Beach to the Everglades
Airboat tours depart from 17696 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33194, at Dade Corners where Krome Avenue meets Tamiami Trail, on the western edge of Miami-Dade. From South Beach it's roughly 30 miles. Here are your options.
Option 1: Hotel pickup
If you'd rather not drive, the 1.5-hour and 2-hour private tours can include door-to-door transportation from anywhere in Miami-Dade County, including Miami Beach hotels. You're collected at your hotel and brought back after the ride. Transportation isn't offered with the 1-hour or semi-private rides. Add your pickup location when you book, or call 1-888-893-4443. See South Beach hotel-pickup tours.
Option 2: Drive yourself
The usual route: cross to the mainland on the MacArthur Causeway (I-395) or Julia Tuttle Causeway (I-195), take the Dolphin Expressway (SR 836) west, then make your way south to SW 8th Street and continue west on Tamiami Trail to Krome Avenue. Put the street address into your map app and it will pick the fastest way for the time of day.
- Time: about 40 minutes with light traffic, an hour or more at rush hour.
- Tolls: the Dolphin Expressway is cashless. If you're in a rental car, check how your rental company bills tolls.
- Slower but toll-free: SW 8th Street runs all the way from Brickell, but it has many traffic lights.
Option 3: Rideshare or taxi
Getting a ride out is straightforward. The departure point is at the far western edge of the metro area, so a ride back can take longer to arrive. Check availability before you commit, or choose a tour with pickup instead.
Finding the meeting spot
The departure point is at the Pilot Travel Center at Dade Corners, which surprises some first-timers. It's the right place. Arrive about 15 minutes before your tour time. Tours run Monday to Saturday and are closed on Sundays.
Coming from downtown Miami or Brickell instead? See getting to your Everglades airboat tour on Airboating Everglades.