When the Dana Point Wharf Closes, the Harbor Goes Back to Its Trailer Days

In 1971 the original Dana Point Harbor was still being built, and Don Hansen started a fishing business out of a trailer near the construction. Fifty-five years later, that business is Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching, and it is heading back into a trailer. His daughter, co-owner Donna Kalez, called it "a full-circle moment" in a Dana Point Harbor Partners announcement that Dana Point Times reported.

The Wharf closes to the public on Sunday, Nov. 1, so construction can start on Phase 4 of the $600 million Harbor Revitalization Project. The breakfast spot, the bar and the boutiques on the Wharf are all closing for now. The boats will keep running. For the next stretch, the harbor is a place you leave from by water, the way it was when it first opened, and only for ten more days is it also a place to sit down for a meal.

Who Is Still Serving Through Oct. 31

Wind & Sea went first. It closed on Sept. 15 after 54 years so crews could start on Building 1. Dana Point Harbor's construction schedule lists Oct. 31, 2026, as the last business day for the tenants in Buildings 2 through 5. Most of what is still open has been there for decades.

Turk's owner Candy Varteresian kept it simple in an email to Dana Point Times: "Our team will be pouring and serving daily through Oct. 31 on the Wharf." Steve Zdrakas bought Proud Mary's 21 years ago. In the same article, he described the room as a place where "Customers know customers. It's their happy place," and said people have celebrated engagements, weddings and retirements there.

Golden Galleon is run by mother and daughter Marla and Briana Balmuth, who are closing out 46 years at the harbor. "This isn't goodbye ... it's simply 'see you soon,'" Marla wrote in a statement quoted by Dana Point Times.

The Last Week on the Calendar

None of these listings is billed as a farewell. They are the normal harbor calendar, and this is the last time it runs with the Wharf open around it.

1. Saturday, Oct. 24. Acoustic live music in the Wharf Courtyard, with Frisby Cellars and Culture Pizza on the same listing. The city's free Halloween Spooktacular & Trunk or Treat runs the same afternoon, 1:30 to 5 p.m., at 34052 Del Obispo Street, with a trolley shuttle from RH Dana.
2. Wednesday, Oct. 28. The Dana Point Harbor Certified Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., behind and inside the parking structure at 799 Harbor Way.
3. Friday, Oct. 30. Little Folk Club at Bump Out Park.
4. Saturday, Oct. 31. The last business day on the Wharf, and the end date for the Art Sea sale and Frisby's Halloween celebration.

Frisby has also told its Dana Point wine club members that it is finalizing plans for the November pickup. Members who usually collect at the harbor may want to watch for that notice.

What Stays Is the Part That Leaves the Dock

Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching and Catalina Express are the two Wharf businesses that won't stop for construction. Both move into on-site trailers next to the Dana Point Harbor Parking Structure, and the harbor's schedule says excursions will run seven days a week.

"After 55 years of operations, we are committed as ever to our year-round schedule of fishing, whale watching and harbor experiences, and we look forward to our much-needed and long-overdue home at the new Wharf."

Donna Kalez, Dana Wharf co-owner, as quoted by Dana Point Times

The timing works in the boats' favor. Dana Point Harbor's own seasonal guide puts the gray whale migration at November through April, and the Wharf closes on the first day of November. This fall has already been busy offshore. Dana Point Times reported more than 50 Risso's dolphins on Sept. 18. On Sept. 28, a pod of about 13 orcas showed up, including two calves, and Dana Wharf stretched its trips to three hours to stay with them.

Parking has its own rules now. According to the harbor's parking page, the public structure is at 799 Harbor Way, Dana Wharf and Catalina Express customers are directed to the third level, and the first four hours are free, subject to availability. If you're taking guests out on a boat this winter, give yourself time to get up to the third level before check-in.

Most of the harbor's public calendar continues too. Katie Sorensen, marketing director at Burnham-Ward Properties, one of the three firms behind Dana Point Harbor Partners, said the harbor stays open after the Wharf closes. She listed the Certified Farmers Market, the Turkey Trot, the Boat Parade of Lights, the Festival of Whales and Little Folk Club as continuing through construction. The first big test comes on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 26, when the 49th Dana Point Turkey Trot sends its 10K off at 7 a.m. The children's Gobble Wobble starts at 10:30.

Where the Regulars Can Follow, and Where They Can't Yet

Two Wharf tenants have announced where they're going. Coco Bloom Coffee is moving to Newport Beach, according to Dana Point Times. Frisby Cellars is staying in South County. Its Rancho Mission Viejo location houses both Frisby Cellars and Frisby Brewing and hosts trivia nights, live music and food trucks during the year. Dana Point wine club benefits move there as well.

The rest are still working it out. Turk's and Golden Galleon are both looking for temporary space nearby. Proud Mary's would need to find an existing restaurant space before it could reopen anywhere. Vintage Yacht Club is exploring a move. Golden Galleon is asking customers to follow its social accounts and goldengalleonboutique.com for news, which is the most reliable way to hear about a new address once there is one.

The harbor's online restaurant and shop directories may still list some of these businesses as current Wharf tenants after Nov. 1. The construction schedule and each business's own channels will be more accurate than the directory pages.

What Comes Back, and the Deadline Driving It

According to Dana Point Harbor Partners' press release, Phase 4 adds about 20,000 square feet of new waterfront space with eight new tenants, up to four returning tenants, public gathering areas and new public art. Art Sea Gift Chateau, Golden Galleon, Turk's, Frisby Cellars and Wind & Sea are all in talks about coming back, and four returning spots is the maximum.

The closure date is set by the Olympics. Sorensen said the Wharf is the last landside phase to begin and that "this timeline is critical to achieving harbor opening ahead of LA28." Work on the water is further along. The harbor's schedule says Phase 12 of the marina opened on Sept. 14, 2026, with the marina more than four-fifths complete and Phase 13 starting this fall.

For now, the harbor runs the way it did in 1971, with a trailer next to the construction and boats leaving every day. The Wharf tables, the boutique racks and the bar at Turk's stay open through Saturday, Oct. 31.

At GreenTree Properties, we've watched Dana Point Harbor's Wharf tenants come and go since 2005, and we're happy to share what we know about the area around the harbor as construction moves along. If you own nearby and want to know how the revitalization is affecting your home's value, Request Your Home Valuation and we'll go through it with you, one neighbor to another.