On Friday night, The Barnacle Historic State Park will turn away any dog that walks up to the gate at 3485 Main Highway. Seventeen hours after Friday's doors open, the same gate opens for what Equipaws Pet Services calls "hundreds of good furry boys and girls."
That flip shapes the whole weekend in the Grove. Friday, Nov. 13, is a picnic concert with a strict no-pets rule. Saturday, Nov. 14, is a holiday market where dogs get in free and people pay $7. The two events run on different rules, and knowing them saves a wasted walk down Main Highway.
| Friday, Nov. 13 | Saturday, Nov. 14 | |
|---|---|---|
| Event | Moonlight Concert Series: The 18 Wheelers | Fifth Annual Holiday Barkzaar |
| Hours | Doors 6 p.m., show 7 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Adult admission | $20, or $15 for Barnacle Society members | $7 |
| Children | $10 ages 6 to 17, free at 5 and under | Free under 6 |
| Dogs | Not permitted | Free, with waiver and rabies proof |
| Bring | Lawn chairs, blankets, picnic, your own beverages | Blankets, appetite, your dog |
A Bayfront Homesite With Room for Both
The park can host two such different crowds back to back because of what Ralph Middleton Munroe left behind. According to The Barnacle Society's history of the site, Munroe bought 40 acres of bayfront land in 1886, built a boathouse in 1887, and began living in his bungalow in 1891. In 1973 the Florida Park Service acquired the remaining five acres of his original homesite.
Those five acres hold an 1891 house, open ground, and a breeze off Biscayne Bay. The Barnacle Society's name appears on both of this weekend's events. It sells member tickets for the Friday concert, and it co-presents Saturday's market with Equipaws Pet Services. One park and one membership group set opposite rules for dogs on consecutive days, and each set fits its event.
Friday: A Grove Band Comes Back to the Bay
The Moonlight Concert Series runs October through April, with doors at 6 p.m. and a standing "No pets, please." The season started in October 2026. Friday's act has deep Grove roots.
The 18 Wheelers play honky-tonk country, western swing and roots rock. Miami & Miami Beach's event listing bills the show as marking 30 years of the band making music in South Florida and calls them longtime performers at the former Scotty's Landing. Their set mixes original songs with material drawn from Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Gram Parsons and other country and roots artists. For the anniversary, the lineup expands to add Laurie Jennings on vocals and guitar and Dana Keller on pedal steel.
The Scotty's connection goes back a long way. In a 2006 profile, Miami New Times described Scotty's as a regular haunt where the band played at least a couple of weekends every month. New Times later reported that Scotty's closed in October 2015, with the restaurant carrying on as Grove Bay Grill. On Friday the band is back on the Grove waterfront, this time on the Barnacle's lawn.
The format is simple. Guests can bring lawn chairs, blankets, picnics and their own drinks. Tickets are sold through the band's concert page on The Barnacle's site, and the park's phone number is (305) 442-6866. Doors at 6 and a 7 p.m. downbeat leave an hour to spread a blanket and eat before the pedal steel starts.
Saturday: The Rules Flip at 11 a.m.
Friday's main rule is to leave the dog home. Saturday's rules are about bringing the dog properly. The Holiday Barkzaar listing from Equipaws Pet Services lays out the entry conditions:
- The park requires a signed waiver at the front door.
- Every dog needs proof of rabies vaccination and up-to-date shots.
- Dogs stay on leash outside the designated off-leash areas.
- Puppies younger than 4 months are not allowed, for their own safety.
These are event rules, and they decide whether a dog gets past the gate. Locate the vaccination record on Friday night, before the concert, so you aren't searching for it on Saturday morning.
This is the fifth year of the market. Equipaws describes it as a family- and dog-friendly holiday market and fundraiser, with more than 25 pet and food vendors setting up a holiday village at the park for the day. Last year's fourth edition fell on Nov. 16, 2025, so the market has settled into mid-November.
Saturday, Hour by Hour
The organizer's tentative schedule runs like this:
- 11 a.m. Gates open. The dog lure course, off-leash area, music, pet vendors, ornament decorating, food and drinks all run until close.
- Noon Doggy yoga with Tiffany Ann.
- 12:30 p.m. The Pup Cup Showdown eating competition.
- 1 p.m. Contests for best holiday costume, pet and human lookalike, and best trick.
- 1:30 p.m. Santa Paws arrives.
- 3:30 p.m. Santa Paws leaves.
- 4 p.m. The park closes.
The Santa Paws photo window is two hours long. Lorena Cora Pet Photography takes the photos, sponsored by Healthy Smiles Pet Dental. Families who want both a contest and a photo can stay through the 1 p.m. contests and then join the line when Santa Paws arrives half an hour later.
The listing names the other activities and the businesses behind them:
- The Chewy Vet Care Dog Lure Course, run by Happy with Dogs
- The Dog from Ipanema Dog Play Zone, with kiddie pools for cooling off
- Holiday ornament decorating and a Letters to Santa Station, sponsored by Pet Supermarket Coconut Grove
- Paws in Town's Winter Dog of the Season Casting Call
- Live holiday music from Marco Barrios
- Food from local vendors including Chef Norlan and Cafe Vidita
- Holiday cocktails and mocktails from Shake & Stir, plus a dog hydration station, both sponsored by Your Pet Attorneys by The Gross Group
What to Carry in the Car
Saturday also has a donation drive. Williamson Cadillac Buick is running "Stuff the SUV," collecting pet food, toys, treats and blankets. Ticket money goes elsewhere. The $7 admission benefits Paw Patrol Animal Rescue and The Barnacle Historic State Park.
So the trunk on Saturday holds a different load than on Friday. Friday calls for folding chairs, a cooler and a picnic. Saturday calls for a leash, the vaccination record, a bag of donations and a blanket. Equipaws suggests bringing "blankets, appetites, and pups," and its listing promises bay breezes too.
Two Days, One Gate on Main Highway
Back to back, the two events show how the Grove uses the old Munroe homesite. On Friday it hosts a no-pets evening of western swing from a band that spent years playing weekends at Scotty's. On Saturday it hosts a ticketed, waivered, rabies-checked dog market that sends its gate money to a rescue group and to the park. Both run under the 1891 house, and both put a Barnacle Society ticket or partnership behind the evening or afternoon.
Families going to both should plan two separate trips. Friday means leaving by about 5:30 with the cooler and no dog, aiming for the 6 p.m. doors. Saturday means getting to the gate soon after 11 with the leash, the vaccine record and the donation bag, and staying until Santa Paws arrives at 1:30.
If you're at The Barnacle this weekend, we may see you there. At Nancy Jimenez, we follow the Coconut Grove calendar closely, from Moonlight Concert nights to the Barkzaar every November. If you'd like to talk about life near Main Highway, or anything else on your mind in the Grove, let's connect.
