Dana Point Wharf Closing Nov. 1: Last Visits and What Stays Open

"It's a full-circle moment for us," Donna Kalez told The Log this summer. She co-owns Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching. "Our founder, my father Don Hansen, launched the business from a trailer in 1971 while the original harbor was under construction."

Fifty-five years later, the business is going back into a trailer. When the Wharf closes to the public on Nov. 1, 2026, Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Catalina Express will move into temporary trailers next to the harbor parking structure. Both plan to keep running seven days a week while their permanent buildings go up. The boats, ferries, fuel and bait will keep going. For roughly the next two years, what goes away is the harbor's social side: the breakfast counters, bars and boutiques where people met before and after a day on the water.

A harbor that started in a trailer is returning to one

This closure is Phase 4 of the Commercial Core Revitalization. Dana Point Times puts the full harbor project at $600 million. The first two phases finished in 2025. They delivered the 984-space parking structure, new utilities and the wider Harbor Way entrance. Phase 3 demolition began Feb. 17, 2026, on the Mariner's Village side. A fence for Phase 5 went up in July around the surface parking lot.

So the Wharf has become the last stretch of the old commercial harbor still open, and its time is nearly up. Wind & Sea Restaurant closed first. It served its final customers on Sept. 15 so crews could start abatement and demolition on Building 1. Buildings 2 through 5 stay open through Oct. 31, and all remaining Wharf businesses stop operating that day.

What actually goes dark on Nov. 1

Most of the Wharf's remaining tenants have been in the harbor longer than many of its boats. Here is who closes on Oct. 31 and what each has said about what comes next:

• Proud Mary's, at the harbor since 1977. The Orange County Register reports that the Zdrakas family bought the restaurant in 2005, reopened it after a 2007 fire, and became known for plates signed by celebrity guests. Owner Steve Zdrakas told Dana Point Times he may reopen somewhere else if he finds an existing restaurant space. He has no plans yet.
• Golden Galleon, a boutique Marla Balmuth bought in 1980, at age 23, from its original owner, Mary Schmidt. Schmidt let her pay for the store over seven years. Balmuth now runs it with her daughter, Briana Balmuth Richards. They are looking for temporary space nearby and hope to return after the rebuild.
• Turk's, a family-owned restaurant and bar at the harbor since 1984. It plans to return to the Wharf and is looking at other local options in the meantime.
• Frisby Cellars, which moved in 2025 into the building that once held Waterman's Harbor. It will keep serving at its Rancho Mission Viejo location, which is home to both Frisby Cellars and Frisby Brewing.
• Art Sea Gift Chateau and Top Brass. Art Sea is still in talks about a place in the finished project. Top Brass is expected to end operations Oct. 31.

Zdrakas explained what the closure costs better than any construction schedule:

"People have gotten engaged here. Their kids got married here. They've celebrated retirement parties. They've had celebrations of life here."

Other harbor businesses have already left. Coco Bloom Coffee is giving up its temporary harbor storefront and plans to open a café at 1500 W. Balboa Blvd. in Newport Beach this winter. Vintage Yacht Club is looking at local relocation options.

The October calendar, in order

The owners are asking for one thing this month, and Turk's owner Candy Varteresian said it most directly. "Please come down and celebrate the many memories we have shared on the water," she wrote to Dana Point Times. "Our team will be pouring and serving daily through Oct. 31 on the Wharf."

Here are the dates for the rest of the month:

1. Every weekend through October: Culture Pizza, a sourdough pie pop-up, has been running outside the former Jon's Fish Market since its soft launch on Aug. 21. Dana Point Times describes it as a weekend pop-up through the end of the month.
2. Through Oct. 31: The harbor's event calendar lists Golden Galleon's "Golden Sale" and a 50%-off storewide sale at Art Sea + Gift Chateau.
3. Oct. 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Dogapalooza at the harbor.
4. Oct. 24, 5:30 to 9 p.m.: Spooky Seas at the Ocean Institute.
5. Oct. 31, 5 to 9 p.m.: Frisby Cellars' "Last Boorah," with a DJ, a costume contest, wine, beer and food. Halloween is a Saturday this year, so the Wharf's last night is a weekend night.

Frisby wine club members should know that their Dana Point benefits move to the Rancho Mission Viejo tasting room, about nine miles from the harbor. Owner Josh Frisby has said plans for the November wine club pickup are still being worked out.

The working harbor behind the fence

On Nov. 1, the harbor goes back to being a place you visit to get on the water. Dana Point Harbor Partners says the parking structure will stay open throughout, with parking set aside for Dana Wharf and Catalina passengers and for permitted boaters. Up to four hours of parking in the structure is still free, with a walkway to the Wharf area.

The partnership also says the Wharf construction will not affect the Embarcadero, the launch ramp, the fuel dock or the bait barge. Harbor businesses outside the Wharf stay open without interruption. These include Dana Point Yacht Club, Dana West Yacht Club, Aventura Sailing Association, Captain Dave's Dolphin Safari, the Ocean Institute and Pure Watersports.

The weekly routines change locations, but they continue:

• The Certified Farmers Market still runs Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., now on the surface lot beside the parking structure. The harbor calendar lists the first market after the closure for Nov. 4.
• The Ocean Institute is open to the public Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with touch tanks, marine exhibits and its Sailor's Life Tour.
• Work on the water continues. The Marina at Dana Point has passed two-thirds of its 15-phase dock replacement. Phase 12 opened for occupancy Sept. 14, and the marina work is scheduled to finish by the end of 2027.

Holiday events are still on the calendar. The harbor's event calendar lists Happy Harbor Days from Nov. 12 through Jan. 10 and the Turkey Trot on the morning of Nov. 26. December brings Santa boat rides on Dec. 5 and 6 and a Holiday Market on Dec. 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The 51st Boat Parade of Lights runs Dec. 11 through 13, starting at 6:30 p.m. each night.

The harbor's online restaurant directory may still show Wharf businesses for a while after the closure. The construction schedule is the more reliable guide to what is open.

What returns, and what no one has promised yet

Dana Point Harbor Partners describes the finished Phase 4 Wharf as 20,000 square feet of new waterfront buildings. They will house eight new tenants and as many as four returning ones, along with landscaped public areas, seating, public art and space for community events. The whole commercial core covers about 120,000 square feet in 12 multi-tenant buildings. The partnership plans to open the storefronts together rather than one at a time, ahead of the LA28 Summer Olympics.

The partnership has not named the eight new tenants or announced any lease for a returning one. Wind & Sea, Turk's, Art Sea Gift Chateau, Golden Galleon and Frisby Cellars are all described as in ongoing discussions with Burnham-Ward Properties' leasing team. Wind & Sea is talking about a "reimagined concept." Josh Frisby has said any new lease would be announced jointly with the harbor partners if they reach an agreement.

That leaves four weeks to visit before the Wharf closes. Turk's is open daily through Oct. 31, Proud Mary's closes the same day, and Golden Galleon's last day on the Wharf after 46 years is also Oct. 31. The first trip out of the new trailer by the parking structure leaves the next morning.

Change at the harbor affects more than where you get breakfast. For longtime homeowners near the water, it can also affect timing and plans. If you would like to talk through what the revitalization means for your corner of Dana Point, Tony Salay Real Estate Group is happy to sit down with you. Please reach out whenever it suits you.