In 2026, three places closed along the short run of North Naples between Clam Pass Park and Mercato. The beach resort at the end of Seagate Drive shut its main operations in April. Brio Tuscan Grille closed at Waterside Shops after nearly 20 years. Then Alamo Drafthouse turned off the projectors at Mercato on Sept. 9. All three spaces get new life between January and February 2027. Most of the people filling them have worked on this part of US-41 before, or already run a business across the street.
That history explains why the gaps are short. A 474-room resort, an 11-screen cinema and a Waterside restaurant pad are hard spaces to fill. This winter they are going to people who already know the address.
Three gaps opened in one year
The resort closed first. Naples Press reported that the main resort at 475 Seagate Drive has been closed since April for a $100 million renovation, the most extensive in its nearly 40-year history.
Brio followed. By April 17, 2026, the Naples Daily News reported that the Italian restaurant had closed at Waterside Shops and that a seafood restaurant was coming in.
The cinema went last. Alamo Drafthouse had replaced the longtime Silverspot Cinema in April 2024 with an 11-screen dine-in theater and a nine-hole mini golf course, and the mini golf was later retired. In September, according to Naples Press columnist Tim Aten, the chain called Naples an underperforming location and closed the second-floor theater on Sept. 9.
The refill calendar, by address
| Address | What left in 2026 | What's coming | Stated timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 475 Seagate Drive | Naples Grande Beach Resort, closed for renovation since April | Signia Hilton Naples Grande Beach Resort, with five new food and drink venues | Stays bookable from Jan. 1, 2027 |
| Mercato, second floor | Alamo Drafthouse, closed Sept. 9 | Paragon Theaters, 11 screens | Early 2027 |
| Waterside Shops, former Brio space | Brio Tuscan Grille | Buck & Rider | February 2027 |
The resort is first in line. It is also the clearest example of a company coming back to a property it already knew.
Hilton returns to the end of Seagate Drive
The tower rising over the mangroves between the Seagate and Pelican Bay communities is getting its fifth name. It opened in 1986 as the Registry Resort & Club and became Naples Grande Resort in 2005. Hilton brought it into the Waldorf Astoria collection in 2009 and renamed it Waldorf Astoria Naples in 2012. Northwood Investors bought the property in 2013 and dropped the Hilton affiliation the next year, according to Naples Press. This winter it comes back to Hilton as Signia Hilton Naples Grande Beach Resort, the first Signia Hilton on Florida's Gulf Coast.
Hilton's announcement, updated Oct. 14, 2026, says reservations are live for stays beginning Jan. 1, 2027. The kitchen is a homecoming too. Chef Asif Syed, the former owner of 21 Spices, has come back to Naples as the resort's director of culinary. Gulfshore Business reported that these five concepts will debut when the resort officially opens:
- Spoonbill, an all-day cafe and marketplace with sandwiches, salads and fresh-pressed juices by day, and ice cream and affogatos in the evening
- Solfina, a coastal Mediterranean bar and terrace serving Neapolitan pizzas, crudo and shareable plates
- Vicolo Social Club and Trattoria, a modern Italian room with house-made pastas, a dedicated steak program, tableside service and a martini bar
- Cocoplum pool bar, an open kitchen and bar for burgers, salads and frozen cocktails
- Flipside Beach Bar, a beachfront spot for smash burgers, fries, frozen drinks and buckets of beer
The resort is pitching these venues beyond its hotel guests. Gary Sims, the resort's managing director, told Gulfshore Business that the concepts are meant to create "new ways for our guests and the local community to gather, connect and celebrate the spirit of Naples."
Paragon moves across US-41
The Mercato cinema's next operator was already in the area. Paragon Theaters runs the 10-screen cinema in The Pavilion across US-41 North. When Alamo closed, the Naples Press column reported that Paragon wanted to reopen the 11 Mercato screens by mid-December, in time for the new Avengers and Dune sequels releasing Dec. 18. Paragon co-CEO Michael Whalen described the seating he planned to bring:
"a high-end pod recliner where you can order food to your seat. We think that's a winner in Naples."
The lease came through on Oct. 21. The Naples Press lease report puts the opening in early 2027, after the holiday releases. The plan for the 33,700-square-foot space includes:
- Lux Box seating, with heated recliners and full table service
- MyPi Pizza, Paragon's in-house pizza concept, made to order with dough made fresh daily
- A full bar serving craft cocktails, wine and beer
- Two Axis15 Extreme premium large-format screens with 4K laser projection and Dolby Atmos sound
- The Director's Room, a private theater you can rent for screenings, sports watch parties and other gatherings
Ticket prices will match Paragon's nearby locations, and that includes $5 Ticket Tuesdays.
Buck & Rider's founder helped open a Waterside restaurant in 2006
The Brio space is the one going to a brand new to Florida, but its founder isn't new to Waterside. Buck & Rider comes from Hi Noon Hospitality in Scottsdale. CEO and founding partner Adam Strecker lived in Naples for nearly a year in 2006 while he helped launch BrickTop's at Waterside Shops, the same year Brio opened there. "I know it really well and it's a great spot," he told Naples Press. The design comes from Austin-based Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, with Naples-based MHK Architecture as the local partner.
The Gulfshore Life season preview puts its Waterside debut in February. The menu features an expansive raw bar, imported and Gulf-caught seafood, reserve beef, and wines from coastal regions. Brio served Italian, so the cuisine on that corner of Waterside changes with the tenant.
What's already open while the rest arrives
Several new and familiar names on this stretch are open now.
- Eddie V's Prime Seafood, 765 Seagate Drive. Darden Restaurants opened its first Southwest Florida Eddie V's on a redeveloped Waterside outparcel on June 7. It's the seafood-forward, live-jazz sibling to the company's Capital Grille, which has had a North Naples location since 2008, as Naples Press reported. Signature dishes include Chilean sea bass steamed Hong Kong-style and crab fried rice, and the V Lounge has live music.
- Violi, Mercato Piazza. Violi opened on Nov. 10 in the expanded Mercato Piazza, in the space Bravo Italian Kitchen left, according to Gulfshore Business. Mercato's own announcement is dated November 10, 2025.
- Paragon at The Pavilion. This is the 10-screen theater across US-41 North from Mercato, and Paragon plans to keep running it after the Mercato screens open.
One more project is going up on the same block. RH Naples is building on Waterside's northwest corner at 5489 Tamiami Trail N., the former Nordstrom site. The plans call for six skylit galleries connected by landscaped courtyards and glass-roofed walkways, around a central 174-seat restaurant and wine bar under a long glass atrium, per Naples Press. Hoodline reported in October that construction is underway, with a late-2026 target.
Put together, Waterside Shops and Seagate Drive are adding Eddie V's, Buck & Rider, the RH project and the resort's five venues within a single year, and Mercato is getting its cinema back under a neighbor's name.
Watching Seagate Drive and Mercato refill is part of what I love about this corner of Naples. The same local knowledge goes into pricing a home in Pelican Bay, Seagate or Vanderbilt, where being close to these places is part of what a buyer is paying for. If you're curious what your North Naples home is worth heading into the 2027 season, Adolfo Diaz can walk you through it, in English or Spanish. Get Your Free Home Valuation.