Where can a St. Simons dog run at two o'clock on a weekday in November? Anywhere on the beach, from Gould's Inlet down to the Pier. Labor Day ended the summer restriction, and this year the beach itself has more ways onto it than it did a year ago. The fences have moved inland, to a ballfield complex off Mallery Street and a lifeguard tower going up at Coast Guard Beach. Both have dates attached, and both are aimed at finishing before summer comes back.
The pattern this year runs this way. Every public way onto the sand is open, and the closures are at two parks with spring deadlines. For anyone who walks, runs, fishes or takes a dog out on this island, the beach is the most open public space they have until late May.
The 16th Street to Pier Line Is Gone Until May
During the summer, Glynn County keeps dogs off the busiest stretch of sand during the busiest hours. The county's beach page spells out the rule this way:
"From the Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day, dogs are not permitted on the beach between 16th Street (Gould's Inlet/East Beach South) and Mallery Street (St. Simons Pier) between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m."
Outside that window, the county says dogs are welcome on all beach areas as long as they stay under immediate control, and a 10-foot leash is required if voice control isn't reliable. The full rules are in Chapter 2-11 of the Glynn County Code of Ordinances, which the county links from the same page. This is a summary of a county rule and not legal advice, so check the ordinance itself if your situation is unusual.
The off-season window is long. It began after Labor Day and runs until the Saturday before Memorial Day, which falls on May 29, 2027. That gives dogs more than eight months of unrestricted access to the stretch between East Beach and the Pier, including the middle of the day.
There is a second change since Labor Day. The county's beach lifeguards work daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from the Saturday before Memorial Day to mid-August. After that they work weekends only through Labor Day, at posts from the Massengale beach access to the Coast Guard beach access. They are off duty now. The county's Beach Flag Warning System guide still applies to anyone heading into the water.
Driftwood Drive Finally Reaches the Sand
This is the first off-season with the new crossing at the end of Driftwood Drive. Glynn County announced on July 21, 2026 that its 967-foot elevated boardwalk was open to the public. As The Islander reported, the boardwalk replaced the previous public access structure, which "no longer reached the beach."
The Islander also reported that Shropshire Built constructed it for $657,479, paid for through the county's Multi-Year Capital Projects Fund, and that the project came in on schedule and within budget. The elevated design is meant to give beachgoers a safer, more accessible route while protecting the dune system underneath.
Driftwood is the second access point this year to go from disrupted to normal. Earlier, the county's shoreline revetment rehabilitation warned of temporary access adjustments at Myrtle, 5th and Wyley streets. The county's shoreline protection project page lists that work as completed as of April 2, 2026. Both projects are finished, so the paths onto the beach are in better shape this winter than they were a year ago.
Coast Guard Beach Is Mostly Built, and the Lot Is Open
The East Beach entrance most people use is in the middle of a two-phase rebuild, and the phase that matters on an ordinary winter morning is done. The county opened the Coast Guard Beach Park lot on Friday, May 22, 2026, in time for Memorial Day weekend. The Coast Guard and East Beach listing gives the address as 4100 First Street and parking hours as 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The rest of the site is still under construction. According to the county's project page, Scope A covered the parking lot and drainage. It began in September 2025 and was completed in May 2026. Scope B covers a new three-story lifeguard tower and broader park improvements. It began in November 2025 and is expected to be complete in early 2027. The full project also includes ADA-accessible facilities, new walkways and dune restoration.
As of the county's October 17, 2026 data update, the project budget totaled $7,419,576 and spending had reached $5,940,947. That is about 80 percent of the budget spent, with the tower phase still to finish. Expect construction activity behind the parking area through the winter, with the timeline pointing to completion before lifeguards return to that end of the beach next season.
Mallery's Fields Are Fenced, but Kings Park Is Open
The other fence went up on Monday, October 19. Mallery Ballfield Park closed that day for renovation of its three baseball fields and the park amenities around them. Glynn County's announcement says the park is expected to stay closed through the end of February 2027.
The county and the St. Simons Island Athletic Association are splitting the work. The county is leading the project and paying for the design, and SSIAA is leading and paying for construction. Coleman & Company is the designer. The Islander reported that county commissioners approved the memorandum of understanding with SSIAA on August 20, and construction is targeted to finish before the Spring 2027 season.
The part that matters for dog owners is what stays open. The closure does not affect the tennis courts, the pickleball courts or the dog park in Kings Park, and the park office stays open for program registration, facility rentals and general questions. The park restrooms are closed during construction, and temporary restrooms are available in Kings Park.
So the fenced dog park in Kings Park and the open beach are both available to dogs this winter. The closure takes away ballfields and restrooms. It takes away nothing a dog owner was using.
The Dates Between Now and Memorial Day
The construction schedules and the beach rules all point to the same stretch of late winter and spring:
- Since Labor Day: Dogs are allowed on all beach areas under immediate control, and county lifeguards are off duty.
- October 19, 2026: Mallery Ballfield Park closed. The Kings Park dog park, tennis and pickleball stay open.
- End of February 2027: Mallery Ballfield Park is expected to reopen, before the Spring 2027 season.
- Early 2027: Coast Guard Beach Park's Scope B, including the three-story lifeguard tower, is expected to be complete.
- Saturday, May 29, 2027: The 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. dog restriction between 16th Street and Mallery Street returns, and daily lifeguard coverage resumes from Massengale to Coast Guard.
If both projects stay on schedule, the island goes into next summer with renovated ballfields, a finished East Beach park and a Driftwood crossing that reaches the sand.
If you'd like to know which streets sit closest to the Driftwood boardwalk or the Coast Guard lot before the summer dog rules return, ask Beach + Main. We know where the beach crossings are on every stretch of this island. Let's Find Your Place Together.
