When the Water's Closed, Where Do Imperial Beach Kids Go This Fall?

On July 2, a group of YMCA Camp Surf kids got on a bus in Imperial Beach and rode to South Mission Beach. They ate turkey sandwiches on the lawn and then paddled out together. When the water allows, the camp goes to Coronado, a 15-minute ride north. When Coronado's water is closed too, the bus keeps going north. The city's junior lifeguard program does the same thing. Head lifeguard Jason Lindquist told CalMatters, "We go remote. We bus everybody out of here."

Fall hasn't brought the water back. On September 27, NBC 7 reported that the County had closed the Imperial Beach shoreline to water contact again after Tijuana River water flowed into the surf zone. Closures open and close quickly, so check sdbeachinfo.com for today's status before you head out.

Look at what's opening or being built for families in Imperial Beach between now and the end of the year, and they share one trait. Every one of them is designed to work with the water closed. The people building them have said so out loud.

A Candy Shop That Closed Over the Water Is Coming Back as a Family Stop

Angel Frank Krusic ran Seaside Candy for 15 years before she closed it about two years ago. She told the Imperial Beach Eagle & Times why.

"At the time, repeated beach closures due to the raw sewage contamination severely affected our business and customer turnout…the tourism had nearly come to a complete standstill, which was a large part of our business."

Bonehead Burger moved into the space after she left. That's the restaurant at 150 Palm Avenue that Eagle & Times covered last year. By late November, the same building is set to house four businesses under one roof:

• Seaside Ice Cream Parlor & Sweets, Frank Krusic's return, with old-fashioned ice cream, handmade fudge, homemade candied nuts and chocolate-dipped frozen bananas
• Bonehead Eatery, with burgers plus a lighter menu of salads and sandwiches
• Lillylu Flowers, which owner Anylu Bailey is moving back into the space she used to occupy
• Jax Bakers & Coffee, run by owner Oscar Faraias

The remodel also adds a backyard where kids can play while parents sit down. Bonehead was already moving that way. In September 2025, co-owner Kit Wingate shared renderings of a back patio with picnic seating and a nearby play area, and said, "We want to make this a community hub for all ages." In the same story, Wingate said local support was "the only reason we're open" while sewage pollution cut into tourism.

Wingate is a Navy veteran. He and his half-brother, chef Blake Bone, tested their burgers in the VFW kitchen across the street before they ever had a storefront. Frank Krusic's husband spent 43 years in combined military and civilian service in the Naval Special Warfare community. Military families will recognize the people behind this reopening. As of the 2025 story, Bonehead's Monday deal was 30% off for military and first responders, with kids eating free. Confirm that's still running once the shared space opens.

Frank Krusic calls it a homecoming. No exact opening day had been announced as of early October, so "late November" is still the target.

Water Play a Block From the Ocean

Over on Seacoast Drive, the Port of San Diego and the City are building a splash pad on the same idea. The Port's commissioners approved the Portwood Pier Plaza project in April 2024 with a $1.8 million budget. Dick Miller, Inc. won the construction contract in December 2025, and ground broke on February 25, 2026.

At the groundbreaking, Mayor Mitch McKay spoke directly about the closures. He said that "in the face of our ongoing beach closures," the water feature and artwork would bring "smiling faces, joyful squeals and whimsical playfulness" back to the beachfront and become "a recreational focal point on Seacoast Drive."

The old playground surface is being replaced with a splash pad that has arched water jets and gently sloped, accessible paths. The project also adds a seat wall, landscaping, lighting, updated sidewalks and accessible showers. Artist Nicole Marie Pete will paint two murals on the equipment enclosure about Imperial Beach's cultural heritage and environment. A panel that included members of the Imperial Beach Arts Committee reviewed nearly 50 applications and recommended three finalists. The Port's Arts, Culture & Design Committee then voted on them and chose Pete.

The completion date has gotten vaguer. The February release said December 2026. The Port's project page now just says "late 2026," with no specific opening date. Until it opens, expect fencing around the work area and equipment parked in the northwest corner of the Elkwood Avenue lot. The Port expects nearby businesses to stay open throughout.

The Estuary Never Needed the Water to Be Open

The new projects have dates still to come. The Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center at 301 Caspian Way is open now. Its regular programs take place on trails and marsh edges, where water contact never mattered.

Every Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., there's a free bird walk down the McCoy Trail. The reserve says about 370 bird species live there or stop through on migration. Bring binoculars if you have them. No reservation is needed. Junior Rangers follows at 11 a.m. for ages 7 to 12. It's free, runs rain or shine, and kids earn pins, certificates and patches as they progress. On the second Saturday of each month, a free nature walk on the River Mouth trail starts at 5th Street and Iris Avenue at 11 a.m. That trailhead has no restrooms.

Two things to know before you go. The calendar shows the visitor center closed Sundays through Tuesdays. Heat also cancels things. Today's bird walk and Junior Rangers were both canceled, and a Tijuana River Valley watershed walk set for the same day was pushed back because of an extreme heat advisory. Check the reserve calendar the morning of your visit.

October and Beyond, on Dry Land

These dates are confirmed, plus a few traditions still waiting on 2026 dates:

Trunk or Treat and the splash pad share the same plaza. This October, kids will trick-or-treat beside the construction fence, and the water play behind it is expected to open by the end of the year.

October is also Kids Free Month. Through October 31, children 12 and under get in free with a paid adult at more than 40 San Diego museums, two kids per coupon, using a coupon from the San Diego Museum Council. It's a good backup for a Saturday when the estuary programs are canceled.

The city's year-end traditions are expected back, though the City hadn't posted 2026 dates as of early October. Last year, Día de los Muertos was November 1 at Veterans Park, with folklórico, mariachi, face painting and sugar-skull decorating, hosted by the City and San Diego County Library. The Small Town Holiday & Tree Lighting was December 6 from 3 to 6 p.m. at Pier Plaza. Watch the City of Imperial Beach calendar for this year's dates.

If the timelines hold, Imperial Beach goes into December with an ice cream counter and kids' backyard on Palm Avenue, a splash pad at the foot of the pier, and the Saturday estuary schedule it already had.

Madeline sits on Imperial Beach's Military and Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee, and The Foley Group follows these openings and city dates all year. If orders just brought you to town, or you're trying to figure out which Saturday routines work with young kids here, we're happy to share what we know. Let's Connect.