Note: Unlike most local destinations, visiting the Sausalito houseboats means walking next to peoples' homes. Please be considerate, and remember that a paramedic or firefighter who works late may be sleeping a few feet away when you walk by.
Anyone can do a walking tour of the Sausalito houseboat community, and the gates to the docks are unlocked. Dogs are prohibited from some docks, and you should always clean up after your dogs if you walk them on a dock.
You can read about the most famous of the Sausalito houseboats on the Taj Mahal page. It is moored in a different area from most of the floating homes and is closer to downtown and the Ferry.
To see ads for houseboat rentals see our houseboat rentals page.
The easiest places to do a walking tour of a wide variety of houseboats are around the Gate 5 Road and Main Dock area, and at the Gate 6 Road Waldo Point Harbor area, labeled "A" and "B" on the map below. You can park in the Waldo Point Harbor lot for a shorter visit, or follow the map below to drive up Gate 6 1/2 road and park for a longer stay.
Kappas Marina, A Dock, Issaquah Dock and Liberty Dock are just some of the areas where you'll find wonderfully architected floating homes as you follow Gate 5 Road and Gate 6 Road to where they meet the Bay. You'll also see a few of the battered survivors from the old era of improvised houseboats of decades past. Some docks are lined by beautiful flowers in containers that are tended by the owners as their "front yards", and many of the homes have names and unique decorations.
Some of these homes were once boats of different kinds, and the architectural visions that translated them into floating houses can be fascinating. As has been the tradition, many of the houseboat community members are professional artists.
Stick to the well-maintained docks on your walking tour. There are some improvised walkways and planking in a few places but you don't need to traverse any of these areas to admire the best architecture and it's safer to avoid them.
A paid walking tour of the houseboats, Liberty Ship shipyards area and the yacht harbors of Sausalito is offered on Saturdays and Sundays by a local guide.
Check out our advertising sections offering Houseboats for Rent and Houseboats for Sale.
Floating Homes, Then and Now
The famous Sausalito houseboat community chronicled in the late Phil Frank's fascinating book of historical photos has a history that stretches back well over a century. In its most famous era, from the 1950's through the 1970's, the area became a checkerboard of improvised floating homes that ranged from the elegant to the downright dangerous. The population living there likewise became, well... the people ranged from the elegant to the downright dangerous.
After a series of incidents including a murder, local officials fought a long series of battles with various groups, and eventually struck a compromise where the remaining boats came into harbors. A major benefit of this arrangement was the linking of most remaining houseboats to sewer lines. Walking around the area at low tide often was an unpleasant experience prior to this improvement... and could even be noticed just driving by northern Sausalito on Highway 101!
Check out our page on The Sausalito Historical Society for more links on Sausalito history.
The 2009 Sausalito Floating Homes Tour
Each year the Sausalito Floating Homes Association puts on a tour of 12-15 architectural masterpieces in the floating homes community. This is the only way to get to see the inside of the boats instead of merely looking at them from the dock or across the water. This year's event is September 26, 2009, and you can order tickets here.
Insider Tip: This event has become so popular that the only way to get in is to pre-register and buy your ticket in advance. Many of the homes on the tour change each year, so there are many repeat ticket buyers. They no longer sell tickets the day of the Tour, and our advice is to buy early: the link above is already live and working.
See the videos below for an example of what you'll see on the tour.
Video Tours of Sausalito Houseboats
Here are two video tours of the floating homes community in Sausalito; the size difference reflects that they are in different formats in YouTube. The programs give a great summary of the history of the floating homes community in Sausalito.
Google Map Instructions: Use the "+" and "-" buttons to zoom in and out, the arrow keys to scroll the map, and the SAT button to see the satellite view.
Did we give the right advice to architecture fans looking for fascinating houseboats? Leave out your favorite spot? Use the comments box below so our readers get the full story!
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