At the north end of Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, dredging equipment is working on and near the beach at Wiggins Pass. Head east on Vanderbilt Beach Road past US-41, and crews are widening the road toward Goodlette-Frank. On the sand at Vanderbilt Beach, construction started this summer on a private members' club that its own website says will open in the fourth quarter of 2027.
All three projects sit at the edges of the neighborhood. The strip between them, from the Ritz-Carlton Naples to LaPlaya, is starting its season with the usual restaurant lineups and a full holiday calendar. The changes this fall are mostly about how you get to the places you already go, and less about the places themselves.
North: The Pass Is Being Dredged in the Fall, Not the Spring
Florida State Parks has posted a notice, effective Sept. 25, 2026, that Wiggins Pass at the north end of the park is undergoing a maintenance dredge. The notice says equipment will be working on and near the beach, with lot four closing temporarily from time to time. The notice describes periodic closures of one lot. It does not announce a park-wide closure.
That timing is later than the county first planned. At a January 2026 Coastal Advisory Committee meeting, Collier County staff described a March/April 2026 schedule, built around a May 1 sea turtle nesting deadline, and a project lasting about a month and a half to two months. The same committee minutes send the sand to the Delnor-Wiggins beach between survey monuments R-18 and R-20. They estimate about 75,000 cubic yards at a cost not to exceed $2 million. Those were planning numbers, and the county has not published a new finish date for the fall dredge.
The park's beach is getting its new sand as the season begins, and two practical details apply to anyone driving in this fall.
- Card-only kiosks. Since Sept. 28, 2026, Delnor-Wiggins entrance fees are paid at touchscreen kiosks around the park and at the boat ramp. The kiosks take credit or debit cards, and the printed receipt goes on your dashboard.
- Lot four. The closures follow the dredge equipment and are listed as temporary, so the north lot may be open one visit and closed the next.
East: Two Years of Lane Work Between the Beach and Mercato
Collier County announced on July 6, 2026 that the Vanderbilt Beach Road widening had its notice to proceed. The project covers about 1.8 miles, from just east of US-41 to east of Goodlette-Frank Road, and takes the road from four lanes to six. It is expected to cost about $28.4 million and take two years, weather permitting.
Two details in the county release matter for anyone driving east from the beach. Most of the widening happens in the existing median, because the road was originally planned and permitted for six lanes. The project also includes intersection improvements at Strada Place, Mercato's main interior street.
The timing details matter more. The county plans most lane closures for 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The heavier phase comes in spring 2027, when a box culvert goes in under the road. For about two months, traffic between Strada Place and Goodlette-Frank will drop to one lane each way. Several of Mercato's fall events are evening events, including PAWty in the Piazza, the Moonlight Market and Hallowine, and Films Al Fresco starts at dusk. Those evenings fall outside the planned closure hours, so the lane work is more likely to affect weekday daytime drives than dinners.
On the Sand: The One New Building Is a 2027 Story
The Naples Daily News reported that construction began July 15, 2026 on Paraíso Beach Club on Vanderbilt Beach. The project has been promoted as "Naples' first and only private beachfront members' club," and the paper described it as a resort-style concept built around dining, wellness and beach access.
Paraíso's own site says the building is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2027 and that its images and amenities are "inspirational." It lists a beach club, chef-driven dining in covered outdoor settings, wellness and private events. For this season and next, that means a construction site on the beach and nothing to visit yet. It is the only project of the three that adds something new to the strip itself, and it is the furthest from finished.
Where the Season Is Happening in the Meantime
The beach strip's established venues have dated plans from late October through Christmas Eve. The Ritz-Carlton Naples currently lists RITZ Lobby Bar, Nolita, Sofra, DUSK, The Grill, Gumbo Limbo, MOKA and Sand Bar. LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort lists BALEEN Naples, elements Bar and the Poolside Tiki Bar. Mercato, just east of US-41, carries the evening calendar.
These are the dates currently listed for the rest of the year. Calendars change, so check the venue before you go:
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 23 | LaPlaya Goes Pink Cocktail Reception, rosé and live music supporting Susan G. Komen | LaPlaya |
| Through Oct. 25 | Draper James Après Sea Pop-Up Shop | LaPlaya |
| Through Oct. 25 | Pumpkin Patch benefiting SNIP Collier | Mercato |
| Oct. 27 | Moonlight Market | Mercato |
| Oct. 29 | Hallowine | Mercato |
| Oct. 31 | Halloween Trick or Treating | LaPlaya |
| Nov. 5 | Mercato Nights Music Series with Sweet Fleet, a Fleetwood Mac tribute | Mercato |
| Nov. 7 | Taste of Mercato, nine restaurants with fall cocktails | Mercato |
| Nov. 12 | Wine Dinner with Mollydooker at BALEEN, plus Sip & Shop | LaPlaya |
| Nov. 26 | Thanksgiving | Ritz-Carlton Naples |
| Dec. 12–13 and Dec. 18–22 | Teddy Bear Tea | Ritz-Carlton Naples |
| Dec. 15 | Films Al Fresco, the last listed date of the year | Mercato |
| Dec. 22–24 | Breakfast with Santa | Ritz-Carlton Naples |
LaPlaya describes the Mollydooker evening as an intimate multi-course dinner of rare Mollydooker wines in BALEEN's private dining room. It is the most specific reservation on the strip's November calendar. The Ritz-Carlton's holiday page also lists a Life-Size Gingerbread House Display and a New Year's Eve Signature Soirée. Its event calendar shows a Gingerbread House listing on Dec. 25. Mercato's Films Al Fresco runs on the third Tuesday of each month, which makes Nov. 17 the date between the October and December screenings.
The Restaurant Changes Are on the East Side Too
The 2026 openings and closings near Vanderbilt Beach follow the same pattern as the construction. In its first-half 2026 restaurant roundup, Naples Press reported the first regional Shake Shack opening at Mercato and Cavo Lounge closing there. The same roundup says Ambrosi & Sons moved from East Naples to the Shoppes at Vanderbilt, and The Roast & Rush Society coffee and kava bar opened in the Galleria at Vanderbilt.
None of the four is on the beach strip itself. Mercato sits at the Strada Place end of the widening, which is expected to run into 2028, so a weekday stop at Shake Shack may come with daytime lane closures. A sunset at Gumbo Limbo or a Thanksgiving table at the Ritz-Carlton does not involve the work zone at all.
If you are following Paraíso's progress on Vanderbilt Beach, or comparing it with other new beachfront projects along this coast, I'm glad to share what I know as the building rises. John Shirey keeps track of new development from the Gulf Shore Drive end of the beach to Wiggins Pass. Let's Connect.
