Snook Haven, the riverside barbecue-and-live-music destination on the Myakka River in Venice, will reopen Oct. 15 after more than a year of construction that transformed the old fish camp into a 40-plus-acre regional park.
Sarasota County's parks department confirmed the date in a July 31 project update, announcing a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. The venue, at 5000 E. Venice Ave., closed May 1, 2025, for an $8.75 million overhaul.
The rebuild, designed by Sweet Sparkman Architects and built by Jon F. Swift Construction, includes a new ADA-compliant food service building, a covered pavilion with river views, a replacement bandshell with an accessible patio, a fishing pier with ADA-compliant parking, and accessible walkways throughout the site. One existing cabin has been converted into a canoe and kayak outfitter facility with a public restroom.
The fishing pier is done. As of the July 31 update, the outfitter building was nearing its final touches, and crews were installing sidewalks, pedestrian lighting and fencing around the concession building.
Funding came from impact fees, Surtax III, Surtax IV and Tourist Development Capital dollars.
A bigger vision
The reopening marks the first phase of a 10-year concept plan for Snook Haven Regional Park that county staff proposed to commissioners in late July, the Sun Newspapers reported. The county bought the original 2.5-acre fish camp in 2006 and has since acquired additional parcels, growing the property to more than 40 acres.
Parks director Shawn Yeager wrote in a memo to commissioners in late July that the improvements "will not only be a major asset for regional tourism, but also for access to thousands of new housing units and increased commercial development within two miles of the park."
The long-range plan envisions Snook Haven as a hub and trailhead connecting thousands of acres of protected land, including Sleeping Turtles Preserve South, Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Jelks Preserve, linked by trails and a planned multi-use path along River Road that would form part of the Florida Gulf Coast Trail between Tampa and Naples.
A campground on the former Camp Venice property is expected to open in 2027.
What's still unknown
Three vendors, including longtime operator Venice Pier Group, applied to run the restaurant concession. As of April, the county was still negotiating a contract, the Herald-Tribune reported. The county's project page does not name the selected operator.
A November 2026 ballot referendum would extend the 0.25-mill ad valorem tax that primarily funded the short-term improvements, pushing its expiration from 2029 to 2049.
The 10-year plan goes before the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Committee on Aug. 6 and the Parks Advisory and Recreation Council on Sept. 3 before reaching the County Commission.
