When did someone last walk out onto a dock at The Barnacle? Hurricane Irma took the old one nine years ago, and the pilings sat bare in Biscayne Bay until this past summer. The dock standing on them now came from a crew of volunteers, money raised by The Barnacle Society, and lumber sold at wholesale by a longtime supporter.
That pattern holds for nearly everything on the park's November calendar. The state keeps the gates, the hours and the house tours. The evenings, the fundraisers and the boat repairs come from neighbors who show up.
Nine years of rowing out to the EGRET
The Barnacle keeps a replica of the EGRET, Commodore Ralph Munroe's sailboat, moored off its shoreline. After Irma, the Florida Park Service had other funding priorities and could not replace the dock. For nine years the only way to reach the boat was a dinghy rowed out to the mooring. According to the Society's Autumn 2026 newsletter, that made major repairs "practically impossible."
The "Boathouse Gang," as the newsletter calls them, spent three months building a temporary dock on the old pilings. The Barnacle Society paid for part of it, and Dock and Marine Construction supplied the lumber at wholesale. The newsletter says the EGRET is now easy to reach "for maintenance and sailing."
The same crew has other work going in the boathouse yard. The CAPE SABLE SPARROW, a Cape Cod oystering skiff, is up for new bottom planking and a new rubrail, with fresh paint to follow. Inside the 1891 house, park staff asked for wooden stanchions to rope off sensitive areas. The volunteers took the job to the South Florida Woodturners Guild, and a member turned six of them within days. In the Summer 2026 newsletter, the Society reported a repaired door on the 1927 Carriage House Jelly Room. Volunteers also re-screened the library door and sealed it with clear plexiglass, so park staff can leave the library and its displays open to the public whenever the park is open.
None of this is a full restoration. It is a steady run of small fixes, each one completed by people who chose to spend their weekends on it.
The second Friday belongs to the lawn
The Barnacle Society's Moonlight Concert series runs October through April, on the second Friday of each month. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the music runs from 7 to 9.
November's date is Friday, November 13. The 18 Wheelers are marking 30 years of playing their mix of roots rock, honky-tonk and bluegrass. Tickets on the Society's concert page start at $10, with Member, Future Member and Child options for ages 6 to 18.
"It is a perfect way to wind down from the week, pack a picnic or grab your favorite take-out, and come throw a blanket on the lawn!"
That line is the Society's own description in the Autumn 2026 newsletter, which also says guests may bring their favorite drinks as long as every bit of trash and recycling leaves with them. That beverage allowance applies to the concert only. The general Florida State Parks rules for The Barnacle prohibit alcohol, while allowing picnic blankets and folding chairs on the main lawn. The concert page also asks guests to leave pets at home.
The series is volunteer-built too. It opened this season with a family-friendly comedy night, a first for the series, which the newsletter credits to the Society's concert chair.
The next morning, the dogs get their turn
On Friday night the lawn is pet-free. By Saturday it fills with dogs. The Fifth Annual Holiday Barkzaar runs Saturday, November 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., presented by Equipaws Pet Services and The Barnacle Society.
It is a holiday market with vendors, live music, food, dog activities and seasonal crafts. It is also a fundraiser, and the money goes to two places: Paw Patrol Animal Rescue and Barnacle Historic State Park. Admission is $7, and children 5 and under get in free.
The Barkzaar page sets the dog rules. Dogs must be leashed, at least four months old, current on their shots, and able to show proof of rabies vaccination, and the page points attendees to a waiver. Parking is on the surrounding streets. The Coconut Grove BID calendar still has an older Barkzaar detail page dated Sunday, November 16, 2025. The 2026 event is Saturday the 14th.
That puts a Society concert and a fundraiser for the park back to back on the same five-acre lawn.
A Tuesday film night
The quietest event on the calendar comes later in the month. The Coconut Grove BID calendar lists AV Club at The Barnacle for Tuesday, November 24, at 6 p.m. The Barnacle Society describes AV Club as a monthly series of 16mm film screenings. Florida Humanities describes it as an outdoor program of curated 16mm films drawn from the Miami-Dade Public Library System's Special Collections.
That listing covers the October 27 session and calls it free. For the November program, check the Society's events page for the film and any admission details before heading over.
Tuesday is one of the two days the grounds are closed to daytime visitors, which makes this one of the few times you can be on the lawn midweek.
The daytime park
The state side of the arrangement is simple and cheap. According to Florida State Parks, the grounds at 3485 Main Highway are open Thursday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They close Tuesdays and Wednesdays, plus Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Walk-in or bike entry costs $2 per person, with children 5 and under free. Cars cannot enter, and admission does not cover the metered parking on surrounding streets.
House tours run at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on open days. They cost $3 for ages 13 and up and $1 for ages 6 to 12, and children 5 and under go free. Those tours lead into the house where the new stanchions now stand.
November around the Grove, in order
The Barnacle's dates fall in the middle of a busy month for the neighborhood. These are the ones within a short walk or bike ride of Main Highway, starting with the weekend this post goes up.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7, 9 a.m. | Electronics Recycling Day | Regatta Park |
| Thu., Nov. 12, 5–8 p.m. | Jewelry & Watch Show VIP evening | The Hangar at Regatta Harbour |
| Fri.–Sun., Nov. 13–15 | Coconut Grove Jewelry & Watch Show | The Hangar at Regatta Harbour |
| Fri., Nov. 13, 7 p.m. | Moonlight Concert: The 18 Wheelers | The Barnacle |
| Sat., Nov. 14, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | Fifth Annual Holiday Barkzaar | The Barnacle |
| Fri.–Sun., Nov. 20–22 | COUTURE Coconut Grove | The Hangar at Regatta Harbour |
| Tue., Nov. 24, 6 p.m. | AV Club 16mm film night | The Barnacle |
Event details can change, so check the Coconut Grove BID calendar before heading out. Show hours for the Jewelry & Watch Show and COUTURE are on their own sites.
What is still waiting
Some projects are slower. In the same newsletter that announced the dock, the park manager wrote that there has been "little progress on the pavilion." In August 2025, Coconut Grove Spotlight reported on rain damage to the house and outbuildings, urgent repair needs, and plans for a rebuilt dock, an open-air pavilion and a sidewalk. A year later, the dock is up in temporary form and the pavilion is still on the list.
The next Moonlight Concert after November is Friday, December 11, when Will Thomas returns with yacht rock and a Grateful Dead tribute.
If a blanket on The Barnacle's lawn on second Fridays is part of why the Grove feels like home, that is worth taking into account when you think about where you live next or what your current home is worth to the right buyer. Eric Womack is happy to talk it through with you, with no pressure and a clear plan. Let's Connect.
