Rowell's Is Closed Until December. Key Largo's October Runs on Lunch Menus and Resident Rates.

Rowell's Waterfront Park, the 8-acre bayside park at MM 104.5, closed on Sept. 21 and is expected to stay closed until December. Ten days later, on Oct. 1, Taste the Keys started its month of prix-fixe menus across Key Largo and the Upper Keys. Both run through the same weeks, and both have the same pattern. The best value this fall goes to people who are local and flexible about timing. Lunch costs well below dinner at the same tables. Harry Harris Park in Tavernier, the closest bayfront stand-in for Rowell's, is free for residents and charges outside vehicles $15 on weekends.

What the fence at MM 104.5 is building

This closure has already slipped once. In August, Monroe County closed Rowell's and said it would reopen after Sept. 1. Parks and beaches director John Allen blamed "unexpected delays" and apologized for the inconvenience. The county's notice from Sept. 10 pushed the date back. The park closed again on Sept. 21 "until further notice," with completion expected in December.

The delay comes with more amenities. Work stopped when county staff found a problem that required a redesign of the second phase. During the redesign, the county won more grant money and added to the original plan. Phase 2 is paid for by a Community Development Block Grant. It includes:

• A new dog park with fencing and dog water stations
• New field and park lighting
• Upgraded turf on the multiuse field
• An expanded parking lot, new picnic tables and trash receptacles

Shade structures, a new playground and a large tiki hut will come in a third phase. Construction on it is expected to start in early 2027, funded by a TDC brick-and-mortar grant. So a December reopening would bring the dog park and the lights. The playground and shade would still be at least one construction season away.

Where the outdoor hours go until then

Monroe County's Sept. 10 closure notice lists projects in Big Pine Key. It doesn't list Key Largo Community Park, Friendship Park or Harry Harris Park, so all three are open this fall. They differ on hours, dog rules and cost.

The county park hours come from an ordinance adopted in March 2024. Harry Harris is the one with water and a jetty, which makes it the closest match to an evening at Rowell's. Its fee schedule favors anyone with proof of residency. A non-resident car on a Saturday pays $15, and a resident pays nothing. Pennekamp has the beaches. The Florida State Parks pet policy keeps dogs off its beaches and the Mangrove Trail boardwalk, so it doesn't replace the dog park that Rowell's is still building. Boaters face their own limits there. A notice dated July 22, 2026 says one boat ramp and the sewage pump-out station are closed and boat-trailer parking is reduced.

The menu month, priced by meal

Taste the Keys lists 19 participating restaurants for 2026. Each sets its own price and decides which meals it covers. Most of the menus land on the same dinner price. Gus' Grille, Snook's, DiGiorgio's Cafe Largo, Bayside Grille & Sunset Bar, Buttonwood Grill, Zaika Key Largo, The Catch and Amara Cay's ReelCatch all list dinner at $45. Compared with that $45 dinner, these restaurants charge much less at midday:

All of these prices are before tax and gratuity. Several restaurants attach timing rules. Keys Latin House is the only one with a breakfast menu, at $17, plus lunch at $24. C&C Wood Fired Eats charges $29 for dinner, Sunday through Thursday only, from 4 to 10 p.m. Kindler Wood-Fired Fare is the highest at $69, or $79 with a cocktail or glass of wine, and only between 5 and 7 p.m. Sol by the Sea charges $55 for lunch or dinner. Zaika charges full price for shared menus. Buzzards Roost lists $45, but its page calls it a dinner price and heads the courses "Lunch Menu," so ask which meal it covers when you book. Lido 73, Italian Food Company and Italian Food Company Express still showed "menu coming soon" on the roster as the month began.

The newest counter is already on the ballot

The cheapest lunch on the list comes from a restaurant that has been open in Key Largo for less than three weeks. Coast to Coast Pizza Company opened its third location on Sept. 14 at 99625 Overseas Highway. Owners Omar and Nicole Maldonado serve New York, Detroit and Sicilian-style pies. It has also entered the Signature Dish Showdown, which runs alongside the prix-fixe menus. The organizers describe the rules this way:

"Each restaurant will nominate one standout dish from their menu for the Signature Dish Showdown. Diners can sample these featured plates throughout October and then cast their vote online at TasteTheKeys.com for the Best Dish in the Keys."

The ballot is open to the public, and winners will be announced in early November. Going by the logos on the showdown page, Coast to Coast nominated its SS Wreck key lime pie. That puts it up against Mrs. Mac's Kitchen, which also entered a key lime pie. Other nominations include:

• Snook's pistachio-encrusted yellowtail
• Key Largo Conch House's gator and shrimp jambalaya
• Sol by the Sea's crispy whole Thai snapper
• Buttonwood Grill's onion-crusted catch of the day
• Buzzards Roost's mahi Seminole
• C&C Wood Fired Eats' short rib lasagna
• Keys Latin House's Cuban sandwich

An Islamorada stuffed lobster also appears on the page, but no restaurant is named next to it. Only 10 dishes are shown, compared with 19 restaurants on the roster, so more entries may still be posted.

Bar Victor, a cocktail lounge at 97630 Overseas Highway next to Vicky Bakery, is also new along the corridor. The Florida Keys tourism council named it among new openings in a Sept. 29 release. It serves Cuban-inspired small plates and cocktails Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. It isn't on the Taste the Keys roster, so it costs the same in October as any other month.

The dates on the calendar

The menus and the ballot run all month. These events happen on set dates.

1. Thursday, Oct. 15. The Key Largo Chamber's first Trolley Foodie Tour runs 5 to 9:30 p.m. It starts at Snook's and stops at Sol by the Sea, Lido 73 and Mrs. Mac's. Tickets are $150, and Chamber members get $25 off.
2. Oct. 15 to 18. REEF Fest, the annual marine conservation event, takes place at the REEF Ocean Exploration Center, 98380 Overseas Highway at MM 98.3.
3. Thursday, Oct. 29. The second trolley tour, also 5 to 9:30 p.m., starts at The Catch and stops at Sundowners, Buttonwood Grill and Zaika. The price is the same.
4. Early November. Signature Dish Showdown winners are announced.
5. Thursday, Nov. 19. The Chamber holds a ribbon-cutting and grand opening at Key Lime Products, 95200 Overseas Highway at MM 95.2 oceanside, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
6. December. This is Monroe County's target for finishing Phase 2 at Rowell's, which adds the dog park, field lighting and expanded parking.

The county says it will post signs at each park affected by these closures. The Sept. 1 date slipped once already, so the December target is worth checking before you plan a weekend around it.

Upper Keys property owners weighing a sale, refinance or second waterfront parcel this season can talk to Miami Brokers Group. We pair local Keys knowledge with in-house financing through MBG Capital Partners, and we keep things discreet. Request a private valuation and consultation with Michael Diaz before the December reopening brings Rowell's new dog park, lighting and parking.