Miami's Wildest Decade: An 80s True Crime and History Tour

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Smugglers and Skyscrapers: A Miami True Crime History Tour 1

Miami’s Wildest Decade: An 80s True Crime and History Tour 2

By Boatmiamiboat -Boat rental tours in Miami-

Free cancellation available

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Features

Free cancellation available
2h 10m
Mobile voucher
Instant confirmation

Overview

Immerse yourself in the storey of how Miami became America's most notorious smuggling capital in the early 1980s. Designed for anyone fascinated by this wild, unforgettable era, this tour is mainly conducted in Coconut Grove and covers some of the most iconic spots that played a role in the decade’s most dramatic criminal sagas. Condominiums, cigarette boats, sailboats, the Mutiny Hotel, peacocks — you'll hear the rich history and behind-the-scenes stories of the landmarks that made this area a magnet for the era's most notorious outlaws and syndicate bosses.

Activity location

2550 S Bayshore Dr
- 2550 South Bayshore Drive
- 33133, Miami, Florida, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

2550 S Bayshore Dr
- 2550 South Bayshore Drive
- 33133, Miami, Florida, United States

Check availability

Miami’s Wildest Decade: An 80s True Crime and History Tour

2h 10m
English

Travellers

Language options: English

Starting time

Price details

S$231.98 x 1 AdultS$231.98

Total

10% off

What's included, what's not

Bottled water
Driver Guide
Famous A.C.’s Ices Lemonade - One per guest -
Service charge

Know before you book

Public transport options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Activity itinerary

2550 S Bayshore Dr

Meet & Greet at the Marina — Cigarette Boats & Distribution Channels. Your journey starts right where it all did — on the water. After a warm welcome and quick intro to your guide, we'll walk the marina together and take a close look at the cigarette boats: the sleek, high-speed vessels built to outrun the Coast Guard during Miami's smuggling boom. You'll learn how these boats became the backbone of a booming distribution network in the late '70s and '80s — including the surprising storey of the boat builder behind them, and how a design meant for racing ended up defining an entire era of Miami history. A relaxed, walk-and-talk start to set the scene for everything ahead

2470 S Bayshore Dr

No Miami history tour is complete without a taste of the real thing. Before we head towards the skyline, we'll make a quick stop for an ice-cold AC's Icees lemonade — a beloved, old-school Miami treat. It's a lighthearted breather between stories, and a nice reminder that alongside all the '80s drama, this city has always known how to enjoy a hot afternoon the right way.

Rickenbacker Causeway Beach

35m
Admission ticket not included

Miami Skyline — Real Estate & Money Laundering As we make our way towards the Miami skyline, we'll slow down for photos and a storey that explains a lot about the city you're looking at. Behind those glass towers is a history of cash that needed somewhere to go — and real estate became the answer. You'll hear how laundered money helped fund much of Miami's building boom in the late '70s and '80s, from unexplained cash surpluses at the local Federal Reserve to high-profile cases decades later that followed the very same playbook. It's a different way to look at a skyline most visitors only ever see as a postcard.

Coconut Grove

Coconut Grove Houses — Area History We'll wind through the quiet, tree-lined streets of Coconut Grove, one of Miami's oldest and most storied areas. Long before the '80s, these blocks were shaped by early settlers — which is also why you'll spot peacocks wandering the area today. But by the height of that wild era, the same privacy that made this area charming also made it useful to people who didn't want questions asked. We'll share the stories, and the legends, that still linger on these streets.

The Mutiny Hotel by Provident Hotels & Resorts

Our final stop is the legendary Mutiny Hotel, the epicentre of Miami's most notorious era of nightlife. Grab a snack and get comfortable while we share the storey of this Coconut Grove landmark — opened in 1969, and by the late '70s selling more champagne than almost anywhere else in the country. Its members-only club upstairs mixed celebrities, musicians, and the era's most powerful criminal figures and syndicate bosses, often in the same room. It's also part of the reason Scarface looks the way it does — the filmmakers studied this building while designing their fictional hotel. A fitting, story-filled way to close out the tour.

Location

Activity location

2550 S Bayshore Dr
- 2550 South Bayshore Drive
- 33133, Miami, Florida, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

2550 S Bayshore Dr
- 2550 South Bayshore Drive
- 33133, Miami, Florida, United States

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