Starting Sunday, November 1, LJ Schooners closes its restaurant at 4 p.m. on Sundays instead of 9 p.m., and the oyster bar stops opening on Mondays and Tuesdays until March. Inland on Bluewater Boulevard, the old Lake golf course now has 18 disc golf baskets. In July 2025 it had nine.
That says a lot about how Bluewater Bay heads into the cooler months. The waterfront at Ward's Cove moves to a shorter clock and a few fixed dates on the calendar. The green space residents bought in 2024 is the place with no schedule, and it's the one that grew this year.
Ward's Cove Goes From Weekly Rhythm to Set Dates
The Bluewater Bay Marina Complex sits at the mouth of Rocky Bayou, inside Ward's Cove. It has short- and long-term slip rentals, boat storage, fuel and a ship store, and LJ Schooners runs the restaurant and oyster bar on the same property. According to the Bluewater Bay community amenities page, the complex has more than 120 slips and indoor boat storage. Schooners says it has operated since 1980.
From spring through fall, the steady event was the Summer Sunset Shrimp Boil. It ran on one Sunday a month, from March 29 through a final date on Sunday, October 25. With that series finished, the marina's calendar for the rest of the fall is a short list of dates:
- Saturday, October 31, 6 to 10 p.m. The BOOzy Halloween Party at LJ Schooners, 290 Yacht Club Drive. DJ Diamond Dan plays the whole evening, and the marina promotes Halloween costumes, festive cocktails and dockside festivities.
- Saturday, November 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Nautical Flea Market, a dockside buy, sell and trade day. Vendors can reserve a spot by calling 850-897-2821, and the marina says there is "No fee to reserve spot!" The event is labeled as rescheduled, so check the date with the marina before you load the truck.
- Saturday, November 21, 4 to 6 p.m. The 8th Annual Chili Cook-Off. This year it benefits CALM, Crisis Aid for Littles and Moms. Entry is free for competitors, but registration is required and the field is capped at 20.
Between those Saturdays, the marina also hosts The Traveling Painter once a month. Emily Day Little leads a new project each session, and registration is through TheTravelingPainter.org.
Look at what's on that list. Two of the three November events depend on neighbors showing up with something to bring: a table of gear to sell, or a pot of chili for a local cause. The marina provides the dock, and the people who come provide the event.
The Winter Clock at LJ Schooners
The hours change is the part most likely to catch someone off guard on a Sunday evening. These are the posted schedules on the LJ Schooners page:
| Restaurant, Nov. to Feb. | Restaurant, Mar. to Oct. | Oyster Bar, Nov. to Feb. | Oyster Bar, Mar. to Oct. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday and Tuesday | Closed | Closed | Closed | 3 to 10 p.m. |
| Wednesday and Thursday | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 3 to 10 p.m. | 3 to 10 p.m. |
| Friday and Saturday | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 11 a.m. to midnight | 11 a.m. to midnight |
| Sunday | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
Happy hour runs daily from 3 to 6 p.m. The posted Sunday brunch time has a typo, so call the restaurant at 850-897-6400 before planning a brunch around it.
In practice, the oyster bar on a Sunday night is the one waterfront table that keeps the same late hours year-round. A Sunday dinner in the restaurant has to happen before 4 p.m. until March.
The Land Residents Bought, Now With 18 Baskets
The other change is on the north side of Bluewater Boulevard. Bay Life reported in September 2025 that the old Lake Golf Course land, once holes 1, 2, 3 and 9, is no longer used for golf and "will remain protected from development." Bluewater citizens bought it in 2024 as part of a 150-acre acquisition, and most of that acreage is still an 18-hole golf course.
According to the same Bay Life story, the disc golf course started as one resident's pitch. In February 2025, Steve Duresky brought the idea to the Preserve Bluewater Bay board, which manages the land and the golf course, and the board approved it unanimously. Duresky and his wife, Sharon, sponsored the first nine professional-grade baskets, which were finished in July. Valparaiso resident Craig Hamilton, who has designed other courses in the area, worked with him on it. At the time, the plan was to grow to as many as 14 holes, with additional baskets costing about $450 each through donations. Duresky told Bay Life that "Disc golf is great family fun that requires no special skills or equipment."
The course went past that target. As of April 2026, the Bluewater Bay community disc golf page says 18 baskets are "installed and ready for play." On UDisc, it's listed as Bluewater Bay Preserve Falcon's Nest, established in 2025, with free play during daylight hours and an optional $15 cart rental.
Next door, the 18-hole Bluewater Bay Golf Club course, designed by Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate, is still in play and is operated by Preserve Bluewater Bay. The same group of residents now oversees both a championship course and a free course you can play any day.
Playing Falcon's Nest Before the Light Runs Out
Since play is limited to daylight, shorter November afternoons cut into the time you have, which makes it worth knowing the course before you go. From the community page:
- Park at the clubhouse at 2000 Bluewater Blvd for the easiest access to holes 1 and 9. A small paved pad across from hole 3 on Bluewater Boulevard holds one or two cars. The page asks players not to park on the median.
- Route is a clockwise loop that starts and ends at the clubhouse, using the Lake Course cart path to get to every hole.
- Plan for the gap between basket 6 on hole 3 and the basket 7 tee box on hole 9. It's a long walk that includes a short stretch along Bluewater Boulevard.
- Shorten it by playing as many holes as you want "out and back." The page calls play "still very informal."
- Bring your own discs. A free loaner box is planned "at some point down the road" but isn't there yet.
The out-and-back option fits the season well. A few baskets from the clubhouse on a weekday afternoon is a realistic plan when the loop runs short on light.
Keeping the Green Space Open
Getting onto the old Lake course is easy, and that makes one rule matter. In a May 2026 notice, the Preserve Bluewater Bay board reported e-bikes and other unauthorized vehicles trespassing on the golf course. It also said access to the course and common areas can be restricted for maintenance, safety, tournaments, weather or golf operations. Walk to Falcon's Nest, or rent the cart through the course, and look for posted closures before heading out after a storm.
If you're curious how places like the Preserve Bluewater Bay green space and the marina at Ward's Cove shape day-to-day life in different parts of Niceville, the team at LJB Signature Homes is happy to talk it through with you. Schedule a free consultation and we'll share what we know about the streets around Bluewater Boulevard and Rocky Bayou, at whatever pace suits you.
