Sand Dollar’s Blue Pelican cruising the Marco River near Olde Marco on Marco Island, Florida

Near Your Stay

Boat Tours Near The Boat House Motel, Marco Island

You booked a room where the boats slide right past on Collier Creek — so you already feel the pull of this water. Let’s get you off the deck and onto it: a captain-run cruise that casts off from San Marco Marina, a short drive down the island in the fishing village of Goodland.

Departs San Marco Marina, Goodland
1.5–2 hour cruises
All ages welcome
USCG Master Captains

Check Availability & Book (239) 301-8913

Nearest dockSan Marco Marina, Goodland

From the propertyabout a 15–20 min drive

WaterMarco River & the Ten Thousand Islands

You may seedolphins, shells & mangrove backwater — honestly, no guarantees

The Short Version

You’re already a boater here — let’s make it official

Half the fun of The Boat House Motel is the water itself — Collier Creek bending toward the Marco River, the Olde Marco light, boats easing by all day while you watch from the seawall. It’s the oldest, quietest corner of Marco Island, and it puts you in exactly the right frame of mind for a day on the Gulf. We’re the crew that turns all that watching into doing. Our USCG Master Captains grew up reading this exact stretch of coast, and we run shelling, dolphin, sunset, backwater fishing and private cruises through the Ten Thousand Islands just to the south. You’re not starting from scratch here; you’re already dockside.

From your room it’s a short drive down the island — roughly fifteen to twenty minutes — to our home dock at San Marco Marina in Goodland, the tiny stone-crab town on Marco’s southeast tip. Goodland is the fast way into the Ten Thousand Islands: a maze of mangrove keys, oyster bars and wild, boat-only beaches like Kice Island and the sand off Cape Romano. That’s where the good shelling lives, where dolphins work the tide lines, and where the sunsets go absurd over open water. None of it is reachable by car, which is the whole point — you need a boat and a captain who knows the cuts, and that’s us.

Here’s how a trip actually works. You pick the cruise that fits your crew, drive or grab a rideshare to the marina, and meet our captain at the dock about fifteen minutes before departure. Most cruises run a comfortable ninety minutes to two hours; private and fishing trips can run longer if you want the extra water. Everything is all ages — grandparents, toddlers in life jackets, teenagers who swear they’ll be bored and then won’t put the binoculars down. We’re family-owned and captain-led, not a big-boat operation, so it stays personal. Book by phone at (239) 301-8913 or straight through the booking button on this page, and we’ll handle the rest.

A short drive from Olde Marco to our Goodland dock
USCG Master Captains who grew up on this water
Shelling, dolphin, sunset, fishing & private cruises
Family-owned, all ages, and refreshingly personal

Check Availability

A white-sand shoreline studded with bare, storm-killed tree trunks, stumps and driftwood, open Gulf water beyond, near Marco Island, Florida — ⚓ The Ten Thousand Islands off Goodland — where a Boat House Motel day ends up.

Pick Your Trip

The tours that fit a Boat House Motel stay

You’re already on the water in Olde Marco — here’s how to actually get out on it.

Shelling ToursRun to boat-only islands like Kice for shells you’ll never find on the crowded public sand — empty shells only. Dolphin ToursWild bottlenose dolphins work these tide lines year-round; we go find where they’re playing — no guarantees, but a great chance. Sunset CruisesTrade the seawall view for an open-Gulf sunset off the islands — the payoff shot of the whole trip. Fishing ChartersLight-tackle backwater fishing in the mangroves; our vessel license covers everyone aboard, so just show up and cast. Beach & Island EscapesGet set loose on a wild, car-free island in the Ten Thousand Islands for shelling, wading and a whole lot of quiet. Private ChartersYour group, your pace, your captain — build the perfect Marco Island day around exactly what you want to see.

The Plan

Getting from The Boat House Motel to the dock

A simple, honest walk-through from your seawall in Olde Marco to casting off in Goodland.

Start in Olde Marco

The Boat House Motel sits in the historic Olde Marco district, right on Collier Creek where it feeds the Marco River. It’s the calm, old-Florida end of the island — the part that was here long before the high-rises down at South Beach — and it’s a great place to wake up slow, grab coffee, and watch a few boats slip past before you go chase your own day on the water. Nothing about the morning has to be rushed. Our departures leave enough room to ease into it, and the drive to the dock is genuinely the easy part. Take a beat, watch the mullet jump in the creek, and let the pace of Goodland start pulling you south.

The drive down the island

From Olde Marco, point the car south and east toward Goodland — roughly a fifteen-to-twenty-minute drive depending on the season and the bridge. A rideshare works just as well if you’d rather not park, and it drops you right at the marina. Do check your own map app for the time from your exact door, since traffic on North Collier Boulevard and the Jolley Bridge can add a few minutes in the busy months. The route carries you across the island and out along San Marco Road toward the water, so it’s a short, pretty run with mangroves and canals in view most of the way. Give yourself a little buffer and the whole thing stays stress-free.

San Marco Marina, Goodland

Our home dock is San Marco Marina at 604 E Palm Avenue in Goodland, the last little stone-crab-and-fishing village before the islands open up. It’s tiny, friendly and easy to find — you’ll smell the salt and hear the pelicans before you spot the sign. Goodland has a one-blinking-light kind of charm: a handful of docks, a couple of legendary waterfront joints, and working crab boats coming and going. This is the head start into the Ten Thousand Islands, which is exactly why we run from here instead of a crowded resort basin miles from the good water. Pull in, park, and your captain will be waiting at the boat to welcome you aboard.

What to bring

Pack light and smart: sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, water, and a phone or camera for the dolphins and the sunset. Wear shoes you don’t mind getting wet if you’re shelling, and toss in a light layer — it’s always a few degrees cooler out on open water than it feels back on the seawall, especially on a sunset run. If you’re shelling, bring a mesh bag so the sand rinses out, and remember it’s empty shells only in Collier County, so live shells, sand dollars and starfish all go back in the water where you found them. Leave the big cooler bags at the motel; a small day bag is all you really need.

Parking & check-in

Give yourself a cushion and plan to arrive about fifteen minutes before departure. That leaves time to park at the marina, find the dock, meet your captain, and get the little ones into life jackets without anyone feeling hurried. Have your booking confirmation handy on your phone in case we need to check the manifest. If you’re running late, stuck at the bridge, or just can’t find us, call the boat at (239) 301-8913 and we’ll talk you right in — we’d always rather hold a minute than have a family show up flustered. Once everyone’s aboard and settled, the captain runs a quick safety rundown and we ease away from the dock.

Cast off

Once you’re aboard, the day is ours to run. Your captain points the bow toward whatever you came for — the shelling islands, the dolphin water, the sunset line — and narrates the whole way out: the wading birds, the tide, which cut leads where, and the bits of Goodland and Ten Thousand Islands history most visitors never hear. Most cruises run about ninety minutes to two hours, with private and fishing trips going longer if you booked the extra time. When it’s over you’ll be back at the Goodland dock and headed home to Olde Marco with sandy feet, a mesh bag of empty shells, and a camera roll to prove the whole thing happened.

Who It Suits

A great fit if you’re…

The Boat House Motel draws water people — here’s who tends to love a trip with us most.

Families at the motel

All ages, small boats, and captains who are genuinely good with kids. From toddlers zipped into life jackets to grandparents who just want a smooth ride and a good story, everyone finds their spot aboard — and nobody gets lost in a crowd.

Shell hunters

You want the boat-only islands like Kice, where the good empty shells actually wash up, instead of the picked-over public beach. Bring the mesh bag; your captain knows which island the last tide just refilled.

Sunset & wildlife shooters

Open-Gulf light with nothing between you and the horizon, dolphins working the tide line, and a captain who’ll ease the boat into position and cut the engine so you get the shot — not just a blurry maybe.

Backwater anglers

You’d rather work the mangroves, oyster bars and passes with light tackle than pound offshore all day. Our vessel license covers everyone aboard, tarpon are catch-and-release, and the snook fishing is as good as the season allows.

See For Yourself

What the day looks like

Real water, real islands, real dolphins — a few frames from trips out of Goodland.

One of Sand Dollar’s tour boats on the water off Marco Island, Florida — Our boat, running the Marco River out toward the islands.

A quiet, wild barrier-island beach near Marco Island in the Ten Thousand Islands — Boat-only sand you simply can’t reach by car.

A wild bottlenose dolphin surfacing in the water near Marco Island, Florida — Dolphins work this water year-round — no promises, but a great chance.

Keep Planning

More ways to plan your trip

Sibling stays, our full concierge list, and the village your captain calls home.

Olde Marco Island InnAnother historic Olde Marco stay a stone’s throw away — same short run to our dock. Marco Island Lakeside InnStaying lakeside instead? Here’s how those guests get out on the water with us. All stays we serveBrowse every Marco Island and Naples hotel we run concierge boat trips for. Goodland, FL guideGet to know the tiny fishing village where your boat actually leaves from.

Good to Know

Boat tours near The Boat House Motel

The practical questions Olde Marco guests ask before they book.

How far is your dock from The Boat House Motel?

Plan on roughly a fifteen-to-twenty-minute drive from Olde Marco to our home dock at San Marco Marina in Goodland. The exact time depends on the season, the Jolley Bridge and where precisely you start, so check your own map app for the drive from your door rather than treating any single number as a promise. A rideshare is an easy option if you’d rather not drive or park, and it drops you right at the marina. Either way it’s a short, scenic run — you’re alongside the water almost the whole time.

Do you pick guests up at the motel?

No — we’re a boat company, not a shuttle service, so every one of our tours leaves from San Marco Marina in Goodland rather than from the motel. The upside is that Goodland is the fastest launch into the Ten Thousand Islands, so you spend your time out among the islands instead of idling through canals to reach them. It’s a short drive or rideshare down the island, there’s parking at the marina when you arrive, and your captain will be right there at the dock to meet you.

Will we actually see dolphins?

Often, yes — wild bottlenose dolphins live in this water year-round, and a big part of the job is knowing where they tend to feed and play on the day’s tide. Our captains have been reading these tide lines and passes their whole lives, so they know the usual haunts. That said, dolphins are wild animals on their own schedule, so we never promise a sighting, and you should be wary of anyone who does. What we can promise is a captain who works hard to put you in the best position, and plenty else to love out there even on a quiet dolphin day.

Can we keep the shells we find?

You can pocket empty shells to your heart’s content, but Collier County is empty-shells-only, so anything still alive — including live sand dollars and starfish — goes right back in the water where it belongs. The boat-only islands like Kice and the beaches off Cape Romano tend to hold the best finds, from fighting conchs and whelks to the occasional horse conch, which is Florida’s state shell. After a big blow, a deep-water junonia is the true holy grail, though it only washes in after storms. Your captain will happily help you tell a keeper from a critter that needs to stay put.

Which tour is best if we’ve never done this?

For a first trip out of Goodland, most Olde Marco guests love the shelling run or the dolphin cruise — both are easygoing, all ages, and show off the islands without asking anything of you. If you want the pretty-picture payoff, book the sunset cruise and let the Gulf do the work. Anglers who’d rather fish the backwater can start there instead. Still not sure which fits your crew? Call us at (239) 301-8913, tell us who’s coming and what you’re hoping to see, and we’ll steer you to the right boat — no upsell, just an honest read.

How do we book, and how far ahead?

Book straight from the button on this page through our FareHarbor system, or call the boat directly at (239) 301-8913 if you’d rather talk it through with a person. In-season and around holidays the popular departures fill up, so it’s worth reserving a day or two ahead once you know your plans — the sunset cruises in particular tend to go first. If the weather turns on your date, your captain will always talk through the options with you honestly, whether that’s a different time, a calmer route, or a reschedule. We’d rather move a trip than run a rough one.

Reserve Your Seats

Ready to trade the seawall for the open Gulf?

Check real-time availability and lock in your Goodland departure in about a minute.

Or call (239) 301-8913

Your Marco Island Day

From the Boat House seawall to the Ten Thousand Islands

You’re already watching the boats go by — make the next one yours. Pick your cruise, make the short run to Goodland, and let our captains show you the wild side of Marco Island.

Book a Boat Tour (239) 301-8913

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