Celebration Park reopened on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, after closing for all of September for a refresh. The Naples Daily News reported that the refresh included a revamped waterfront bar program, expanded entertainment and new food truck dining. Seventh South Waterfront has been serving across the creek since May 2025. Together they make Haldeman Creek the one place on Naples Bay this season where a boat ride from Port Royal ends with two kitchens facing each other. The other dock-and-dine stops on the bay are one venue per dock.
Two Kitchens Facing Each Other Across Haldeman Creek
Celebration Park is at 2880 Becca Avenue. WINK reported that boats come in through Haldeman Creek at Marker 24. The reopening party ran from 4 to 9 p.m. with musicians on stage from 6. A week later, the regular schedule has taken over. On Oct. 7, the park's site listed country artist Chase Skinner at 6 p.m. and sunset at 7:07 p.m. Happy hour runs Tuesday through Friday, 3 to 6 p.m.
The food lineup is what changes from visit to visit. The park's food truck page currently lists Authentic Greek, Gigi's Chicken Coop, GoGo Gourmet, OCN Seafood Co. and Rick's Taco Cartel. The bar menu covers a full liquor bar with cocktails, beer, wine and specialty drinks. The site advertises waterfront dock access but gives no slip count, fees or docking rules. On a busy evening, arrive early or bring a backup plan.
Across the water, Seventh South Waterfront sits at 2891 Bayview Drive. Its move here gave the creek a sit-down kitchen it had been missing for years. Gulfshore Business recounted that the building ran as Three60 Market from 2011 to 2024. Before that it had been the Tipsy Seagull, Moby Rick's Marina and the Boathouse Grill and Marina, then sat empty for many years. The Seventh South team came from Seventh Avenue South. Their downtown spot closed at the end of April 2025 so Naples Community Church could redevelop the property. The waterfront location opened May 15.
The move also brought lunch, which Seventh South had not served downtown. Its beverage director told Gulfshore Business, "Being on the water here, we can be more successful than we could be there having lunches open." The restaurant's menu page lists lunch Tuesday through Sunday. Florida Weekly reported dinner from 5 to 9 p.m., late-night service Tuesday through Saturday and Mondays closed. That reviewer saw boats docked at the site. Call ahead before counting on a slip there. Treat Celebration Park's posted dock access as the creek's confirmed tie-up.
So the creek offers a midday run that ends at a craft kitchen and an evening run that ends with a food truck at sunset, with the same stretch of water in between. No other spot on the bay gives you both.
What Actually Sets the Ride Time
How long the trip takes depends far more on Florida's manatee rule than on throttle. Under Rule 68C-22.023, Collier County's zones apply year-round, and Naples Bay and Gordon Pass are a Slow Speed zone. The exception is a 30-mph marked channel. It runs north to south from below marker 33 to above marker 52, plus a defined marked channel inside Gordon Pass. The rule sets no seasonal start or end dates for these zones. A run up the bay in October falls under the same limits as one in February.
FWC's maps show only FWC zones, the rule text prevails over the map, and posted signs on the water still apply.
That warning comes from the rule's state listing. In practice, outside the marked channel, a Port Royal canal, the Gordon Pass approach and the turn toward any restaurant dock all run at slow speed. For Haldeman Creek, that means the time saved on the channel gets spent at both ends. It also means the stops closer to home cost less of the evening.
The Closer Tie-Ups, and What Each Asks of You
The stops near Port Royal are the comparison. Each has its own docking arrangement, and the terms vary more than the menus do.
Stop | Location | Boat access as published | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
The Dock at Crayton Cove | Crayton Cove | Four slips, first-come, first-served | Reservation status by date |
The Boathouse on Naples Bay | 990 Broad Ave. S., Channel Marker 4 | Advertises free dockage | Dock length and capacity |
The Syren Oyster & Cocktail Bar | 909 10th St. S., Naples Boat Club | Owns two slips, accepts water-taxi arrivals | Slip availability |
Naples City Dock | 880 12th Ave. S., west of Red 36 | 400 feet of transient dockage at $3.25 per foot per night | Reservations up to three months out |
Celebration Park | 2880 Becca Ave., Haldeman Creek Marker 24 | Waterfront dock access | Slip count and fees, not published |
The Dock at Crayton Cove has been there since 1976. Its FAQ says boaters can use four first-come, first-served slips. The same page says the restaurant is taking dining reservations through Oct. 31, 2026, while its homepage describes walk-in dining. Plans for November should start with a phone call.
The Boathouse on Naples Bay advertises free dockage at Channel Marker 4. Its own pages give conflicting dock lengths, so ask before bringing a larger boat. The Syren opened at Naples Boat Club in January 2024. The Naples Press reported that it owns two slips and takes water-taxi arrivals at its commercial dock. Two slips is half of what The Dock offers. Go early on a weekend.
Naples City Dock is the only stop on the list that publishes a price. The city charges $3.25 per foot per night, which comes to $97.50 a night for a 30-foot boat. Compared with the free dockage The Boathouse advertises a few blocks away, the city rate makes the most sense for an overnight stay or a guest boat.
The table shows why Haldeman Creek is worth the ride. Every closer option is a single restaurant with its own slips. Celebration Park is the one published dock that puts you within view of a second kitchen, and it is the only venue on the list to reopen after a refresh this fall.
Gordon Pass, and the Calendar After Oct. 31
Port Royal's other way out runs south through Gordon Pass. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded Southwind Construction Corp. a $3,045,784.37 contract on Sept. 2, 2025. The contract covered maintenance dredging of Gordon Pass cuts 1 through 7 and the settling basin, with about 65,000 cubic yards of beach-compatible sand slated for Keewaydin Island. A Coast Guard notice estimated completion by Dec. 31, 2025. The Coast Guard's Apr. 22, 2026 notice listed navigation-aid discrepancies at Gordon Pass but no dredging entry. Neither notice confirms the work was finished. Treat the dredging as a past project, not a depth guarantee, and check current notices before running the pass.
The bay's calendar changes at the end of this month. Rookery Bay closes designated camping areas south of San Marco Road from April 1 through Oct. 31 for nesting sea turtles and shorebirds, and reopens them Nov. 1 through March 31. Those areas include Cape Romano, Kice Island and Camp Lulu. Rookery Bay keeps Keewaydin, north of San Marco Road, open to camping year-round unless posted. Both directions from Port Royal have something new this season: dinner north on Haldeman Creek, and campsites farther south from Nov. 1.
If you'd like a second opinion on the water access behind a canal-front lot, from Gulf access to the dock that serves it, Naples Coastal Living can walk you through it. Request a Private Market Update, and Amanda Van Slyke will share what's moving along Port Royal's waterfront this season.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
