"Since each element is custom-built and unique to the City, construction will take a bit longer than a typical playground." That line comes from the City of Naples' September 29, 2026 update on the Cambier Park playground. It explains why the best-known playground in downtown Naples has the latest target date of any rebuild on the schedule, with completion expected in July 2027.
Several Naples-area playgrounds are being rebuilt at the same time. They will not reopen together. Each project's place in line follows from a decision made months ago about how standard or how one-off it would be. Cambier is the most ambitious of them, and its finish date is the furthest out.
The Order They Come Back
The schedule below uses the current target dates from the city and county. Construction dates move, so treat each one as a target.
- Pelican Bay Community Park. This one is run by Collier County, not the city. Its playground is closed for replacement "until November 2026." The county's July 13 notice first gave a closure window of July 15 to August 14, so that timeline has already been extended once.
- Charlie C. Anthony Park. The city says this rebuild "remains on schedule to be finished by December 1, 2026." Plans include climbing elements, multiple slides, swings, inclusive play areas, shade and a fully fenced layout.
- Lowdermilk Park. A coastal-themed playground with a multi-level lighthouse is going in on the south end of the park. It received its Notice to Proceed on July 22, 2026, and completion is expected in April 2027.
- Cambier Park. The banyan-tree playground downtown is expected to be finished in July 2027.
River Park West is also in line for a new playground, but it doesn't have a date yet. The city says the project is still early and "the manufacturing and construction timelines remain unknown for now."
Look at how each project was bought and the order makes sense.
The Simpler Builds Go First
Charlie C. Anthony Park is first among the city projects, and how it was bought shows why. An AI-generated summary of the June 11, 2026 CRA meeting reports that the CRA approved about $655,645 for the playground. It also says the CRA recommended that the city "piggyback" an existing PlayCore/GameTime contract, meaning it would buy under terms already negotiated instead of starting a new design competition. Reusing a contract like that skips most of the steps that slowed Cambier down.
Lowdermilk was also fairly simple, though it carries more history. WINK reported that the new playground replaces the one on the park's north side that Hurricane Ian destroyed in 2022. The council considered a $699,787 agreement with Playmore West Inc. for the playground and a covered gazebo. The gazebo had been planned for 2025 but was postponed when construction bids came in over budget. Funding comes from two park projects approved earlier, a $250,000 donation from the Nommensen family, and $250,000 more from the city's Beach Fund. The city says the equipment "already ordered" and that the manufacturer is working through permits.
So one rebuild went through an existing contract and the other used ordered equipment on a beach park site. Both cost roughly $650,000 to $700,000. Cambier's contract is close to four times that.
How Cambier Became the Custom One
Cambier's process took years. The need to replace the playground first came up in a spring 2022 capital improvements presentation. Hurricanes Ian, Helene and Milton then delayed the project. On October 30, 2025, city staff inspected the playground and found that it "had exceeded its useful life and posed major safety risks for users which could not be addressed through repairs." The Naples Daily News reported that demolition was scheduled to start November 24 and finish by November 26, 2025.
Picking a replacement took longer than tearing out the old one. According to the Naples Press, a FlashVote poll of 675 residents favored nature and treehouse themes and shade, with an aquatic design second. On April 21, 2026, the city's advisory board voted for Playmore West's more accessible design over PlayCore's banyan-tree concept, but the vote was split.
The city council went a different way. On May 6, Councilman Barton moved to negotiate on "Option Two," and the motion passed 5–2. On May 20, after another round of vendor presentations, his motion to proceed with PlayCore Wisconsin, Inc., doing business as GameTime, passed unanimously. Before that vote, council members raised concerns about heat and about whether caregivers could see children inside the banyan design. The Naples Press reported that the vendor changed the feature to improve airflow and visibility.
The approved design is Florida-themed. Its centerpiece is a two-story banyan tree with a bridge and slide, along with local wildlife elements, interactive activity zones, shade, and a fully fenced layout for several age groups.
The price changed at each step:
| Stage | Figure | Source of the number |
|---|---|---|
| City's RFP budget | $2 million | Naples Press reporting on the procurement |
| PlayCore and Playmore bids, after a banyan discount | About $2.2 million | Naples Press reporting on the procurement |
| Construction agreement on the June 17, 2026 council agenda | $2,719,882.45 | City Council agenda |
The council approved the project on June 17, 2026. An AI-generated summary of that meeting says donor funds were expected to cover the gap between the budget and the contract. GameTime received its Notice to Proceed in July and delivered final renderings in August. As of September 29, the contractor was getting permits for its construction equipment while it built the banyan tree. On-site work starts when that equipment arrives.
That is why Cambier has the latest date on the schedule. Every element has to be manufactured from scratch, the equipment needs its own permits, and the design went through two council votes. The extra time and cost come from choosing a one-of-a-kind playground.
A Playground With a Long Line of Predecessors
There has been a playground at this spot for a long time. The Naples Daily News reported that the original Cambier playground opened as Candy Cane City in 1948 and that the castle-style playground replaced it in the 1990s. The city's project page dates Candy Cane City differently, calling it "a nostalgic landmark from the 1960s." It describes the 1990s replacement as the product of "a collaborative community effort." The Naples Press collected earlier memories of families repainting the ponies and cars on the hand-pushed carousel and of school classes walking to the park for special events.
Some of that history is still on the site. Before construction, the city plans to remove the brick pavers and fence pickets that donors bought to help build the old playground and keep them safe. Donors who want their paver or picket back can email Alec Boccaccio at [email protected] with their contact information and the name or inscription. The city is not accepting new donations for that program.
Some coverage from late 2025 said the swings, shade structures, a climber and the monkey-bar towers would stay up for a while. The city's Cambier Park page now says the playground is closed. The rest of the park is still in use. The Norris Community Center, the bandshell, the shuffleboard and basketball courts, the Arthur L. Allen Tennis Center and the covered pavilion are all still listed among its facilities. Fifth Avenue South's Halloween Spooktacular is scheduled at Cambier Park on October 31 from 3 to 5 p.m., followed by Evening on Fifth on the avenue from 5 to 8 p.m.
Where to Play Until the Banyan Goes Up
July 2027 is about 10 months away, and it covers a whole season. These parks are open in the meantime. The details below come from their city and county listings.
- Baker Park is a 15-acre park on the Gordon River that opened in October 2019. Its listing includes playgrounds, a splash pad, a climbing play area, a kayak launch and a boat dock. Public hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Fleischmann Park has toddler equipment for ages 1 to 5 and a school-age playground for ages 6 to 12, with sun shades and a splash zone. WINK's coverage of its all-inclusive playground describes many swings and a sensory "temple trolley" that lets a rider glide, swing and spin.
- North Collier Regional Park has Can U Dig It, with slides, swings, climbing structures, spinning poles, boulder play and a covered fossil-dig area.
- Sugden Regional Park pairs a playground with a 60-acre lake, a lakeside beach and a walking path.
- Veterans Community Park lists a lighted playground and public hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. County officials named it, along with North Collier Regional Park, as an alternative for families while Pelican Bay's playground is closed.
If the targets hold, Charlie C. Anthony Park and Pelican Bay come back before the holidays, Lowdermilk reopens in spring, and the banyan tree at Cambier Park arrives next summer.
When you're deciding where to live in Naples, the walk to the nearest park and its playground's reopening date can matter as much as the floor plan. If a park like Baker, Cambier or Lowdermilk is on your short list, MJ Team can help you find a home close to it, and we keep up with the openings that change how a neighborhood works for families.
