Walk out to the tram stop on a weekday evening and you'll see the same choreography that's played out here for years: a resident badge tapped, a golf cart with bench seating idling under the palms, the boardwalk disappearing into the mangroves toward the sound of the Gulf. Nothing about that ritual has changed this year. What has changed is everything just outside it, and the shape of those changes tells you something worth knowing if you live here: the new options range from member amenities inside the gates to public destinations nearby.
The year has brought changes in dining, retail and recreation across Pelican Bay and its nearby destinations.
The Two Kitchens with Member-and-Guest Access
Pelican Bay's own beachfront dining hasn't expanded this year, but it's worth naming precisely because so much of what's new nearby is designed for people who don't have tram access. The Pelican Bay Foundation runs two coastal kitchens: Marker 36 on the North End and Sandbar on the South End, both reachable only by tram through the mangrove preserve or by the elevated boardwalks, and both restricted to Foundation members and their guests. Marker 36 leans into island and Caribbean-inspired plates built around daily seafood specials, with live music during season. Neither restaurant takes walk-ins from Tamiami Trail. Those access limits distinguish Pelican Bay's member dining from the public dining options nearby.
New Public Dining Nearby
Nearby, a different kind of dining expansion is happening at Waterside Shops, the 29-acre retail and dining destination at 5415 Tamiami Trail North, which has spent 2026 rebuilding its restaurant lineup almost entirely. The trigger was structural: Brio Italian Grille permanently closed in April, clearing a prominent outparcel for larger, more destination-oriented tenants.
Here's where that space is headed:
Already open: Eddie V's Prime Seafood, operated by Darden Restaurants, is now serving guests on the former US Bank outparcel along Seagate Drive. It's the brand's first location in Southwest Florida, built around a 361-seat floor plan that includes a main dining hall, a speakeasy, a stage-equipped bar, dedicated wine storage, and two private dining rooms.
Still coming: Buck & Rider, from Hi Noon Hospitality, is targeting a late 2026 opening at Waterside. It marks the seafood and steak concept's first location outside the Southwest, and Hi Noon Hospitality's CEO Adam Strecker has said the move reflects his own ties to Southwest Florida and his excitement to become part of the local community. Right behind it is an RH Restaurant, a 174-seat dining room set beneath a glass atrium at the center of Restoration Hardware's new gallery on the former Nordstrom site, projected to open near the end of the year.
These new Waterside restaurants differ from Marker 36 and Sandbar in access: dining at Waterside does not require Pelican Bay Foundation membership.
The Storefronts Turning Over Alongside Them
The restaurant additions are the headline, but the retail turnover happening in parallel says just as much about how quickly this corner of North Naples is repositioning itself. Gulf Shore Business reported that Hermès has returned to Waterside after a nine-year absence, taking a freestanding store with a tropical-inspired pavilion. Christian Dior opened a standalone boutique after relocating out of its former space inside Saks Fifth Avenue.
One change is worth flagging for anyone who's shopped at Waterside for years: Piranesi is opening a fine jewelry store this fall in the 781-square-foot unit recently vacated by Gulf Coast International Properties, directly across from Dior. Peter Millar is moving into the former White House Black Market space to sell sportswear and golf apparel, and both Vuori and a larger Anthropologie storefront are expected to open this fall as well. Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn have already relocated into a new two-story outparcel built where the Barnes & Noble used to sit.
None of this changes what Pelican Bay residents can access inside the gates. It changes what's worth the short drive.
A Shared Public-Private Racquets Center
The racquets center’s access rules have roots in the park’s history.
According to Gulf Shore Business, the Pelican Bay Foundation held a grand opening in February for a newly renovated racquets center at Pelican Bay Community Park on Vanderbilt Beach Road. The project was a public-private partnership with Collier County, and the Foundation put roughly $6 million into it. The upgrades were substantial: 20 new Novacrylic pickleball courts, two additional tennis courts, and renovations to six sub-irrigated, lighted Har-Tru clay tennis courts, plus a pro shop, a shaded waiting area, and a sound mitigation wall.
Ten of the 20 pickleball courts are reserved for public play by non-Pelican Bay residents. The public-play arrangement reflects the 1994 land transfer: the community's developer, WCI, deeded the park land to Collier County in exchange for approval to build at higher density across what is now a roughly 6,500-home community.
The Foundation's Pelican Bay Post newsletter noted this spring that residents were rallying behind local players competing in the US Open Pickleball Championship, reflecting the sport's popularity in the community.
Reading the Season Correctly
Together, the developments show different access arrangements. Pelican Bay's member dining remains unchanged: Marker 36 and Sandbar, accessible by tram or boardwalk and open only to Foundation members and their guests. Public dining and retail nearby are expanding: Eddie V's is already seating guests, and Buck & Rider and the RH Restaurant are both on track to open before the year is out, with a wave of retail turnover happening in the same footprint. The racquets center at Pelican Bay Community Park is a public-private project with some courts reserved for public play.
None of that changes the daily rhythm of the tram, the boardwalk, or the sunset from Marker 36's deck. It means that understanding access arrangements is useful when considering new destinations near Pelican Bay.
For residents thinking about what any of this means for their own property, or for anyone weighing a move into this stretch of North Naples, John Shirey has spent years tracking how Pelican Bay's layered ownership structure shapes both daily life and long-term value here. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
Connect the Seasonal News to a Home Search
Read the Pelican Bay and Bay Colony guide for the different ownership and amenity arrangements, or compare Epique at Pelican Bay with completed residences. Restaurant and retail openings described here are dated announcements; confirm current opening dates, reservations and access rules directly before planning a visit. Johnathan Shirey of Douglas Elliman can help compare the homes and buildings relevant to your routine.
