Sherman Gardens Is Rebuilding Its Front Door on Coast Highway. This Fall, the Village Is Its Kitchen.

Sherman Library & Gardens is in the middle of a $17 million rebuild. It broke ground on February 26, 2026, and is scheduled to wrap up in late summer 2027, about 18 months later. The project isn't mainly about new plantings. It moves Sherman's entrance and restaurant to the Pacific Coast Highway frontage and adds a new Bell Tower Entrance. Once it's finished, the garden will have a front door on the Village's main street.

For now, the garden has no kitchen and its entrance is on a side street. Lunch, coffee and an evening drink all come from Coast Highway businesses. That makes this fall a good time to treat Sherman and the Village as one outing.

What a Visit Looks Like Mid-Construction

The garden is open. Most of what has changed is how you get in and what you can do once you're inside.

• Entrance: Use Dahlia Avenue for now and follow the signs.
• Parking: Parking is free in Lot A at Dahlia Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway and in Lot B at Dahlia Avenue and 3rd Avenue.
• Hours: Open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The regular holiday closures are Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and July 4th.
• Admission: Seasonal pricing started Friday, May 15, 2026. Adults pay $12 and children ages 4 to 17 pay $5. Children 3 and under get in free.
• What's closed: Sherman says some areas are temporarily closed off and you may hear construction. It doesn't name the closed areas, so the garden map is the best guide.
• Food: The Gardens say regular dining isn't available on-site.
• Library: The library page lists daily hours but says research assistance isn't available. In May, the Daily Pilot reported the library was temporarily closed. Call ahead if you're going for the archives.

Expect a few full-day closures this fall. Sherman is closed to the public Friday, October 2, through Sunday, October 4, for the 2nd Annual Botanical Ball, and again on Sunday, October 18. Since the visit page asks guests to check before coming, the Plan Your Visit page is worth a look before you park.

Why the Garden Is Turning Toward PCH

Sherman's new restaurant shows where the project is headed. It's called Hazeltine's, after Moses Hazeltine Sherman, the garden's namesake, who also gave the name to his daughter. Damian Orozco will run it. He owns the Tea House on Los Rios in San Juan Capistrano. The plan includes brunch, lunch, dinner, a full-service bar and a monthly afternoon tea.

The old restaurant sat inside the garden. Hazeltine's will be in a rebuilt two-story building with its own entrance on Pacific Coast Highway and a view of the refurbished tea garden. The idea has history. In the garden's early years, the Junior League of Newport Beach served lunch to members through a service window in the old visitor center and garden shop.

"We are so looking forward to this partnership with Sherman Library & Gardens and the chance to bring our version of hospitality to one of Orange County's true jewels." Damian Orozco, in the announcement release

The opening date differs depending on where you look. The Daily Pilot reported late summer 2027, and Sherman's own visit notice says fall 2027. Either way, it won't open before next year. The previous restaurant, 608 Dahlia, closed last October when Chef Jessica Roy's lease ended on October 26, so the garden will have gone roughly two years without on-site dining by the time Hazeltine's opens.

Hazeltine's has started running afternoon teas inside the garden ahead of the opening. One is listed for Sunday, October 18, from 1 to 4 p.m., at $79 per adult and $49 per child, plus tax and gratuity. Non-members also pay garden admission. That's also one of the days the garden is closed to the public, and the Tock booking page shows the date as sold out. Plan on it being ticket-holders only.

The Fall Calendar Inside the Gate

Classes and events have continued through construction, as the Daily Pilot said they would when work began in February.

The chrysanthemum weekend is themed "Chrysanthemums Honor America the Beautiful." Little Seedlings Story Time runs Fridays at 10 a.m., except on closure days like October 2. Sherman hasn't posted dates for a 2026 holiday light show, so wait for the garden to announce one before planning a December evening around it.

Lunch Happens on Coast Highway Now

The garden is open 10:30 to 4, and there's nowhere to eat inside. Most visits now start or end at a Coast Highway counter. Rose Bakery Cafe at 3536 East Coast Highway opens daily at 5 a.m., more than five hours before the garden gates. Rendez Vous French Bakery and Cafe at 3330 East Coast Highway and Grounded Coffee House at 3636 E. Coast Hwy also work for a coffee before a morning walk.

For lunch after a visit, The Summer House is at 2744 E. Coast Hwy, a short walk from the garden's 2647 address. Konpa Nikkei opened in 2025 at 3333 East Coast Highway. Its chef combines Japanese heritage with influences from travels in Peru. Cugini Italia Boutique Market at 2515 East Coast Hwy #6 takes online orders, a good fit while the garden has no café. For dessert, Gelato del Mar is at 3500 E. Coast Hwy.

One Village café is still out of service. Sunbliss Café at 3348 E. Coast Highway was red-tagged after a fire in January, and the Daily Pilot reported the location closed until further notice. We haven't found a report of it reopening.

Two October Evenings on the Same Stretch of PCH

October has back-to-back evenings on this strip. On Thursday, October 15, the Village hosts 3rd Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. The series started in 2025 and runs on the third Thursday of April, July and October along PCH, with support from more than 70 local businesses. It's free. The Chamber's page lists October 16, but October 15 is the third Thursday, and that's the date on the full program.

The October lineup includes $2 oysters in the courtyard at SideDoor, Gelato del Mar's "Festival of Flavors" fall tasting, 20% off butternut squash ravioli at Foretti's, a free agua fresca at Konpa Nikkei with a purchase over $15, and bacon-topped pup cups at The Summer House. There's also a Halloween costume contest with a $500 prize, Halloween window painting for kids at Mark Patterson Fine Jewelry, and mini pumpkin decorating with paint pens at Grounded Coffee House.

The next evening, Sherman stays open past its usual 4 p.m. close for Yappy Hour: Howl-O-Ween Edition, from 5 to 7 p.m. If you bring a dog to the Village on Thursday, you can bring it to the garden on Friday.

The city is also planning changes to this corridor. On February 10, 2026, the Newport Beach City Council formally started amendments to the General Plan, Local Coastal Program and municipal code to carry out the Corona del Mar Commercial Corridor Study. The study covers zoning, parking and infrastructure for a walkable main street. The Planning Commission held a study session on September 17, with no action taken. The amendments still go to a public hearing before reaching the City Council. You can follow along on the city's study page. If the timelines line up, Hazeltine's could open its Coast Highway entrance in 2027 while those corridor changes are still being decided.

If you own a home near the Village and want to know how Sherman's new Coast Highway frontage and the corridor study might affect it, Suzi and Ryan at DaileybytheSea can walk you through it in person. Get Your Free Home Valuation, and we'll include what's changing a few blocks from your door.