Upscale and urban-chic: New outdoor venue hits Fort Myers with concerts, food trucks
An '"urban-chic" oasis in downtown Fort Myers.
That’s how the owners of Bay Street Yard describe their new outdoor entertainment venue on Bay Street ― now opening Saturday, nearly a week earlier than previously announced.
Actually, it was always the plan to open this weekend, says co-owner David Fry. They wanted to give themselves a one-week cushion, just in case they didn't have everything ready in time.
"We really don't want to miss Memorial Day weekend if we can help it," says Fry, a real-estate developer and former CEO of golf-club developer WCI Communities. "It's a busy weekend. We think ― we THINK ― Saturday night here there's gonna be a line down the street. I hope I'm right."
Fry and his business partner ― former Fort Myers mayor Randy Henderson ― think they have something unique in Southwest Florida: A laid-back, outdoor venue that will be home to food trucks, yard games, live music, sports-watching parties on a huge LED screen and two bars built inside metal shipping containers.
Fry calls the new venue "casual, but upscale."
It’s inherently casual, he says, because it's outdoors. But just about everything else about Bay Street Yard is upscale and high-class.
General Manager Mimi Wallace echoes that point. "There is nothing else around that is anything like this," she says.
Bay Street Yard: Something 'new and exciting' in downtown Fort Myers
On this recent Wednesday, Wallace and Bay Street Yard's owners sit on comfy couches in the venue's second-floor VIP area, The Loft, as they excitedly talk about their new venture. The covered, open-air Loft features three cozy "rooms" and a line of chairs along the balcony rail overlooking the main floor and concert stage below.
All around them, Bay Street Yard employees in khaki shorts and orange shirts busily scurry around as they prepare for a private party.
Wallace previously worked at JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, but she says she eagerly took this new job as general manager of Bay Street Yard.
"Once I saw they were creating this amazing concept, I knew I had to be a part of it," Wallace says. "It's creating something that is new and exciting."
Since COVID, outdoor venues have been much more in demand, Fry says. And he knew that whatever he built in Fort Myers would lean into that outdoor concept.
"It all came from the idea that people generally like being outside," Fry says. "When you go to a restaurants and the weather's nice, there's a waiting list to be outside. And that started me thinking."
That's why everything at Bay Street Yard is open-air: Not so great in the summer, they admit, but something that will be huge draw once the weather cools.
"During the winter, this place is going to be very popular," Fry predicts on this sweltering Wednesday afternoon. "A day like today? Some will come, some won't. Because it's hot."
Collaborating with Luminary Hotel and a former Fort Myers mayor
The outdoor entertainment venue was built on an empty lot owned by Henderson, just across from Luminary Hotel on Bay Street.
Henderson says he's owned the land for 27 years. Fry was originally looking elsewhere to build the place, but then he started talking to the former Fort Myers mayor. They've been working together on the project for more than two years, Henderson says.
Together, they've packed a lot into that 12,000-square-foot lot: Roughly eight steel shipping containers ― 20 feet long and painted orange and black ― converted into two bars, a manager's office, bathrooms and more; a concert stage; the upstairs VIP area; a food-truck lot with three food trucks; and a "play yard" with Adirondack chairs, artificial grass, a cornhole game, table tennis and more.
"Every inch of it is being used," Wallace says. "Every single inch."
Bay Street Yard's approximately 30 employees have been training for about a month to offer knowledgeable, attentive service, Wallace says. They're all employed by Mainsail Lodging & Development, the same company that owns the next-door Luminary Hotel.
Mainsail was contracted to manage the place, Fry says.
'Permanent' food trucks and two bars
One thing that sets apart Bay Street Yard is the three food trucks parked in the venue's paved food truck area. They're a permanent part of the place ― at least for the length of their one-year contract.
Southwest Florida catering company Paradise Hospitality Group created the new food trucks just for Bay Street Yard, Wallace says. "They custom-built these trucks for us."
The lineup features Banzai Asian Cuisine (Asian food), Bay Street Butcher (American food) and Rick's Taco Cartel (Mexican food). They offer everything from fried sushi rolls and Korean fried-chicken sandwiches to cheesesteak melts and smashburgers to shredded-beef tacos and churros in chocolate sauce.
"It's better than any restaurant in downtown Fort Myers," Wallace says. "It's amazing."
Paradise Hospitality's chefs include one trained by The Culinary Institute of America, Fry says. "These are not your normal food trucks. That's the point."
To see the food truck's menus, visit baystreetyard.com/menu.
Live bands, sports planned at Bay Street Yard
The centerpiece of Bay Steet Yard is its 20-foot-wide, 10-foot-deep stage at the west end of the play yard. The covered stage is flanked by two big, colorful murals from local artist Shari Shifrin of the Fort Myers Mural Society.
There's also a huge 8-foot tall, 13-foot wide LED TV screen for watching sports and other events. Wallace envisions themed TV-watching parties for the Super Bowl, the Final Four, golf tournaments and other major sports events – all with a crystal-clear picture and a high-end sound system.
As for live music, Bay Street Yard will bring in Florida and touring bands every Friday and Saturday night until 9:30 p.m., when deejays will keep the music going until 2 a.m., Wallace says.
"We'll be bringing in the most spectacular live music performances from all over Florida," she says.
That includes jazz, country, rock, classical and other genres ― starting Saturday with Nashville rock and country singer-songwriter Karin James and her band.
"We have two criterias for entertainment," Fry says. "One is we're trying to make it unique. We want to make it unique in some fashion ― especially unique to downtown Fort Myers.
"And then we want them to be sophisticated. We're not gonna have guys who come in here and use profane language on the stage. That's not gonna be allowed."
Most of the bands are touring acts from Florida, but some will come from as far away as Nashville and New York. Wallace also expects to host events related to concerts happening at the nearby Caloosa Sound Amphitheater, such as meet-and-greets with major touring acts or private acoustic sets before or after their Caloosa Sound shows.
For a lineup of upcoming bands, visit baystreetyard.com/specials-events.
More about Bay Street Yard
Bay Street Yard can be found next to the parking garage at 2136 Bay St. in downtown Fort Myers. It's across the street from Luminary Hotel.
The new venue can accommodate 300-450 people.
There isn't a rental fee for the VIP spaces in The Loft, but there is a "beverage minimum" purchase that depends on the day or the week and time of year. Prices start at $240 for eight people on weekdays (which breaks down to $30 per person), Wallace says.
For more information and for concert and event updates, visit BayStreetYard.com or follow along on Facebook and Instagram.
— Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 (for tickets to shows, call the venue) or email him at crunnells@gannett.com. Follow or message him on social media: Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (formerly Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Bay Street Yard opens downtown Fort Myers with food trucks, concerts
